DJ Drama And Don Cannon Recall Being A Part Of Hip-Hop History Due To The 2007 Raid During Their ‘Gangsta Grillz’ Era
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Atlanta emerged as the mecca of trap music, bringing the cultural sounds from some of the hottest acts in hip-hop, including T.I., Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Outkast and more, proving that the South did indeed have something to say.
One cannot mention the narrative above without honing in on two DJ powerhouses, DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon, responsible for the renowned Gangsta Grillz era, which ultimately led to the consumption of music across digital streaming platforms that are in place today.
“We were just doing what we loved,” Drama recalled during an interview with Blavity. “You’ve got to think about it — Cannon and I have both been deejaying for half of our lives, if not the majority of them before we even met. We met at 18 or 19 years old, and from that point to when we got raided, I guess we were like 26, 27 when we got raided, so it took us another 10 years to put time in the game.”
“We used to split $300 to DJ, carrying crates and everything, so it was really our love, our passion and our dedication,” Drama continued. “I think once we got in the game, we were so excited to have finally gotten to that point. When you’re in it and you’re doing it, you don’t even realize that moment or that history is being made, I’m saying at least we didn’t during the time. I always compare it to sports. A lot of times, it was like we just were on the court, balling, trying to put up 45, 10, and 15 every night. Obviously, when the raid happened, we knew that a historical moment had taken place in music, especially for where we sat at the table and for us to be targeted for that situation to go down.”
Cannon added to that sentiment, reiterating that they were simply two DJs hustling overtime to get their names listed on party flyers. The intention was never to come in and reshape an entire generation of music.
“We went through a lot of stuff that people don’t know about,” Cannon told Blavity. “I’ve never said this in interviews, but we were going to clubs and not being recognized yet — this was something that we were doing out of love. We just put the work in, but then all of sudden got recognized. You don’t know you’re making history when you’re just hustling and getting it done. Out of all of us, the love for the music was just carrying us.”
“When something that devastating happens, you’re like ‘Oh, how did this happen from doing music?’ All we’re doing is music and it wasn’t like we were out here panhandling or anything like that, you know? I was confused because it was like God’s work. That’s what we always said: ‘We were here to do this,’ but after the fact, you look back and you’re like, ‘Wow, we really made history.’ It went from that to the streaming world. It’s all the artists that came here later and did mixtapes. It was just such a huge moment, and we weren’t the first to make mixtapes, but being a part of the history of it and the fact that we got a chance to put our stamp in that world.”
In hindsight, Cannon said that he is thankful that it happened to him and Drama versus another pair of musicians because he isn’t sure that they would have been as prepared or would have had the disposition to handle that moment.
“It changed mixtapes forever,” Cannon continued. “I personally felt a lot of guilt at the time, because I was like, ‘Damn, here’s this culture that I grew up loving for so long, and God forbid it dies on my shoulders because of that.’ We went out and waved the mixtape flag and were able to not let there be a moment of discomfort. Instead, we were like a Phoenix rising from the ashes in a lot of ways, and I don’t know if that would have happened to somebody else — if they would have been as well prepared as we were.”
Today, their love for music continues, and this time they’ve tapped Dolby Atmos as a vehicle to help them lead the sounds they continue to cook up — especially in the studio with artists on their GenerationNOW imprint, home to musicians like Jack Harlow, Lil Uzi Vert, Sonny Digital and more.
“It’s made things kind of exciting,” Drama said when asked how the technology behind Dolby Atmos has enhanced his work as a producer. “I think, from a background as a DJ, we generally come from a place of mixing sound and records, taking out bass, taking out treble, you know, adding effects and things of that nature. Having Dolby Atmos has enhanced that so much and almost gifted us an opportunity and a chance to glorify the sounds and the listening engagement, just from the perspective of every individual hearing music in a different way.”
“It makes my job easier in a lot of ways,” sound engineer expert Leslie Brathwaite told Blavity. “We’ll start with the technical: It makes my job easier, technically, because what our good friends at Dolby Atmos did was integrate this tool into what already exists in how I work. Dolby Atmos came along and said, ‘Let us build you a tool that you can integrate into your workflow, make life easy — and what makes it easy is the connection piece between how your brain works, how you perceive sound, and our little visualizer.”
Today, more than 1,000 Dolby Atmos recording studios span across more than 50 countries, including some of the most prestigious and well-renowned studios and smaller independent studios as well.
In Atlanta alone, there are six Dolby Atmos recording studios, including the Means Street Studios’ new Dolby Atmos mixing room. The technology is also easily accessible to music lovers across the world, with access via 20 music streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL, as they deliver tunes to listeners across the globe.
Additionally, 92% of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Top 100 Artists, including Beyoncé, have released music via Dolby Atmos.
