Jan 17 2007
dj drama

DJ Drama Arrested For Doing His Job

Yesterday afternoon DJ Drama’s Aphilliates Music Group office got a visit from the boys with legal firearms and bad donut habits. In this case, Atlanta’s Morrow County Sheriff’s Joint Vice Task Force and the Clayton County police. Police kicked in the door, handcuffs slapped on DJ Drama, his partner Don Cannon and 17 employees, 50,000 mixtapes were confiscated, computers and recording equipment, and to top it off the company’s assets were frozen.

The raid was executed on charges from a warrant filed under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act. Which is a mouthful of lawyer speak to say they were selling mixtapes, a no-no in the eyes of the RIAA.

Theoretically it’s illegal to sell mixtapes (or download free music) because they primarily contain music that record labels haven’t approved for sale and don’t make money on… you know the story, or should.

Chief James Baker of the Morrow Police Department explained, “We have a partnership with a joint vice task force working pirated tapes in the country. We found an outlet in Morrow for the criminal sale of recorded material, breaking the OCGA, Official Code of Georgia Annotated, no. 16-8-60, which specifies that CDs must list the true name and address of their office, which these CDs didn’t, nor did they list copyright permission.”

“People were able to make purchases over the Internet and these guys sold the pirated discs for profit.”

Drama made his name from making mixtapes that were practically promotional albums for a specific artist and that artist participated on the mixtape, freestyling, giving him music, etc… the label execs knew exactly what was happening.

A DJ Drama mixtape is almost like a must-do thing for a new artist or an established one heading into an album release - that high-profile push to the streets.

His mixtape gold got him a deal with Asylum Records a subsidiary of WMG.

Big labels know who and what he does, that’s why he got the deal.

So his status in the game makes this arrest very strange.

There is some behind the scene stuff going on that maybe even interns don’t know.. *wink*

The story will unfold soon.

Till then the Free DJ Drama and Don Cannon campaign has begun. Luckily he has lawyers, online petitions don’t work. Really.. is this any more than a place to write comments?

Black fist. Be Free.

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☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼

1 aasd Sun, Jan 21, 2007 - 11:07 am

gangsta grills: Dedication2 wit Wayne is  
some good shit. “bitch my shadow look good”

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