DJ Drama "Street Quality Music" Listening Party

At a time in hip-hop where many artists are following oversaturated trends and releasing watered down lyrics, DJ Drama has brought it back to the essence of the streets with his new album Quality Street Music. The legendary DJ blessed Toronto by making an appearance at a private listening session of the LP at Liberty Studios last week, sharing insight on the production of each track and his vision behind the new project.
“This is the first body of Quality Street Music and for me, as far as albums go, it is my most polished, consistent, creative, collaborative effort thus far,” Drama said. “I feel like the response has been really good. The feedback has been really good and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

When defining what quality street music is, Drama listed names like Meek Mill, Nas, Yo Gotti and Fabulous. “[Quality street music is] a lot of people that define the culture and define music that comes from the streets that you don’t necessarily hear on the radio… It comes from word of mouth and people spreading it around and from there, building on and becoming bigger and better,” he said.
During the intimate listening session with some of Toronto’s music industry professionals, DJs, producers and artists, Drama shared album cuts that featured production from heavy hitters, including homegrown T. Dot talent T-Minus and Boi-1da and appearances from Fabulous, Nipsey Hussle, Young Jeezy, Jadakiss and more. Guests grabbed a beer and a patty and circled Drama, vibing to each track while a projector displayed clips from videos from the album such as “My Moment” featuring Jeremih, Meek Mill and 2Chainz, which was shot in Toronto during Caribana. Everyone had an opportunity to meet with Drama and each other, while enjoying the sound of some amazing hits from some of the hottest in the game.

Toronto’s own DJ Mensa says that Drama is one of the most influential DJs that he has come across and has earned his longevity in the game by adding his own element to conventional methods of his craft, like being politically aware and reaching out to artists that a typical mixtape DJ wouldn’t.

“He has a personality and he puts out a vibe that he is very much aware of the streets, but is also aware of global affairs as well and he is a more intelligent DJ. I really admire his work. In terms of branding, he is spectacular in terms of branding rappers, being a barometer of the streets and a tastemaker in that regard. He is a pioneer,” says Mensa.

Photos By: Martika Gregory