DJ Drama Biography, Early life, age, height, weight, education, profession, Nationality, awards, Net Worth & more

DJ Drama Biography

Tyree Cinque Simmons, often known as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive, and music promoter who was born on April 22, 1978. He and Don Cannon co-founded the Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now, which has Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow, and Skeme on its roster. He became well-known as T.I.’s official DJ in Atlanta and as a well-known mixtape DJ with his Gangsta Grillz series. In the projects he has put together, many musicians have used the Gangsta Grillz logo, including Lil Wayne, Fabolous, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Snoop Dogg, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again, among others.

He was a founding member of the DJ and artist collective known as the Aphilliates, based in Atlanta. Drama has produced five studio albums, the most recent of which is Quality Street Music 2 (2016), and has chosen songs with both “underground” and well-known performers.

DJ Drama Early life and education

Tyree Simmons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of his childhood there in Germantown. His sister accompanied him to New York City when he was 13 years old, where he bought his first mixtape. Soon after, he started producing his own cassettes, including Illadelph, which featured Black Thought, Dice Raw, Malik B., and other musicians. Additionally, he began experimenting with turntables. Simmons graduated in 1996 from Philadelphia’s Central High School.

He relocated to Atlanta after high school to attend Clark Atlanta University (CAU), where he majored in public communication.[3][5] While there, he met DJ Sense and Don Cannon, two other DJs from Philadelphia. In the end, the three would come together to form the DJ and artist collective Aphilliates. Under the alias DJ Drama, Simmons started creating and releasing mixtapes while he was a student.[3] His debut series, Electric Relaxation, featured a number of R&B songs.

His debut mixtape, titled Jim Crow Laws, was released in 1998 and featured only Southern hip-hop artists including Outkast, Three 6 Mafia, and Mystikal. Due to the tape’s popularity, DJ Drama launched the Gangsta Grillz mixtape series.[3][5] He later earned his CAU degree in 2000.

DJ Drama Recognition and awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2008	Justo Mixtape Awards	Best Dirty South DJ	DJ Drama	Won	^[66]
	Justo Mixtape Awards	Best Mixtape Team	The Aphilliates	Won	^[66]
	Justo Mixtape Awards	Best Mixtape Series	Gangsta Grillz	Won	^[66]
2013	BET Hip Hop Awards	DJ of the Year	DJ Drama	Won	^[67]
2018	Global Spin Awards	DJ Record Label of the Year	Don Cannon and DJ Drama (Generation Now)	Won	^[68]
2022	Grammy Awards	Best Rap Album	Call Me If You Get Lost	Won

Who is DJ Drama?

Tyree Simmons was raised largely in Germantown and was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he was 13 years old, his sister traveled with him to New York City, where he made his first mixtape purchase. Soon after, he started making his own recordings, such as Illadelph, which included Black Thought, Dice Raw, Malik B., and other musicians.

He started tinkering with turntables as well. In 1996, Simmons earned his diploma from Philadelphia’s Central High School. After graduating from high school, he made the trip to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University (CAU), where he majored in public communication. There, he met DJ Sense and Don Cannon, two other DJs who were born and raised in Philadelphia. The three established the DJ and artist collective Aphilliates.

R&B tunes were mixed into one of his earlier series, Electric Relaxation. His first mixtape, Jim Crow Laws, was published in 1998 and only featured Southern hip-hop groups including Outkast, Three 6 Mafia, and Mystikal. Due to the tape’s popularity, DJ Drama started the Gangsta Grillz mixtape series. He later earned his CAU degree in 2000.

What is DJ Drama’s age, height, and weight?

Born on April 22, 1978, DJ Drama As of 2023, he is 45 years old. He stands 1.78 meters tall and weighs 75 kilograms.

What is DJ Drama’s net worth?

His estimated net worth in 2023 is $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

What is DJ Drama’s Nationality and Ethnicity?

Drama is of Albanian and Jamaican ancestry.

What is DJ Drama’s profession?

DJ Sense and veteran DJ Don Cannon founded the Aphilliates Music Group (AMG) in 2003. The group released DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz mixtape series, which had early success with T.I.’s Down With the King (2004) and Jeezy’s Trap or Die (2005). By 2005, Drama and his AMG associates were hosting radio shows on Eminem’s Shade 45 Sirius Satellite Radio and Atlanta’s Hot 107.9. Late in 2005, Drama produced and hosted Lil Wayne’s The Dedication mixtape, which led to an extensive run of Dedication tapes. When it was released in May 2006, Dedication 2 made its debut on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list and was named “one of the ten best recordings of 2006.”

AMG and Asylum Records established a joint venture in September 2006. The first artist signed was the American rapper Willie the Kid. In a January 2007 raid, Fulton County police officers seized over 80,000 mixtapes, four vehicles, and some recording equipment from AMG’s Atlanta headquarters. On the basis of RICO claims, both DJ Drama and Don Cannon were detained. Even though Gangsta Grillz: The Album, Drama’s debut “official” album, was slated to be published “above-board” by Grand Hustle Records via Atlantic Records, hard discs containing its songs were seized. No additional legal action was been taken against Drama or Canno in relation to the raid.

Why did DJ Drama get locked up?

They told Drama that he was being detained on bootlegging and racketeering charges in accordance with RICO laws, which are the kinds of criminal conspiracy accusations used to dismantle violent crime organizations like the mob.