ATL SWAT Team raided the Aphilliates Music Group’s offices yesterday. 17 people detained along with “ring leaders” Dj Drama and Don Cannon. Police had warrants for arrest based on massive counterfeiting. I think this event will have significant ramifications for the already rocky and “under the table” relationship between major labels and mixtape djs. Because of Drama’s and Cannon’s legitimate ties to the industry though, I really hope they will have access to some high-powered attorneys that can force a balanced discussion between both sides of the argument. As you’ll see in the video (link below), even their cars were confiscated. It would be interesting to see how prosecutors prove the cars were bought with funds from illegal mixtapes instead of the mixtapes with only approved and owned content (like those willie/la cds which I assume were made in conjunction with the djs since both artists, I believe, are unsigned).
Two big hip-hop mixtape DJs arrested for bootlegging (boingboing)
DJ Drama and Don Cannon Arrested For Piracy (nahright)
DJ Drama and DJ Cannon Arrested in Atlanta (maximum fun)
Downtown Raid Nets Illegal CDs (fox news, with video)
DJ Drama Arrested In Atlanta Mixtape Raid (mtv news)
update: Dj Drama’s Sister Responds To RIAA Raid
update: An Intelligent Response to all this DRAMA… by Wise Intelligent
previously:
Aphilliates Music Group Signed
Willie The Kid – Divide and Conquer
La The Darkman + Willie The Kidd = When The Money Come (video)
