DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz The Album

The mixtape has become a powerful marketing tool for breaking in new artists as well as raising awareness for upcoming albums. While several DJs compete to obtain that exclusive track or latest remix, the bootleg circuit has indisputably been dominated by DJ Drama for the past few years. Known for his popular series of Gangsta Grillz mixtapes which have elevated the careers of Young Jeezy and Lil’ Wayne among others, the iPod King found himself victim to a FBI raid where they confiscated nearly 100,000 CD’s and had him arrested. With charges and the prison release campaign behind him, Drama (the “DJ” was dropped for copyright purposes), aims for the big time with Gangsta Grillz: The Album. Sticking to the traditional formula, the twenty-one track LP features some of today’s biggest names creating audio cocaina over production mostly done by partner in crime Don Cannon.

Although the usual suspects such as T.I., Young Dro, and Young Jeezy run rampant for the most part, Drama keeps a few player cards up his sleeve to keep the album from becoming run-of-the-mill. ATL’s finest, the eclectic Outkast keep it funky enough on “Da Art Of Storytelling Pt. 4″ all though it isn’t much of a story. Denaun Porter’s silky smooth incantation on “Beneath The Diamonds” sets the stage for Devin The Dude to ride the beat cleaner than a brand new Cadillac, and G-Unit is up to no good again as they spew subliminal disses all over the gully “Talk ‘Bout Me”. But the southern comfort of sibling sensations Willie The Kid and LA The Darkman on “Makin’ Money Smokin” alongside trunk rattlin’ posse cut “Feds Takin’ Pictures” never let you forget you’re listening to a “Gangsta Grillzills”!

And what would a Drama tape be without songs to skip? The shameless Diddy “Interlude” sets up the atrocious Yung Joc led “Throw Ya Sets Up” with one swift ego trip, while the cheesy “Grillz Gleamin” and tired “Keep It Gangsta” are exposed for exactly what they are: Filler. But while these weak spots definitely null a bit of the album’s edge, they’re not enough to overshadow the shine reflected off The Neptunes’ and Clipse champagne popper “Cheers” where a confident Pharrell spits “Ill wishers/with your happy faced veneers/sugar coated comments thinking that’s what I wanna hear/I won’t say much, only what you need to know/the G in G4 for me stands for grow…..

Unfortunately Gangsta Grillz… won’t be remembered for its lyrical offerings. The boisterous “5000 Ones” can attest to that. Still, Mr. Thanksgiving moves up in the food chain with this solid release. Provided that he has a scheme to prevent the very same bootlegging that helped him rise to power. A daunting task for any artist who aligns themselves deep in the streets.