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DJ Drama Readies Legit Mixtape, Speaks out on His Arrest

Mixtape kingpin DJ Drama's arrest on racketeering charges on January 16th of this year shook up the hip-hop industry, and seemed to indicate that the authorities were going to crack down hard on unauthorized mixtapes—a longtime staple in the world of hip-hop promotions. DJ Drama is widely regarded as the premiere mixtape maker in the business, helping to launch the careers of a number of rap luminaries like T.I., Lil Wayne, and Young Jeezy.

While his arrest is still pending—"We haven't been indicted or officially charged," he told Billboard—DJ Drama has been making nice with the recording industry, reaching a deal with Atlantic to distribute the 16th volume of his renowned Gangsta Grillz mixtape this summer.

"There's going to have to be some agreement between labels and artists that makes everyone comfortable," Drama said. "Even if the labels figure out a way of working directly with the DJs to get the mixtapes done by offering an upfront fee that makes sense on their end and ours. It could create a system that makes mixtapes comfortably buyable."

"The mixtape game needs to change for the better," he added. "People need to learn from this."

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
04.04.07