So why did you choose to produce instead of following your father’s orchestral influence? I was in the band in junior high school, marching band, stuff like that but I started playing ball. I started getting into the streets. I started getting into the hood a little bit more. Just seeing what was cool, seeing what was more relevant in my generation. And once I started getting older I was just looking at what was really selling. Hip Hop and R&B was really where my heart was when I started making beats. I still know a lot about reading music and orchestral music, so I started mixing the two. I started making Hip Hop/orchestral beats or triumphant beats like [Young Jeezy’s] “Standing Ovation.” Just music and the trumpets and the horns. I still take a lot of things from the orchestra and write my own music. My dad plays other composers’ music but he doesn’t write his own music. And that’s what I do, I write my own music. I would prefer to write my own music as opposed to just playing everybody else’s music. And record sales as far as orchestral music as opposed to Hip Hop, they’re really no comparisons. There’s not as many people buying orchestral music as Hip Hop. I love both so I just combined them and do what I do. So you quit school to pursue producing as a career? You were at the University of Memphis, right? I went to school for my father and my mother, but even in high school I was pursing a career. I had joints on the radio by different local artists, pretty much all the local rappers, Gangsta Boo, Yo Gotti, Tela. All of that was poppin’ during high school. Going to college I was already making money. I stayed in school about 2, 3 years majoring in music business and it got to the point where I couldn’t handle both. I had to choose which one I was going to pursue and I rolled with the music, man. I moved down to Atlanta and that was the end of college. Which artist did you hook up with first as far as producing when you moved to Atlanta? My first artist coming to Atlanta was Pastor Troy. I did a lot of work with Blackout Music, Fione Simone, and Charlie Hustle. That was one of the first DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz that we put out, that really got me a lot of [publicity]. We got a couple songs playing on the radio. I was rapping on a song with Rob Jackson, me and Pastor Troy. That got my name out there a lot. Between [Blackout Music] and Pastor Troy I had a song called “Pop That Pussy” and “Off In This Game” on the D.S.G.B. album and that had me on fire wit’ the independent street cats. I was selling beats and bumped into Block. Jeezy used to see me out in the streets hustling. I used to always tell them, “You gotta get me on that album.” They were working on the Boyz N Da Hood album and we made that poppin’. We were doing a lot of work with Jody Breeze. I made the “Stackin’ Paper” beat featuring Slim Thug for Jody Breeze. I did “Get Your Gangsta On” with Jody Breeze and Jeezy, and even though those records didn’t come out, they were poppin’ in the clubs which got my name hot. We just moved up from there. From the Boyz N Da Hood album to the Jeezy “Standin’ Ovation” and then the second Jeezy album. 46 // OZONE MAG
Words // Randy Roper
drummaboy
Your father was a musician. What kind of influence did he have on you growing up? He had a lot of influence, man, because he had a recorder in my mouth damn near since the age of 4 or 5. Years after that, I moved up to the E-flat clarinet. By the time I was 8 or 9, I had the B-Flat clarinet. He taught me a lot of classical music. He taught me how to read music. He taught me a lot of articulations and all of the language of concert music, which is orchestral music. He just had the orchestral influence in me. My mom was more the Solid Gold Soul, ‘70s and ‘80s jamming, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, coming from Memphis, the home of Stax, the home of Al Green. So between the two I just got a good mix.
producerprofile
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ou can call 2007 a breakout year for 23-year-old producer Drumma Boy. After producing album tracks for Young Jeezy, Boyz N Da Hood and Yo Gotti, his production has made it into heavy rotation on the streets and radio with USDA’s street smash “White Girl” and Plies and T-Pain smash hit “Shawty.” Now that he tastes the sweet victory of mainstream success, this hit-maker from Memphis, TN finds himself one of the game’s most sought after producers.
How big was it for you being the producer for “Standin’ Ovation” on Jeezy’s debut album? It was huge, man, everything that I had to go through to make that placement. A lot of people don’t know, the original [beat for] “Standin’ Ovation,” I sold that beat. I gave Jeezy the beat CD, and he called me six months later like, “This is the beat that’s going on my album.” And I was like, “Damn, man, I sold that shit.” I told them to give me the acapella, cause that’s how I started making beats. I take the acapella and build around it, that’s just something that I do. I said, “The beat is sold, ain’t nothing I can do about that but give me the acapella and I’ma smash out on it.” So they got me the acapella. I did the first version to it and Jeezy was like, “Nah, that ain’t it.” I did the second version and he was like, “Nah, but that’s close.” After he declined me twice I was like, “Fuck that, I gotta make this nigga’s album.” I just went hard on that shit, took him the third version and that nigga went crazy. When he came through with acapella, he was like, you come through for me on this, nigga I got you. And I came through, that broadened our relationship. That’s my nigga right there. Just for him to give me that opportunity and for him to believe I could get the job done and for me to get the job done and get my first platinum plaque is just beautiful.
What are some other tracks you’ve produced that some people don’t know you did? I did the “Sippin’ and Spinnin’ (Remix)” with Gangsta Boo. I did “Shawty,” Plies and T-Pain. I did the “White Girl” for Jeezy. I did the “Go Getta (Remix).” I did “Quickie” off the USDA album. I did Yo Gotti “That’s What’s Up,” that was a big street record for Yo Gotti. I did hella shit. What’s the Drumma Boy sound? My style to me is music, man. Of course it’s street, gutter. The biggest thing is just that triumphant sound. When you hear it, it’s triumphant, just some glorious type of music. And then I’ve still got that Stax sound, with the musical instruments. It’s not one word that can describe me. I do a little bit of everything, from orchestral Hip Hop to the triumphant sound to the Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, the Stax. It’s just gumbo music that sticks. Plies’ “Shawty” is your biggest record to date. How big was that song for you? It’s just opening up the doors. For me that was a crossover record, as far as having a dude’s first single. And having a video, it’s the first time we’re on 106 & Park. That joint was the Jam of the Week. “White Girl” was the Jam of the Week, so we had MTV Jam of the Week two weeks back to back. And just to understand what a single will do for you as opposed to just being on a nigga’s album. It was just a big record. We’re getting all kinds of nominations and the girls are just going crazy off of this joint. “White Girl” was a record that had trouble crossing over because of the drug references. How do you feel about that situation as the producer of that track? [As producers] we sell a lot of records and if that’s what you’re feeling on a beat, to me, I like “White Girl” and that’s what Jeezy stands for. You gotta stick to the script and be you. If it’s successful or not, or whether they play it on the radio or not, it’s still getting a lot of attention. Everyone’s been commending me on “White Girl.” I’m not going to tell a dude to make it radio or make it more commercial. Do you. [The USDA album] still moved 95,000 the first week, so someone was obviously going to get the album and taking heed. And it wasn’t even on every radio station. If it was on every radio station, it would have probably moved more units than that. What projects are you working on next? I’m on Yung Joc’s new album, got a joint called “Livin’ It Up.” I did a remix to “You Make Me Better” with Ne-Yo and Fab. I’m working on the “Coffee Shop (Remix).” I got a lot of work with LeToya Luckett. Trying to do some work with Mary J. [Blige], Usher but we’re just working, man. Got Trey Songz coming in, got [Juvenile] coming in this week. I’ve been out here doing my thing. I’ve been telling niggas I’m next. And now that it’s happening I appreciate all the love. Shout out to all the fans, shout out to Memphis, shout out to Atlanta. And we’re just going to keep going hard for the squad. //