DRAM Talks LEORPIO, Collaboration, and Craft

Virginia native, Atlanta-residing, Grammy-nominated, multi-Platinum artist DRAM dropped his first full-length album in almost three years with fellow DMV artist Ellis Quinn – LEORPIO, and I sat with him to talk a little about it.

Named in tribute to Outkast’s Aquemini, the album sees DRAM returning to his roots and exploring the journey behind his unmistakable sound. As his third full-length release since reclaiming the DRAM moniker, LEORPIO marks a bold new chapter in the Virginia artist’s evolution — fusing gospel-tinged funk and Southern soul with a refreshed sense of self and creative purpose.

When speaking about the creative processes surrounding the making of his music, DRAM spoke about the nuances of fixing his modes of expression to pertinent periods of his life:

“I think most of my music is about how I’m feeling in the moment, even if I’m reflecting on a past experience. So, I feel like mostly what you get from me is like in a real time perspective -but not to get it confused with in the present moment – I can more so have a record that maybe I was sitting on for a few years or something like that – it’s like a certain timelessness that I would like to portray in most of the things that I do.”

For LEORPIO, DRAM mentioned that the creation and curation of his project was a lot more ‘free flowing’ than he’s been in previous instances, referencing a ‘vibe session’ for the entirety of the recording process. The entrance of Ellis Quin, a rising artist from DRAM’s home state of Virginia who’s known for his clever writing style and braggadocio on beats, was also a new experience, as it was DRAM’s first-time working side by side with another artist for an extended project, not just one or two songs.

“I’ve had full-on solo albums where it’s just like a maximum of three features or whatever. Like some of these records that I’m known for are actual like collaborations, but in regard to a whole project being uh being dedicated to that, like this is the first time, and it’s exciting cuz I’m introducing a a new artist, a new sound. Just someone from around my way, you know what I mean?”

LEORPIO is, in its essence, feel-good music, and DRAM was very intentional about putting together an ensemble of records that match that, from 36-hour studio sessions fuelled by energy drinks and edibles, he has created a range of features and styles that simply fit effortlessly on each track:

“This is the s*** that I want to hear when I’m getting faded. You know what I’m saying? Like the s*** I want to hear when I’m waking up getting ready. Like music that you can live with. I feel like that’s always been the theme of all of my music.”

Masterful verses from DRAM’s friends within the industry garnish LEORPIO with elegance, all the while not pulling punches at all; Guapdad 4000, ASAP Ferg, and Chance the rapper are among the names of those who left memorable verses on the project, with Chance’s verse on ‘Senzu Bean’ being a standout both for creator and consumer. ‘Senzu bean’, with its layered Dragon Ball references, was a song that DRAM mentioned was one of his favourite to record, as it was one of the most natural experiences of creation that he’s been privy to.

“EK plays the beat to Senzu Bean, and it’s just like a like a hip-hop hypnotic lullaby type of sound, especially when we’re in this state of being up like that. That’s why it’s even got a groggy touch to it”

DRAM even makes reference to the fact that Chance’s verse was recorded months later than both his and Ellis’ sections within the song, but even with a fractured timeframe, the feature verse tied into it extremely well, mirroring the subject matter with a synergy that Akira Toriyama himself would be proud of.

DRAM’s artistic range allows him to have a blend of ballads and high energy records at his disposal when it comes to live shows, and we spoke a little about his recent set of performances at the prestigious Blue Note jazz club in New York, even performing ‘Mars’ and ‘Money calling’ off of LEORPIO, to a very positive reception.

“It’s just a beautiful thing. What I did was I kept it very jazz-centric, just in regard to how the mood was. I still brought my flavour, my storytelling, and going through different eras of my 10-year span with records, you know what I’m saying? Mixing the new with the classics and like, really just floating”

DRAM’s comfortability within genre blending and his nature to explore very experimental sounds opens an ear of authenticity for his listeners—a sonic ‘pick and mix’ of elements of music that continuously works so well. Whilst his projects may not all sound the same, they are unequivocally DRAM, authentic to his person.

True tastemakers are aware of the intricacies of an artisanal craft, and although his releases may not be as commonplace as many would like, the quality of music will stand in testament to its creator. With a number of things in store this year, it will be extremely interesting to see how DRAM continues to both grow and flourish.