Exclusive Interview w/ Radio Personality Ms. Drama Pt. 1

In today’s time when one hears the word “drama” they may automatically associate the word with conflicts and confrontation, but in fact the word drama, short for dramatic, actually means powerful, expressive, highly effective, and striking. Well those are also a few characteristics that describe Ms. Drama, the Drama Queen of Radio. Born in Long Island, but raised in the Northern Virginia DMV area, Ms. Drama is not here to give you fluff information about what’s happening in the music industry, she is one who definitely keeps it real and isn’t afraid to let anyone know that.

Ms. Drama is used to being on the other side of the table as for interviews, but I had the opportunity to turn the tables and speak with Ms. Drama and she dished the “drama juice” on the politics of the industry, major corporations wanting people to conform and compromise their values, and also her feelings on being compared to Wendy Williams and Angie Martinez, two influential women in radio.

Here is what Ms. Drama had to say-Pt. 1

1. Who is Ms. Drama?

-Ms. Drama is a media personality. She is the woman behind a lot of the kind of explosive videos and interviews. She is the woman who created a company based on what she loves to do which is interview report and be able to give people entertainment but in a very tactful, yet kind of exciting way that really is kind of no holds bar. She is the person who you don’t see necessarily because she is kind of reserved in a kind of way, but she still wants to get her voice and what she is about out there.

2. How did you get started in media? (full response in video)

Well honestly my first taste of media reporting was in college. I went to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and I had a great experience there. I was an English major. They didn’t really have communications it was a liberal arts school and so they had English as a major. That was probably one of the closest classes that I got to actually, you know learning the whole thing of journalism. My real experience started when I worked/interned for WSBTV which is in Atlanta channel 7 news station. I was a sports reporter. I am a big sports fan but more so like basketbal fan. I love watching that whole thing. That to me is exciting. I had the opportunity to interview athletes and go to the locker rooms and stuff like that. I really got a taste of reporting and interviewng people and being in the whole entertainment outlet which to me was exciting. Then I moved forward after I graduated there, not knowing what I really wanted to do and we were all kind of like ok do I get a job. What is the next step. So for me I really wanted to achieve something higher in my life. So I wanted to get my Master’s and I went to NYU and I was in the journalism program for a year and a half. I completed that. I was an MTV intern VH1, Newsday that’s kind of where I gotmy foot in the door in the sense of experience wise, but it really didn’t get the full on extent until after I graduated when I had to get a real job….I started off part-time at ABC Daytime as a youth marketing consultant and all I did was watch TV and give reports. I was only there for three months and they wanted to bring me back on which would have been great, but I really started to feel the passion of radio which is always been something I’ve always wanted to do , but never had it come into fruition at the time. I had the opportunity to do something part-time at Hot 97 so I was like I have to pick up on this part-time opportunity, even though a full-time opportunity would have been great at ABC Daytime, but I don’t know what it would have been if I followed up with it. I did the part-time thing at Hot97, I also had the opportunity to do some teaching for journalism and media arts.

3. This business can be rough. Has there ever been a point where you wanted to walk away?

Yeah I think there have been some times when I said, maybe I should’ve stayed in Atlanta, got married had some kids you know something like the very 9-5ish thing. but I think that everyday and every year when I reflect back and I see where I was and see where I am today, it keeps me motivated. If you are not making any moves or progressing forward yeah definitely that maybe something to reflect on. I feel like I’ve been continually making moves forward and when you are its like do I let up on all the things I have achieved thus far or do I say I’m in it, people have recognized my brand, my name, and that’s a great great claim to fame. It is rough a lot of the times partly because of the politics or whatever you want to call it, but I have learned, especially at Hot 097, you have to have tough skin. If you can let that go you can get really far. You can focus on what your goals are.

4. Have you ever in a position or situation where people wanted you to compromise who your values and beliefs? (full response in video)

I keep it pretty real, so I’m not gonna be oh I can’t talk about that, but whatever. I feel that a lot of the major corporations are looking for certain things, they are looking for certain cookie cutter things, and while I may fit into a certain realm, they may want me to do something else. What’s really popular that I see is power to the people who are doing it and feel comfortable doing it, but a real big thing that I have noticed in radio is the whole sex talk thing. Yeah like yeah umm soo how did he do that, and its with women. I don’t really see a lot of men doing it, but that’s just not my thing. If a woman wants to do that, that’s fine and she feels comfortable and that’s how she was brought up or feel thats what you need to do to be in the game, hey do whatever it is. I have no beef with you on that, but that was never my thing. And opportunities have come up that have been on a great platform and I felt have wanted me to go that route which to me is not what I’m about. If you look at what I do as a journalist, key word-journalist, its about researching, reporting, getting to the nitty gritty kind of finding background information you know. I am not the best and I am not the greatest, but I make stuff happen…