Back in January, the RIAA and a SWAT team raided the Atlanta studio of DJ Drama and arrested the DJ on piracy charges; the “piracy” accusation stemmed from Drama’s involvement in the mixtape scene, because he used samples that hadn’t been officially cleared by labels and music-publishing outfits on his mixes for artists like T.I. and Lil’ Wayne. In the months since, the mixtape scene has been quieter, but you could almost hear a pin drop last month, when Universal Music Group has tried to move in with a “legal mixtape” of its own:
DJ Drama has kept a relatively low profile since his studio was raided by the government in January, but he’s taken on hosting duties for Big Mike’s March Madness Part 2 (hat tip: 33jones), and he opens it with a declaration that his Gangsta Grillz album will, despite his legal woes, come out on… More »
DJ Drama and Don Cannon were released from jail yesterday, one day after being arrested on racketeering charges after a raid of their Atlanta studio. More »
– Jay Smooth’s videoblog calls out the boneheaded reporters at Atlanta’s Fox affiliate, redefines the word “snitch.” [hiphopmusic.com]
– “The fact that record labels CAN NOT break music without mixtape deejays is a problem for some in power. The fact that A list artists are dealing directly with popular mixtape deejays is a problem for those in power. With the advent of new technology, the DJ in 2007 has all but perched to move to higher levels and seriously change the game.” [Davey D’s Hip Hop Blog]
More reactions after the jump.
Last night the Atlanta-based mixtape crafter DJ Drama, who has worked with artists like Young Jeezy and T.I., was arrested after the RIAA and a SWAT team raided his studio, confiscating more than 50,000 CDs, recording equipment, and his car. More »
After reading about DJ Drama’s arrest this morning, an Idolator reader sent us an e-mail: What makes this situation so completely ridiculous is that every significant “urban” release when I worked at a major label featured a line in the marketing budget for “mixtape promotion”. More »
