DRAM

DRAM, born Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith on August 3, 1988, is a Virginia-raised rapper, singer, and producer whose stage name is said to stand for «does real-ass music». He broke into wider public awareness in 2015 when Beyoncé shared a video of herself dancing to his song «Cha Cha», originally released the year before on his mixtape «#1EpicSummer» after being championed by a Cleveland R&B radio station.

DRAM's music blends buoyant, melodic rap with warm R&B singing and playful, upbeat energy, often drawing on funk and soul textures that set him apart from more conventional trap-adjacent rap of his era. His breakout hit «Broccoli», featuring Lil Yachty, became a major crossover success and helped define a lighter, hook-driven strand of mid-2010s hip-hop. He has continued to explore a mix of humor, sincerity, and soulful hooks across his catalog, including tracks like «Cash Machine» and «Gilligan».

Known for a distinctive, expressive vocal delivery and an ear for infectious hooks, DRAM occupies a singular space between rap and R&B, and his early viral success helped illustrate how social media moments could launch an independent artist into the mainstream conversation.