Drizzy Dro aka Mr. Press Play
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Drizzy Dro aka Mr. Press Play

Birmingham, Alabama, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | SELF

Birmingham, Alabama, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2006
Solo Hip Hop Indie

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Birmingham rapper's freestyle hotline draws thousands of fans"

Good things come to those who joke. For local rapper Derek Davis, better known as Drizzy D.R.O., a humorous suggestion for a friend to call him with freestyle requests has turned into an unintentional viral marketing strategy.

Since its start in 2006, Drizzy has invited anyone - friends and strangers alike - to call his personal phone and request an off-the-cuff rap performance. Called the Press Play Hotline, every call gives him "the chance to earn a new fan." At the end of each month, he sends a mass text to invite everyone to call again.

In nine years of answering the line, Drizzy has heard it all. At this point, he can't even name the strangest request he's received.

"Sometimes I'll just pull the phone back and look at it like, 'I cannot believe they just said that,'" he says. "As time went on, people started requesting compound [subjects] like a goldfish on a basketball court with some green beans."

But his unconventional strategy has connected him with more than 100,000 fans from around the world. It's also resulted in some ties within the radio and recording industry. After meeting Drizzy through Plant London Radio, British producers Esse B and Hicks UK contacted him about collaborating. The result was the So Potent Volume 5 British edition.

Receiving calls at all hours means he's constantly practicing his game. The rapper says he records and freestyles every day.

"I'm looking for each and every opportunity to showcase my talent," he says. But he credits a lot of his self-discipline to his father.

"My pops told me a long time ago to have as much fun as [I] wanted, but when it's time to handle [my] business, I handle it."

Right now, Drizzy and his manager Marcus Turner are working toward expanding the artist's reach with a smartphone app.

"Through technology, you can reach out and touch the entire planet," Drizzy says. "Back in the days of vinyl records and tapes we couldn't connect with our fan bases like that. It's gonna take Press Play to another level."

Through the app, fans will get access to exclusive music, video footage and the artist himself.

"It'll change the dynamic of [The Press Play Hotline]," Drizzy says. "People will have exclusive access to me. Some of the fans are gonna say that I've gone corporate, but it's not that. There's gotta be an evolution to your grind."

But an electronic record is only one thing Drizzy wants to leave behind.

"I've always felt like hip hop was a vehicle and a strong voice for the people. I grew up on it, and it really taught me a lot," he says. "I love hip hop. I love music. When you're doing what you love, day in and day out, it's priceless."

"It's a grueling grind, but my goal is bigger than that. My goal is to inspire a generation of people to realize that you can be anything that you want to be." - Birmingham Magazine


"Hip Hop Artist Drizzy D.R.O. Creates Freestyle Hotline and Draws Thousands of Fans Worldwide"

Birmingham, AL — Hip Hop artist and entrepreneur, Drizzy “Press/ Play” D.R.O. is more than just a rapper. He’s an innovator. He’s a birthday present. He’s a superhero. And he might just be the hardest-working man in the rap game today.

Derek Davis, aka Drizzy D.R.O, is on his way to revolutionizing the music industry with an extremely innovative idea that all started as a joke. On April 28th, 2006, Drizzy, and a group of his close friends, jokingly sent out a mass text to the contacts in their phonebook that read :
“For A Random Freestyle On Any Subject 24/7… Call the Press/Play Hotline at 205-617-9166… Just Say Press/Play…”

He had no idea that within a year he would become a viral marketing sensation.

All you have to do is call (205) 617-9166, and ask him to spit on any subject – a person’s name to a Ming vase to Jabba the Hutt – and he’ll freestyle on demand, free of charge. Through The Press/Play Hotline, Drizzy has reinvented the grind, and it’s won him supporters across the globe – he’s got upwards of 50,000 fans in more than 45 states and three different countries. Most recently, word of Drizzy’s hotline reached the UK through Planet London Radio where producers Esse.B and Hicks were listening, and were so taken with his talent as an MC that they reached out to him and began collaborating with him on his next album / mixtape. So Potent Volume 5: The UK Edition is quickly becoming an underground hip hop classic.

Through the magic of music and improvisation, Drizzy morphs into someone larger than life. Callers don’t just appreciate his marriage of Dirty South grit to silky flow; they call because that magic is contagious. They call because for a few minutes of their lives, they share a direct connection to a pure lifeline of music with someone who couldn’t be happier to rhyme for them. Drizzy builds on these relationships by following up each call with a text message guiding callers to his website, mobile app and social media sites.

It’s not just Drizzy’s charisma and charm that wins callers over, it’s the fact that each call is a unique, special connection. Whether you need a birthday present or a pick-me-up, Drizzy’s always waiting in the 205. Since it’s inception, Drizzy has been filming his journey with the hope of one day producing a full-feature documentary about the amazing story of The Press/Play Hotline.

Ultimately, his goal isn’t to sign a major label record deal or have his music heard on mainstream radio….although he isn’t opposed to either…Drizzy’s goal is to create a new music business model, one where he isn’t so reliant on record sales or publishing as a primary source of revenue. Nope. He believes the attention the hotline gets will give him a unique opportunity to market and sell his own signature phone.

Complete with a suite of exclusive apps The Drizzle’s phone will come stocked with essential tools that musicians and artists can use to more effectively create, collaborate, share, market, and distribute their music to fans as well as through various industry channels. “Each one of us carries around a powerful tool in our pockets. It’s time we realize it’s power, and start using it to connect and create with others.” He compares this concept to Nike’s Air Jordan. “If professional athletes can have signature shoes… why can’t musicians, artists and celebrities have their own signature cell-phones?” It’s gotta be the phone…right?

Drizzy’s wants to align with a mobile carrier who sees his vision and is interested in implementing a new and innovative marketing campaign. “It’s the future,” Drizzy says. “I believe that the market will be more receptive to brands who create compelling stories and nurture relationships with their potential customers rather than beating them over the head with advertising. My story, for example, has allowed me to build a global community of fans by creating personalized experiences… and my fans have eaten it up. I sincerely appreciate them and they can sense it….they can’t wait to tell everyone they know about the hotline.”

Why is this important? The Internet has created an attention economy, where distribution is easy but attention is scarce. Success is now determined by the strength of an artist’s connection to their audience. Drizzy and his management team, Figure2, have assembled an all-star cast of data scientists, social media mavens, and software engineers to handle the artists’ disruptive engagement strategy. They’ve partnered with Magic City Analytics, LLC who is helping him build a software application that will help artists establish lasting and meaningful relationships with their fans, communicate with them around the web, and sell far higher-value products in return.

At a time when the biggest rappers of the world are more interested in Versace sofas than the struggle of just getting by in a world that seems to get scarier by the day, hiphop needs people like Drizzy. It needs people who understand the daily grind, as well as rappers who can transport people to something they dream of. As Derek Davis and as Drizzy D.R.O., this man understands both. He’s got magic on demand. Just press play.

Press/Play Links
* Drizzy D.R.O : Press Kit
* Drizzy D.R.O : So Potent Volume 5 (UK Edition)
* The Press/Play Hotline : 205-617-9166
* 205-617-9166 : BhamRocks.com Interview
* The Press/Play Hotline Facebook
* @drizzydro - BlackNews.com


"The Story of the Press/Play Hotline Viral Sensation, Drizzy Dro"

I do it for the love of hip-hop."

Derek "Drizzy D.R.O" Davis is the epitome of what a true hip-hop artist should be. In a day and age where new rappers on the scene, put more emphasis on possessions and percieved riches, Drizzy is going a different direction. "I'm a child of the 80's, so I grew up on this".

The son of an Air Force Chef, D.R.O's origin is hard to pinpoint. "I'm from the world, but I represent the 205." Having a genuine love for hip-hop at a very young, Drizzy first stepped on the underground scene in 2002. " I started flowin' in college my freshman year.

I didn't take it serious. Then, over time, it evolved into my life." In this day and age hip-hop has evolved away from the true elements that made it a worldwide phenomenon. Drizzy D.R.O is very determined at changing that."Growing up, I was influenced by MC's from every coast, every region. I soaked up all the things my favorite artist taught me through their work. Nas, Eminem, Scarface, Outkast etc..the list goes on and on. Before I was an artist, I was a die hard fan.

Now the game ain't the same. Alot of rappers are only tryin' to do what the next man is doin' to get their foot in the door." His video for the track "Rap Government" was handpicked by 50 Cent, Common, and Polow the Don as a finalist in Youtube's "On The Rise" contest.

Drizzy has also developed a revolutionary concept for marketing himself as an artist by creating the Press/Play Hotline. Started in 2006, using only a cell phone and word-of-mouth viral promotion, the Press/Play Hotline has reached upwards of 25,000+ fans. Drizzy allows fans to call his personal cell phone and request a random freestyle on any subject." In 2008 D.R.O was invited to be a guest on "Real Arts Birmingham" on Bright House cable in Birmingham AL, and in November 2010 was interviewed on 90.3FM(TAPESTRY) segment displaying his very unique talent. In 2011 Thillist.com also did a segment on the Press Play Movement.

Honestly it started as a joke, and has made it's way around the US by word-of-mouth.It's an innovative way to reach the masses and another element in the evolution of hip-hop."

At the end of the day,"Da Drizzle's" intentions are clear,"I'm an artist. I'm not trying to play to the game, I'm trying to change it!" - BHAM Rocks !


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

BIRMINGHAM, AL – April 17, 2015 – Hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Drizzy D.R.O. is more than just a rapper. He’s an innovator. He’s a birthday present. He’s a superhero. And he might just be the hardest-working man in the rap game today.

The man born Derek Davis might just revolutionize the music industry on accident. On April 28, 2006, Drizzy and a group of his close friends jokingly sent out a mass text to the contacts in their phonebook that read:

“For A Random Freestyle On Any Subject 24/7 ….Call the Press/Play Hotline at 205-617-9166….Just Say Press/Play…“

Nine years later, all you have to do is call (205) 617-9166 and ask him to spit on any subject – from a person’s name to a Ming vase to Jabba the Hutt – and he’ll freestyle on demand, free of charge. Through The Press/Play Hotline, Drizzy has reinvented the grind, and it’s won him supporters across the globe: he’s got upwards of 50,000 fans in more than 45 states and three different countries. Most recently, word of Drizzy’s hotline reached the UK through Planet London Radio where producers Esse.B and Hicks were listening, and were so taken with his talent as an MC that they reached out to him and began collaborating with him on his next album / mixtape. So Potent Volume 5: The UK Edition is quickly becoming an underground hip-hop classic.

Through the magic of music and improvisation, Drizzy morphs into someone larger than life. Callers don’t just appreciate his marriage of Dirty South grit to silky flow; they call because that magic is contagious. They call because for a few minutes of their lives, they share a direct connection to a pure lifeline of music with someone who couldn’t be happier to rhyme for them. Drizzy builds on these relationships by following up each call with a text message guiding callers to his website, mobile app and social media sites.  

Ultimately, Drizzy’s goal isn’t to sign a major label record deal or have his music heard on mainstream radio – although he wouldn’t mind either – his goal is to create a new business model for the music industry, one that isn’t so reliant on record sales or publishing as a primary source of revenue. He believes the attention the hotline gets will give him a unique opportunity to market and sell his own signature phone.

Drizzy wants to align with a mobile carrier that sees his vision and is interested in implementing a new and innovative marketing campaign. “It’s the future,” Drizzy says. “I believe that the market will be more receptive to brands that create compelling stories and nurture relationships with their potential customers rather than beating them over the head with advertising. My story, for example, has allowed me to build a global community of fans by creating personalized experiences…and my fans have eaten it up. I sincerely appreciate them and they can sense it – they can’t wait to tell everyone they know about the hotline.”

At a time when the biggest rappers of the world are more interested in Versace sofas than the struggle of just getting by in a world that seems to get scarier by the day, hip-hop needs people like Drizzy. It needs people who understand the daily grind, as well as rappers who can transport people to something they dream of. As 

Derek Davis and as Drizzy D.R.O., this man understands both. He’s got magic on demand. Just press play.


Band Members