Big Baby D.R.A.M

[Interview] D.R.A.M. - Reflects on success + Announces new album

Best known for his signature smile and upbeat personality, Shelley Massenburg Smith, known to his fans as D.R.A.M., is a fresh new face in hip-hop. His melodies and playful lyrics are perfectly crafted into a style that makes the Hampton rapper and singer stand out.

D.R.A.M.’s melodies transition into soulful moments that can be seen in his music, interviews, and featured performances. After some time spent listening to D.R.A.M. it’s hard to debate his playful, uplifting personality and it’s effect on his music.

His first studio release D.R.A.M.’s Big Baby D.R.A.M., debuted at number nineteen on the Billboard charts. It’s single “Broccoli” which features Lil Yachty received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Song Performance.

Along with the critical praise for his debut album, much speculation surrounded D.R.A.M. and his first released debut “Cha Cha” which came from his EP #1Epic. Playing defense, D.R.A.M. found his efforts in making his case that Drake’s “Hotline Bling” was a definite imitation.

With all focus on the potential beef, D.R.A.M never really got his fair praise for Big Baby D.R.A.M. In the days of modern hip-hop taking a different turn, it had many guessing D.R.A.M.’s legitimacy in providing continuous hit records.

D.R.A.M., which stands for Does Real Ass Music, has started his career with hit records like “Broccoli”, “Cash Machine”, and “WiFi”. With support from Young Thug, Lil Yachty, and Erykah Badu. D.R.A.M.’s debut album legitimized his status as one of the best new artists.

We spoke to D.R.A.M. about his view on life and music and his personal take on criticism on his work.

RH: You seem to keep business and yourself life well balanced. Keeping level headed, how does your personality affect your music?

It reflects me. The music has a lot to do with me in general I mean I just overall would be the likable good vibe spreading guy than the off putting I’m too cool for you guy. You can be cool without being so anti-everything.

I like the fact that it strikes a good tune in people because that’s what I aim to do. If I feel good about something when I make and put it out in hoping that the people that are listening to it feel the jam good vibe. It’s just me wanting to pass a good vibe and to be a likable person rather than a dick.

Big Baby D.R.A.M
Big Baby D.R.A.M. Photo: Jesus J. Montero

In your short career, you’ve exploded with success. Can you think back to one moment that was momentous in the very earlier blessings in your career?

Back in 2014, we had drop #1Epic mixtape we had the “Cha Cha” record attached to it. We literally just put it out there not knowing how it was going to go but we knew it was going to go.

That was our first blessing. My guy Jacob from Pigeon and Planes, he found my shit through somebody randomly reposted on Soundcloud and saw that called me and raved about my shit.

Six days into the project we didn’t know what the fuck was happening. (laughs) I got my lawyer and management and many other things steamed from Pigeons and Planes push. That was my first blessing. Never will forget that. That was the spark.

A spark that grew into D.R.A.M. today? While also sparking with others?

Yeah, even me and Lil Yachty linking up to do the “Broccoli” record was a blessing because it was all out of timing. I saw he was in L.A. and I hit him up, he came through. I was at a point where the up grind was about to start again and we were just preparing for it working on our shit. Getting back on the grid, and then Yachty being where he is with his fan base at that point. It was the perfect combination moment, everything just fit.

We legit thought it was going to be something on Soundcloud and get the internet and Twitter lit. Which then became one of the biggest songs in the country.

D.R.A.M at Freaky Deaky - 2016

With the release of “Big Baby D.R.A.M. “you were able to put out a body of work that silenced those who questioned your legitimacy after speculation from your earlier work. How did it feel putting those talks to rest? What were you able to do more of. What were you able to focus on?

I’ve always been making music like this. From many different angles and different influences but we do know what is the forefront sound what’s going to carry the torch. What’s popular when it comes to D.R.A.M. and that’s trappy go lucky. We never sit in and try to make that moment it just comes about.

Everything else is just all we’ve been doing if you listen to “#1Epic” in it’s entirely, “Live at the Milk Jam Room”, and “Big Baby D.R.A.M” in it’s entirely it’s continuing that source. I got to a point where I’m comfortable with the scale of my music. I wanted to make sure that these people knew that I’m for real. That’s why the three most popular songs are right there in the middle.

If you all you want to fuck with is that happy go lucky sound of D.R.A.M., I’d got to accept that because you still come out to see me. I put that project out there for the people that I already knew what I was about but I also did it for me.

After releasing “Big Baby D.R.A.M.”, what’s going on in your way of thinking? What’s the feeling of putting away all the naysayers of D.R.A.M.? After making such a bold entrance into the hip-hop world.

There’s not any pressure. I’ll tell you this right now. We're almost halfway done with the next album. This is (D.R.A.M.) not a flop, you feel me. So when we put out the project (Big Baby D.R.A.M.) I feel really good about it as a whole but it’s not even half my journey. Like the great Gucci Mane once said, “This isn’t even half my journey.”

I feel relieved now that the first album is out of the way. There’s so much crazy shit going on and I’m quite the opinionated person but what I want to do is keep that shit out of it.

I’m never going to try to push my rhetoric down your throat. In the mindset of all this I’m like “Hey let’s go through all of this.” let’s put on 4 minutes of blessing right quick because, at the end of it, it might speak out ideas that needed that good energy to spark it.

D.R.A.M will be in Chicago on Fri. Jan 27 at The Metro.

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58th Annual Grammy Awards

58th Annual Grammy Awards

2016 GRAMMY NOMINEES ALBUM TRACK LISTING REVEALED

Latest Edition Of Compilation Features 21 Hits From The World’s Biggest Superstars And Emerging Talent

Album Available Jan.22 In Stores And At All Digital Retailers

Fans Can Pre-Order Now; Gives Fans The Chance To Attend
Music's Biggest Night®

The Recording Academy®'s GRAMMY Recordings® and Republic Records announced the track list for the 2016 GRAMMY® Nominees album — available in stores and at all digital retailers on Jan. 22. The full 2016 lineup of artists and songs can be found below.

The 22nd installment of the best-selling series features 21 GRAMMY-nominated artists and hit songs from the world’s biggest superstars and hottest emerging talent, including Album Of The Year nominees Alabama Shakes, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Stapleton,Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, as well as Best New Artist nominees Courtney Barnett,James Bay, Sam HuntTori Kelly and Meghan Trainor among others. Pre-order the album here.

Once again, a portion of the proceeds from album sales will benefit the year-round efforts of the GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares Foundation® — two Recording Academy-affiliated charitable organizations.

"The 2016 GRAMMY Nominees album represents some of the finest songs and talented artists that make up this year's remarkable nominees," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "We thank Republic Records for collaborating with us on this project, which also provides much needed support for the invaluable programs and initiatives our charities produce year-round. We look forward to another successful GRAMMY compilation."

"It's an honor to partner with the Recording Academy for the 2016 GRAMMY Nominees album," says Republic Records Founder/President Avery Lipman. "It's a very special project that captures the year through showcasing its biggest and best songs and simultaneously benefits some very important causes."

By visiting www.2016GRAMMYalbum.com or www.CBS.com, fans will have a chance to win a trip for two to the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards®.*

The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Monday, Feb. 15 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live on CBS from 8 — 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

2016 GRAMMY® Nominees Album
Track List

1. MARK RONSON
"Uptown Funk" Feat. Bruno Mars
Record Of The Year
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

 

2. TAYLOR SWIFT
"Blank Space"
Record Of The Year
Album Of The Year
Song Of The Year

 

3. THE WEEKND
"Can’t Feel My Face"
Record Of The Year
Album Of The Year

 

4. ED SHEERAN
"Thinking Out Loud"
Record Of The Year
Song Of The Year

 

5. MAROON 5
"Sugar"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

 

6. FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
"Ship To Wreck"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

 

7. ALABAMA SHAKES
"Don’t Wanna Fight"
Album Of The Year

 

8. D’ANGELO AND THE VANGUARD
"Really Love"
Record Of The Year

 

9. KENDRICK LAMAR
"Alright"
Album Of The Year
Song Of The Year

 

10. CHRIS STAPLETON
"Traveller"
Album Of The Year
Best Country Solo Performance

 

11. LITTLE BIG TOWN
"Girl Crush"
Song Of The Year

 

12. WIZ KHALIFA
"See You Again" Feat. Charlie Puth (From Furious 7)
Song Of The Year
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

 

13. MEGHAN TRAINOR
"Lips Are Movin"
Best New Artist

 

14. TORI KELLY
"Should’ve Been Us"
Best New Artist

 

15. SAM HUNT
"Take Your Time"
Best New Artist

 

16. JAMES BAY
"Hold Back The River"
Best New Artist

 

17. COURTNEY BARNETT
"Pedestrian At Best"
Best New Artist

 

18. CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"Little Toy Guns"
Best Country Solo Performance

 

19. CAM
"Burning House"
Best Country Solo Performance

 

20. LEE ANN WOMACK
"Chances Are"
Best Country Solo Performance

 

21. KEITH URBAN
"John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16"
Best Country Solo Performance


The Grammys' One Woman Social Media Team

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Lindsay Gabler is a one woman social media team bringing you all the social media content during the Grammys. She is the senior marketing manager for the Recording Academy and was not only in charge for last nights festivities but for the entire year as well. So whatever social media platform your on if you follow @TheGRAMMYs just know that she is the voice behind the accounts whether it's Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. It's pretty impressive that the social media coverage for one of the biggest media events of the year sits on the shoulders of one woman and not an entire team. Check out the video and get to know Lindsay and see how she handles one of her busiest times of the year.

[Via Mashable]


"Win Y'all Hearts Before I Win a Grammy": Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Grammy Wins

Well, it was what we thought it was. The 2014 Grammy Awards came and went, with the same frustration and disappointment that seems to follow the milestone award ceremony year-to-year. After a run-up to the show that included the judges for Hip-Hop suggesting that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis not be included in the rap category for their album, The Heist, which eventually stayed put, winning that and sweeping the rap category. A lot else happened at this year's Grammys, but this may have been the biggest robbery since Naughty By Nature's Poverty's Paradise beat out 2pac's Me Against The World in 1996, the first year the title was a part of the festivities. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis deserve a ton of credit, and they certainly received it last night, but The Heist was not the best rap album of the year by any stretch. To be fair, Kendrick's Good Kid, m.A.A.d City should have been last year's Rap Album of the Year, having been released in October of 2012, but nonetheless was the most powerful album on the list by far.

Last night Macklemore & Ryan Lewis very well may have realized both the best and possibly most damaging moment of their careers. A lot was written about 'white privilege' in hip-hop and the Grammys at large and the inevitability of the Seattle rapper walking away with the golden gramophone. To be fair, The Heist deserves accolades, but different ones. It is a huge independent success that has laid a road for artists like Chance The Rapper to keep from signing, and furthered the ability of an artist to create music creatively and find an outlet, but even he knew what would happen if the Grammy voters were as un-inventive as ever, choosing him for every award available.  In an interview with The Source Macklemore said: "“We’re up against Kendrick, who made a phenomenal album. If we win a Grammy for Best Rap Album, hip-hop is going to be heated. In terms of [that category], I think it should go to Kendrick. He’s family. TDE is family, and I understand why hip-hop would feel like Kendrick got robbed [if he didn’t win]."

One thing is for sure; Kendrick got robbed. No one in the building or watching on TV last night can dispute that, but at least they got it wrong with the right guy. With a message behind his music that saw 33 gay marriages happen live onstage, Macklemore allowed an optimistic spirit in a year when we crept to the edge of the fiscal cliff several times while battling each other over petty social issues seemingly on the daily. The hip-hop game needed a breath of fresh air and got it in Kendrick Lamar, but the greater world needed a breath of fresh air from day-to-day life, and that's what Macklemore & Ryan Lewis provided. On his 2009 mixtape, The Kendrick Lamar EP, K Dot rhymes, "See y'all don't understand me/My plan B is to win y'all hearts before I win a Grammy." With those bars in mind, perhaps no one understands Kendrick's loss better than him.

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Macklemore's text to Kendrick afterwards.

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