I mean when you hear the mixtapes and see their fruits you get the feeling that the storm is steadily building. That raspy voiced Philly bauw seems to be looking over his shoulder at us as he and his Aphiliates, DJ’s Canon and Sense, stride atop their now officially Warner Bros. backed Music Group. But life can change on a dime, I swear. January 16 Aphiliates Music Group front man and pioneer of the highly successful Gangsta Grillz mixtape series DJ Drama and highly sought producer DJ Canon were arrested on racketeering charges, their Atlanta offices raided and mixtapes, computers and files confiscated by the Feds and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The RIAA’s beef is that Drama and company are “illegally” profiting from unofficial (not sponsored by record company?) releases primarily created by artists signed to major record labels (i.e. Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne etc.). Obviously these releases, AMG’s especially, help artists create a buzz for major label releases and sell more records in a constantly dwindling recording industry. Someone playing both sides here?
Dare I say these guys were getting a little too powerful too quickly in the eyes of the RIAA and law enforcement? I mean, in about four or five years they went from slinging mixtapes, producing and DJing to having a major distribution deal for their already well branded and highly salient record label. When my homie DJ Rocko introduced me to Drama at Howard University’s October Yardfest, and I saw him on stage with AMG’s flagship act Willie The Kid, I could sense their shear confidence in their ability to rip the scene; shape a new one even. Hopefully this case won’t hurt Willie’s career- he’s promising. But the fallout from this Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) situation will have far reaching implications for everyone in hip hop, from me and you, executives at Warner and other record labels.
PAY ATTENTION!
-SHOUTS TO DJ ROCKO, LATRICE, ASHTON AND SYCAMORE@ ATLANTIC RECORDS. AND JEANISE, DON CANON, DJ DRAMA, AND WILLIE THE KID @ AMG.
THIS IS DEFINITELY GONNA TRICKLE DOWN TO ALL THE BIG NAME DJ’S OUT THERE SLINGING MIXTAPES. SAD PART IS WHEN PEOPLE OF COLOR COME UP WITH A WAY TO GET CHEDDAR, THE SYSTEM COME UP WITH A WAY TO CHANGE THE GAME! SEEM LIKE THE RIAA WANNA MAKE A STATEMENT! THIS GONNA BE THE LANDMARK CASE THAT CHANGES THE MIXTAPE GAME FOREVER! THE SHIT FUCKED UP!
This isn’t a case of DJ Drama and his crew bootleggin because if it was, bootleggers across the world would be gettin arrested and thrown in jail. Bootleggin has been around for years and will probably be here for years to come. This is a case of the RIAA finally realizing what every hip hop head already knew. The artists use mixtapes as a media to put themselves on the market and promote themselves and whatever upcomin album they’re gettin ready 2 release. Not only that, mixtapes have always provided an outlet for the artists to be able to get more music to the fans, without really worrying about major label execs trying to control the artist or tell the artist what the people wanna hear. The artists know what the people wanna hear bcus they listen to the fans. Major labels haven’t ever really played a part in the mixtape business because they never really saw it as a threat. It was small money in a major money business. Now that the mixtape business has blown up, and the artists and the djs are making money off of these mixtapes, the major labels now have a way to control the music, and the artist, again. The majors have realized that they are loosing money, and so have decided that this is another aspect of the business that they need to have control of. Don’t hate on Drama and his crew. He isn’t doing anything that any other mixtape DJ before him has done. The RIAA just chose to turn him into the scapegoat and make and example out of him. It’s capitolism at it’s best peoples, all about the bottome line, which is $$$$$$$$$$dollars and cents$$$$$$$$$$
Russ & Combs can’t sell hip-hop cuz they don’t own it. But, they did sell themselves out just like Lil Wayne is doing right now. Wayne owes part of his success to Drama, he doesn’t even defend him. He’s a house Nigga, wheres all the gangsta talk now. The SWAT dudes that came in Drama’s shop with big guns are the real gangstas. Wheres all the gangsta action from Wayne & Bird Mans Black Mafia Family Now, They PUS. The RIAA is Gangsta, they knocked down doors and took all Dramas Sh!t. Where are all the hip-Hop Thugs? Niggas aint shit. They Ready to pop off on their own kind but can’t do sh!t when the real enemy is on the attack with big guns taking sh!t. The RIAA is realer than these fake ass uncle tom fake gangstas. They coming in locking sh!t down and telling niggas that if they don’t get a cut of hip-hop aint nobody eating on the block. Now thats Gangsta. And Niggas are all standing around watching, every rapper & so called hip-hop business man (Russ, Jay, Combs) or fake Thug Rapper (Game, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, etc) can’t say sh!t to the real Thugs. All these dudes are Fiddler from Roots. They got no heart to do sh!t when the real enemy is housing all your sh!t, but quick to kill the next nigga on record. DANCE NIGGA, DANCE! FASTER NIGGA FASTER!