DJ Drama has been one of the most popular and influential Hip Hop DJs of the last 25 years. Along with Don Cannon, he is the owner of Generation Now, which is an imprint of Atlantic Records that has Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow, and Skeme signed to it. DJ Drama first rose to prominence in the early 2000s when he produced mixtapes for T.I. and Jeezy. DJ Drama’s popularity rose to another level when he produced the first edition of Lil Wayne’s Dedication mixtape series. Around this same time, DJ Drama started his Gangsta Grillz mixtape series. This series has helped propel the careers of so many artists over the years. In addition to his own mixtapes and albums, DJ Drama has produced and/or executively produced many big projects for prominent Hip Hop artists. Apart from multiple ones by the artists I have already mentioned, some of the biggest projects he has had a significant hand in making are Gucci Mane’s The Movie series, Chris Brown’s In My Zone series, French Montana’s Coke Boys, and Tyler the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost. As his track record shows, DJ Drama has had a very significant impact on the sound of Hip Hop music. DJ Drama has now returned with another star-studded compilation album called I’M REALLY LIKE THAT. As one would expect, this record is full of great tracks that take advantage of the best qualities of so many different rappers. Below is a list of my favorite track from DJ Drama’s new project I’M REALLY LIKE THAT. Please let me know in the comments below what you think about this record and let me know how you feel about this project as a whole.

HO4ME – FEAT. LIL BABY AND A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE

Lil Baby and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is a collaboration I have always wanted to see. They both have such cool and colorful styles of rapping, and I have always felt like their vocals would complement each other well. I feel like there a ton of directions they could have gone with this collaboration, and I feel like this was one of the best directions they could have chosen. ‘HO4ME’ has a sultry and smooth R&B Trap instrumental that sounds like it was made for the bedroom. The best way to describe the sound of this song is that it is love-making music; it has the kind of sexy melody and beat that is meant for putting someone in the mood. Both Lil Baby and A Boogie rap in a subdued and soft manner that goes so well with the instrumental. I enjoy how the higher-pitched vocals from A Boogie provide a juxtaposition with the lower tone that Lil Baby raps with. ‘HO4ME’ is a song that shows how well Lil Baby and A Boogie can work with each other, and it makes me really want to hear more from them in the future. 

FMFU – FEAT. LIL WAYNE, RODDY RICCH, AND GUCCI MANE

‘FMFU’ has been one of my most played songs over the last couple of weeks. Based on the sound of this instrumental, it almost seems like this was originally meant to solely be a Roddy Ricch song. The song has a funky West Coast-style Melodic Trap beat that works perfectly for Roddy Ricch’s style of singing. I love how he croons over this instrumental, as he shows off his range as a vocalist. Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane are two of the most adaptable rappers in the game, so it makes sense why they excel on this track as well. They are both so good at adding what’s needed to any kind of song. On ‘FMFU,’ Gucci Mane raps with a rougher tone that provides a contrast to Roddy Ricch’s softer vocals. Lil Wayne sing-raps in a way that sort of splits the difference between the harsher deliver from Gucci Mane and the lighter delivery from Roddy Ricch. All three artists add so much to the track and make it pop as much as possible. ‘FMFU’ is an excellent late night track that is perfect for setting the mood. 

FREE GAME – FEAT. LIL UZI VERT AND 42 DUGG

Along with ‘FMFU,’ ‘Free Game’ is a song I have come back to more than once a day since this record came out. Unfortunately, though, this song was removed from Spotify(I’m assuming because of a dispute in the credits). I hope this issue is resolved soon so this great track is more easily available for everyone. Considering how different these two artists are, I was curious to see what kind of instrumental would be chosen. Similar to Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi Vert is an artist who is excellent at adapting to the sound of others, and he does that super well on this track. ‘Free Game’ honestly sounds like a 42 Dugg song with a Lil Uzi Vert feature. This instrumental is something that one would definitely expect from 42 Dugg. ‘Free Game’ is an upbeat and very aggressive New York Drill track that will get anyone’s blood pumping when they hear it. This song has the kind of energy that would be perfect to play in a gym because of how fiery and powerful it is. 42 Dugg raps with a fast-paced and hostile flow that suits the instrumental well. Lil Uzi raps in an equally aggressive style. He differentiates his delivery a bit, though, by sing-rapping some of his verse. This switch in tone from Lil Uzi Vert gives the song some much needed texture. If you are a fan of belligerent and fast Drill music, ‘Free Game’ is a track you need in your playlist.

MOCKINGBIRD VALLEY – JACK HARLOW

When I saw that Jack Harlow was the only person on this song, I was curious to know what kind of instrumental DJ Drama would choose for him. In the past, I have typically enjoyed Jack Harlow’s high energy and hard-hitting music more than I have enjoyed his softer stuff. ‘Mockingbird Valley’ is a song that may make me change my tune when it comes to what I look for in Jack Harlow’s music in the future, though.’Mockingbird Valley’ is a slow R&B Trap song that shows off a different side to Jack Harlow. I feel like in other instances where Jack Harlow has made R&B Trap music(at least in the songs I have heard from him that are like this), he has used the high-octane and lively styles of rapping he is typically known for and it usually has not worked for me. In this case, though, Jack Harlow raps in a toned-down manner that goes so well with the melody and beat. Jack’s low and soft tone in this song adds so much depth to the song. ‘Mockingbird Valley’ is a song that makes me rethink how I have previously felt about Jack Harlow as an artist and will make me pay more attention to his releases in the future. 

ANDALE – FEAT. OFFSET AND MONEYBAGG YO

‘Andale’ with Offset and Moneybagg Yo is a song that I could totally see becoming a sleeper hit from this record. This song has the kind of harsh energy that fans of tough Trap music love. I could totally see myself being at a club this summer when this song comes on and watching the whole place become completely lit(for lack of a better term). ‘Andale’ is a gruff and gritty Trap song that brings out the best qualities in both Offset and Moneybagg Yo. They both have intense and lively ways of rapping, and they tend to excel on the grimiest and cruel Trap instrumentals. Unsurprisingly, DJ Drama delivered the perfect instrumental for these two, and both delivered excellent performances. Offset and Moneybagg Yo have similar rapping styles, but they do have qualities that distinguish them from each other. Offset and Moneybagg Yo both thrive on this fierce instrumental as it brings out the best qualities in both rappers. ‘Andale’ is a song I will return to frequently, as it hypes me up whenever I hear it. 

I AIN’T GON HOLD YA – FEAT. JEEZY

I am glad that Jeezy got his own song on this record, as Jeezy and DJ Drama have so much great history together; they have both heavily contributed to the other’s success, and neither of them would be at the level they are at in the Hip Hop game if the other had never linked up with them. I assumed that this song would have an old-school Trap sound that took us back to the early days of both these artists, and I was somewhat correct about that. ‘I Ain’t Gon Hold Ya’ has a groovy, dark melody that reminds me of some of Jeezy’s early work. In particular, this melody makes me think of songs like ‘SupaFreak’ or ‘Put On.’ Jeezy’s flow and overall rapping style on this track also feel classic. When I hear him rapping on this song, it further reminds me of some of his biggest hits(like the songs I mentioned above). The way that ‘I Ain’t Gon Hold Ya’ differentiates from these songs is by the beat, though. This track has a fast-paced Dancey-Trap that has a very modern feeling. Similar to the song that precedes it on this list, this is a song that I could see being perfect for the club. ‘I Ain’t Gon Hold Ya’ is a song that takes some of the nostalgic sounds from the beginning of DJ Drama and Jeezy’s careers and makes them feel fresh.