DramaGanzaThe Gurl Next Door

Written by Sondra McClain 

I got a call one night from my partner, DreatTrakit the hit maker from Hit ‘em Hard Entertainment, asking me if I was interested in doing an interview with a contestant that won the final round at Café 290. My answer, sure no problem, as I thought hell this is what I do. On the morning of the interview, I was sitting waiting for meet this young lady they call Dramaganza. The first thing that came to my mind when they asked me to interview her was where in the world she got the name DramaGanza from. I made a mental note to make sure that was one of my questions that I asked her. The weather was finally clearing up and it was nice considering it was the beginning of February. I hear a knock at the door and quickly put my game face on, you know, I can’t let them see the soft side of me when business is taking place, not at first anyway. In walks this tall and slender young lady who has the softest eyes. Introductions were made and as she spoke to Veronica McClain of MoDa Imaging and Gordon Mills of Blaze1 photography, my first thought of her was “she’s a rapper”.

We finally got started with the interview and as I tried to observe her so that I can feed off of her energy, I was surprised to find out that she may not look like your average female rapper, but she has the energy and passion that sets her apart from the rest. At first, her demeanor is very quiet and subtle but as we began to talk about her history with music, the fire and desire began to take over her very being. As I got my tape recorder ready, I could sense that she was just as curious about me as I was about her so I had to make sure the atmosphere was as comfortable as possible for the both of us. I began to ask her question after question (how did you come up with the name DramaGanza, who are you, what sets you apart from the rest, where were you born?), picking her brain for any and all information that would help her supporters learn all that they needed to know about her. She spoke softly but was sure of herself; there was something that I liked about her. There was a certain type of mystery about this young lady and I was determined to earn her respect so that I could get a peek into her world. I learned that the name DramaGanza was a name that she put together from two words. She started with the word Drama (since she was such a dramatic child) and added the word Ganza which was taken from the word extravaganza which means magnificent. As with a lot of singers and rappers, she began singing in the choir at church and knew that she had a strong passion and desire to perform. When she was in the second grade she performed in a talent show and had the crowd going wild. That, she says, was the very minute that she knew that performing was what she wanted to do, that performing would be her gift to the world. To hear her rap is like hearing a storyteller unwrap a saga or a chapter in their lives that they feel must be told to the world. This young lady has a story and has lived a life that has allowed her to see the light even when her lights were cut off. Knowing what it’s like to having it all to being homeless, DramaGanza knows about grinding. Now a resident of Atlanta, DramaGanza has performed at very diverse venues in the mid-west, NY, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus, Philly, California, LA, Texas, and Milwaukee just to name a few. Feeding off of the energy from the crowd like a carnivore, her unrehearsed shows commands a different response than her peers performing with her. Accepted by all, loved by all and hated by many, DramaGanza’s fans can’t get enough of her. The haters on the other hand, well, need to get on top of their game so that they can earn the right to even be in the same arena. All DramaGanza has to say is “give me the mic”.