Despite the legal “drama” surrounding DJ Drama and Don Cannon for the Feds raiding their joint and seizing A LOT of CD’s and being charged with racketeering, an album emerges from his well known “Gangsta Grillz” volumes. HELLO! Deejays promote, that’s what we do! Racketeering? SHAAAAAAADAP! First of all, I’d like to point out that this album was not produced by DJ Drama. I don’t even think he lifted a finger on this one except lend his name, picture and soundbytes. Now, it’s not one of those DJ Clue spirited mixtapes where you hear “NEW SHIT!” or various DJ sound effects like gunshots to connect the dots. It is an album with fading tracks, but those on the production helm consist of Just Blaze, Don Cannon and Dame Grease, just to name a couple. It seems to me that it was just a headnod for a “Yes, that goes on the album” or a “No, this sucks” as Drama’s task. With the slew of rappers armed to the teeth to spit, there wasn’t a feeling of highlights (unlike the Statik Selektah review I made earlier, and he did his productions!). You got Nelly, T.I., Diddy, Yung Joc, Willie The Kid, Young Jeezy and Twista on “5000 Ones”…add Jazze Pha to the mix and I still couldn’t find positivity in that. It was a waste! The album seems to revolve around posse cuts and no justice is done. What you will find here is Dirty South, Crunk style and if you have speakers in your car to accompany your 12-inch rims, then this album is for you….floss those grillz while you’re at it. I can find only three tracks I dig out of the whole thing, I may add the whole Diddy saying tons of crap as an interlude as another one (ha!). So who did I like? That joint “The Art Of Storytelling, Pt. 4″ with Outkast and Marsha Ambrosius, “Cheers” for its Khao and Neptune beat and the powerhouse of The Clipse with Pharrell and “Beneath The Diamonds” which sounds soulful, not Southern. My radar is not setting off signals here, but I bet you the Feds are keeping a close eye.
- O. Santos
DJ Drama Feat. Pharrell & The Clipse – Cheers
Posted by DaNewz on January 2, 2008 at 11:17 am
Check out the brand new DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz mixtape. Free Download at the http://www.danewz.com/2008/01/02/dj-drama-back-to-the-gangsta-grillz-mixtape/