Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith (born August 3, 1988), known professionally as DRAM (/ˈdrɑːm/; an acronym for "does real-ass music", briefly Shelley FKA DRAM),[a][4][5] is an American rapper, singer, and record producer from Hampton, Virginia. He is best known for his 2016 single, "Broccoli" (featuring Lil Yachty), which peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.[6][7] The song preceded his debut studio album Big Baby DRAM (2016), which was released in October of that year by Atlantic Records.
DRAM | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DRAM performing in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith[1] |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | August 3, 1988 Landstuhl, West Germany |
| Origin | Hampton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop[2] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | shelleyfkadram |
Early life
Massenburg-Smith was born in Landstuhl, West Germany. Before the age of one, he moved to the United States and was raised in Hampton, Virginia. His mother was in the military.[4] As a teenager, Massenburg-Smith was an ardent fan of the singer Bilal and recalls discovering his unreleased second album Love for Sale when it leaked online in 2006, later citing the song "White Turns to Grey" as his favorite "hidden gem" in music.[8]
Career
In March 2015, DRAM released his debut EP, #1Epic through Atlantic Records and Empire Distribution.[9] The EP included the single "Cha Cha", which peaked at number one on the Bubbling Under Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[10] In October 2015, his debut mixtape, Gahdamn! was released.[11]
In April 2016, DRAM released his hit single "Broccoli" featuring Lil Yachty. The song gained international success and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first top five song in the country. In October 2016, he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing "Blessings (Reprise)" with Chance the Rapper, Ty Dolla $ign, Anthony Hamilton, and Raury.[12] His debut studio album, Big Baby DRAM, was released on October 21, 2016.[13] The album received many positive reviews.
DRAM was featured on the single "Andromeda" from British virtual band Gorillaz for their fifth album, Humanz. He also provided uncredited guest vocals on the track "We Got the Power" from the same album.
Other ventures
He voiced Wallace in the Adult Swim animated series, Lazor Wulf (2019–2021).
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] | US R&B/HH [15] | US Rap [16] | CAN [17] | |||
| Big Baby DRAM |
| 19 | 12 | 10 | 55 | |
| Shelley FKA DRAM[19] |
| — | — | — | — | |
| What Had Happened Was...[20] |
| — | — | — | — | |
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [14] | ||
| #1Epic[9] |
| — |
| Google Play: Live at the Milk Jam Room[21] |
| 37 |
| #1HappyHoliday[22] |
| — |
| That's a Girls Name |
| — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||
Mixtapes
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Gahdamn![11] |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] | US R&B/ HH [24] | US Rap [25] | CAN [26] | NL [27] | SWE [28] | UK [29] | UK R&B [30] | ||||
| "Cha Cha" | 2015 | — | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | #1Epic | |
| "Broccoli" (featuring Lil Yachty) | 2016 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 87 | 60 | 93 | 13 | Big Baby DRAM | |
| "Cute" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Cash Machine" | — | —[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Gilligan" (featuring Juicy J and ASAP Rocky) | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Uber Song"[34] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Group Thang (Demo)"[35] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ill Nana" (featuring Trippie Redd) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Big Baby DRAM | ||
| "Crumbs" (featuring Playboi Carti) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Lay Down" (with H.E.R. and Watt)[36] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shelley FKA DRAM | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "For the Love Of"[37] (DP featuring D.R.A.M.) | 2015 | Non-album single |
| "I Feel Your Pain"[38] (Sbtrkt featuring D.R.A.M. and Mabel) | 2016 | Save Yourself |
| "Slappin"[39] (E-40 featuring Nef the Pharaoh and D.R.A.M.) | The D-Boy Diary (Deluxe Edition) | |
| "Smokin' What I'm Smokin' On"[40] (Mod Sun featuring D.R.A.M. and Rich the Kid) | Non-album single | |
| "1999"[41] (Max Fullard featuring D.R.A.M.) | Nights of the Fourth | |
| "Andromeda" (Gorillaz featuring D.R.A.M.) | 2017 | Humanz |
| "I'm On 3.0"[42] (Trae tha Truth featuring T.I., Dave East, Tee Grizzley, Royce da 5'9", Currensy, D.R.A.M., Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, Rick Ross, Chamillionaire, G-Eazy, Styles P, E-40, Mark Morrison, and Gary Clark Jr.) | Tha Truth, Pt. 3 | |
| "Count Up" (Smokepurpp featuring D.R.A.M.) | Deadstar | |
| "All of Mine" (Young Dolph featuring D.R.A.M.) | Thinking Out Loud | |
| "Must've Been" (Chromeo featuring D.R.A.M.) | 2018 | Head over Heels |
| "Suavecito" (Yung Gravy featuring D.R.A.M.) | Snow Cougar | |
| "It Gets Better" (GRiZ featuring D.R.A.M.) | Non-album single | |
| "New Hawaii" (Injury Reserve featuring DRAM, Tony Velour and Dylan Brady) | 2019 | Injury Reserve |
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance/ Elec. [43] | CAN [44] | IRE [45] | NZ Heat. [46] | |||
| "Cash Out" (Calvin Harris featuring Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, and D.R.A.M.) | 2017 | 20 | 94 | 67 | 1 | Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Caretaker" | 2015 | Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment | Surf |
| "the function." | Remy Banks, World's Fair | higher. | |
| "D.R.A.M. Sings Special" | 2016 | Chance the Rapper, Elle Varner | Coloring Book |
| "Chill Bill (Remix)" | Rob Stone, Denzel Curry, Cousin Stizz | I'm Almost Ready | |
| "People Want to Hear About Love" | Neil Young, Promise of the Real | Earth | |
| "The Come Up" | 2018 | Smoke DZA | Not for Sale |
| "Gucci Plug" | Nick Grant | Dreaming Out Loud | |
| "Communication" | Arin Ray | Platinum Fire | |
| "I Like You" | Childish Major, 6lack | WOO$AH |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Grammy Awards[47] | Best Rap/Sung Performance | "Broccoli" (with Lil Yachty) | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards[48] | Best New Hip-Hop Artist | D.R.A.M. | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards[49] | Top Streaming Song (Audio) | "Broccoli" (with Lil Yachty) | Nominated | |
| Top Rap Song | Nominated | |||
| Top Rap Collaboration | Nominated | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best Collaboration | Nominated | ||
| Best Hip Hop Video | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance Recording | "Andromeda" (with Gorillaz) | Nominated |
Notes
References
External links
- DRAM on SoundCloud
- DRAM on YouTube