(AllHipHop News) When it comes to Memphis and Hip-Hop music, there have been a host of artists from the city to have commercial success. From Three Six Mafia with Juicy J and DJ Paul, to 8 Ball & MJG, to Project Pat, to the newly signed Yo Gotti, Memphis has a rich tradition of Southern Hip-Hop that continues on today.
Nevertheless, you can’t talk about Memphis Hip-Hop without mentioning the classically trained and multi-platinum producer Drumma Boy, born Christopher James Gholson, who once attended the University of Memphis as a Music Business Major.
Drumma called in to the site yesterday (May 10) from Memphis where he has been enjoying the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff run and where just a few days ago, Drumma boy was joined by Lil Wayne and Yo Gotti at the Grizzlies’ playoff game.
“I’m out here for these Grizz! Memphis Grizzlies are in the playoffs so we doing all our work out here man. Theres a lot of positive energy out here in the city so its good to see the city in this spirit. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I put on for my city man. Like Diddy in New York, its Drumma in Memphis,” Drumma Boy said.
Fresh off the success of sound scoring scary movies, Drumma spoke about the experience of writing music for movies for the horror flicks.
“I’m doing a lot of movie sound scores. I did a movie called ‘Holla II,’ I’m doing ‘Blood First.’ I’m doing a lot of different things that I haven’t done before. I’ve been on the mic hosting, DJing and trying to take things to that next level.” Drumma Boy told AllHipHop.com. “I scored the scary movie in 14 days, and it was just a matter of time frame, understanding your budget, your access to musicians etcetera. Or how about instead of hiring all these people I can just play this and write this out myself. Then just being effective as far as matching the music to the emotion of the film, the music has to carry you through the moments and the suspense by changing the key at key moments. Like you gonna know when someone is going to get robbed or killed or, like oh they bout to have sex. It’s about 10 or 11 beats in there and my music is placed as well, so it’s a blessing.”
Currently Drumma Boy is gearing up for the release of Chris Brown’s upcoming album and he is busy on several other projects as well.
“Yea I got a lot of different tapes I’m working on. I’m working on ‘Strictly for the Strippers,’ I’m working ‘Clash of the Titans’ with DJ Paul. I’m working on ‘Welcome to My City Part 3,’ its going to come out with a DVD documentary as well as part 3 of the trilogy. I’m working on Chris Brown’s project, I’m working on Jeezy, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, the same stuff like that,” Drumma boy explained to AllHipHop.com.
Beyond his own personal music, Drumma Boy shed light on how he developed a friendship and working relationship with Epic Record’s Yo Gotti, as the two began working together early on in their careers on Memphis Hip-Hop scene.
“Man you know we pretty much came up together. When I moved out to Cordova, Tennessee, Gotti was one of the first artist that I was hearing about in his hood. I would be selling tapes in the mall and street cats was talking about his music and I ended up getting his number, I rolled through the hood and I bumped into him and played him some beats,” Drumma Boy explained to AllHipHop.com. “He told me he wanted this one and that one, I told him how much and he pulled the money out of his pocket and paid me on the spot. Some people try to just hear the beats for entertainment or something and they aren’t about that business. He’s a dude that’s about his business if he respects what you do and he was just about his business. Regardless of if you come from the trap or if you come from the court playing ball, as long as you understand the game, and that’s one things cats don’t do. Gotti understands the game.”
Aside from the trap friendly and gangsta style Southern Hip-Hop that Drumma has been known to make, Drumma explained that there is another side to Memphis – a budding arts and entertainment scene that welcomes skateboarding, art, dance and other forms of expression like trap/EDM DJs.
“Theres a whole another world to Memphis, you see the skateboarding. You see Lil’ Wayne dipped in here, yesterday he was at the game, and we were hollerin’ at him, asking him if there were skate parks out here and we were just putting him on points of the city that just aren’t really known,” Drumma Boy told AllHipHop.
“There’s different parts of the city that aren’t really known and people mostly think its like ‘First 48,’ and the negative side, the hard violence side. It’s close to murder capital, but.thats one thing the Grizzlies, me and Yo Gotti and so many of the different rappers that’s from the city are doing to better the city. We’re positively giving back and showing a different side city,” he said.
“There’s player style events with artistic paintings being crafted during parties, and it’s just a whole eclectic side that people don’t know about. I think the whole world has always known about our music talents, but there’s a whole other side like choreographers, videographers, the arts and crafts world, on the reality show side of things, the film side of things too. Judge Mathis is doing a reality TV show on BET. The dance side is the biggest side of things that people don’t know about,’Memphis jookin.’ So the city is really growing and there’s a lot of things that are coming into perspective,” Drumma concluded.
Check the images below of Drumma Boy, Yo Gotti and Lil Wayne at the Grizzlies most recent game below:
