DJ Drama radio

Almost seven months after an arrest that made national headlines, nearly everything has returned to normal for DJ Drama and the Aphilliates. Last week, the crew took over Hot 107.9 (WHTA-FM)'s nighttime programming. You can now hear Gangsta Grillz radio Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m.-midnight, as well as the usual Saturday showcase from 8-10 p.m. To celebrate, the Aphilliates held a weekend-long series of parties, including a July 29 "celebrity launch party" at Club Motion hosted by T.I.

The crew's run of now infamous Gangsta Grillz mixtapes has slowed tremendously, but they still come out quietly on occasion. This month, the Aphilliates put out one with Gorilla Zoe and Block Entertainment called Hood Diaries.

Finally, what's up with the Gangsta Grillz album? A quick call to an Atlantic rep revealed that it's scheduled for 2007, which means it may come out, or it may not. (Remember how DJ Clue used to drop his compilations in December?)

As you know by now, I like to refer readers to past CL articles, especially if I've written them. I didn't write the first CL article on DJ Drama; that honor goes to Chris Hall, who wrote an April 20, 2005, piece on the one-time king of mixtapes. You can read it here.

For some background on Drama's run-in with the law, check out my February 21, 2007, story here.