DJ Drama is the hottest mixtape DJ in the hip-hop game.
He recently dropped his third album conveniently called Third Power, which features artists like J.Cole, Chris Brown, Fabolous and Wiz Khalifa.
GlobalGrind caught up with the busy DJ to talk about his influence on hip-hop, his favorite rappers, pop star Justin Bieber and of course, his new mixtape Third Power.
Check out the exclusive interview below!
GlobalGrind: How did you come up with the concept and the title, and what does Third Power mean to you?
DJ Drama: Fabolous actually came up with the title of it. He said it on my record, “Third Power.” I kind of ran with it. Basically what it means to me, is just looking at my career and it being my third album.
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How do you go about putting together a mixtape? What is your process?
A lot of times I like to come up with a concept. I like to really formulate it around the artist and the times and what that concept is. I got different little spins I put on it, I don’t like to give away all my secrets. I treat it like a mini-album.
When did you start DJing?
Twenty years ago next year.
Do you remember the first record you played?
Some of the first records I ever bought was House of Pain… “Who’s the Man,” off the Who’s the Man soundtrack with Biggie, “Party and Bullshit” was on the B-side. Also, Brand Nubian’s “Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down.” Yeah, that was just some of my first pieces of vinyl that I ever bought.
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“Undercover” came out with J. Cole and Chris Brown. Has there ever been a time where you had to go undercover where you were dealing with a girl?
Yeah, in my previous time. I think everybody’s been through that. Haven’t you?
A lot of rappers always big up all the mixtape DJs for putting records out there and promoting upcoming rappers. What is the role of a mixtape DJ?
I feel like mixtape DJs and mixtapes are the veins of the game. I think that we’re the bloodline in a lot of sense. When you look at mixtapes throughout hip-hop and the history, they’ve always played that role, from Ron G to Brucie B and the DJs that used to record live at their parties and sell them to all the hustlers in the neighborhood.
The majority of all of our superstars or anybody that is relevant in the game in some form of fashion has had some type of relationship with mixtapes, whether it’s Lil Wayne or Young Jeezy or 50 Cent or Jay-Z, or Big Sean or Drake or J. Cole. Even Kanye West, for an example, everybody in some form or fashion has been a part of, or done a mixtape in that sense. It’s always been a part of that lineage. It’s an important, key role.
Mixtapes have gotten recognition from outside sources and media that wouldn’t normally recognize hip-hop mixtapes. Dedication 2 you did with Wayne, the New York Times called that one of the “Top Best Recordings of 2006.”
They’re albums in their own right. That was always something that I set out to do, basically make mini-street albums. I wouldn’t even be in the position I’m in now to put out a store bought album without those mixtapes that really set me up. I look at those years, Dedication 2 in 2006, Trap or Die in 2005 and Down with the King in 2004, you could put those up against other albums that came out through the years, and they might have more relevance than the majority of them.
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Who are some of your favorite artists right now?
Kendrick Lamar. I like J. Cole. Of course, the heavyweights. Jay-Z, Kanye, Tip, Ross, Drake, Wayne, I’m f*cking with what Future is doing, 2 Chainz is killing them.
If you could do a mixtape for any pop artist what artist would it be?
Justin Bieber. Hands down. Bieber is the truth. Definitely, Me and Bieber are going to do a mixtape at some point.
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If you were sent to a deserted island and you can only bring five albums with you, what five albums would you bring?
Off the top of my head, I would probably say: Stevie Songs in the Key of Life, Bob Marley Legend, Marvin Gaye What’s Going On, Biggie Ready to Die, Tupac All Eyez on Me. I need more. I need to take The Blueprint with me and then Outkast Southernplayalistic, or maybe ATLiens.
What’s something that most people don’t really know about you?
I love Family Guy.
What’s been one of your favorite moments or your most memorable moment?
I think the first time I went to Africa and I was in South Africa, Cape Town, and I realized that I’m here because of something I started doing in my room in my mom’s house. Just to really be able to travel and see the world like that, that was definitely a key, key moment for me.
What’s something you can’t live without?
A BlackBerry and my iTunes.
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You’ve worked with a million artists, is there anybody that you haven’t worked with that you really want to?
Kendrick Lamar.
Are you going to be dropping any more singles off of Third Power?
Yeah, we’re figuring it out right now. Letting the people kind of let me know what they are feeling. And I got some more records coming too.
