Drumma Boy

Drumma Boy
Drumma Boy at the 2011 BET Awards in Los Angeles
Background information
Birth name	Christopher James Gholson
Also known as	D-Boy Fresh
Born	(1983-08-11) August 11, 1983 (age 33)
Origin	Memphis, Tennessee
Genres	Hip hop, southern hip hop, trap, R&B, film music, classical
Occupation(s)	Rapper, songwriter, record producer, composer, entrepreneur, philanthropist
Instruments	Roland TR-808, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Akai MPC-4000, Apple GarageBand, Korg Triton, Propellerhead Reason, Clarinet, Piano, Sampler, Vocals
Years active	2002–Present
Labels	Drum Squad
Associated acts	Young Buck, Young Jeezy, Yung Joc, Gorilla Zoe, Pastor Troy, Plies, T.I., Gucci Mane, OJ da Juiceman, 2 Chainz, Rocko, Yo Gotti, DJ Paul, Gangsta Boo, Project Pat, Master P, Starlito, Young Dolph
Website	drum-squad.com

Christopher James Gholson, (born August 11, 1983) better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, composer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mother, Billie Baker Gholson was an accountant who worked as a part-time opera singer and was the first African-American to graduate from Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music and his father, G. James Gholson who retired in 2012, is a retired professional clarinetist and music professor at Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis, was the first African-American male to hold the 1st chair position in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, where he is still an active member. His father holds an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the Catholic University of America. His father is also an emeritus of the Memphis Woodwind Quintet and a soloist in the United States' Navy Band. His paternal grandfather was a high school principal and has a high school named after him Washington D.C.. The rest of his extended family including grandmothers and aunts were also musicians and taught music in the schools. Drumma Boy says he had a recorder in his hand at age 3 and a clarinet at age 5. His father was instrumental in teaching him about traditional classical music yet it was his mother that introduced him to Curtis Mayfield and 1970s oldies rhythm and blues. A classical musically trained musician, Gholson began the practicing E-flat clarinet by the age of six and then went up to the B-flat clarinet. At the age of six, Gholson began taking piano lessons.

Mathematics was his favorite school subject growing up as his affinity for the subject dating back to the 9th grade when he made a song about the quadratic formula for extra math credit and received the top grade for the class. Gholson started making hip hop beats at the age of 12 and scored his first production placement on local radio with Memphis rapper Tela’s “Double Dose". He also produced an entire album at the age of 14 in his hometown. During high school, Gholson played basketball heavily from ninth grade to twelfth grade and was offered several athletic scholarships. In addition to playing basketball, Gholson was involved in music and was also offered to be in the Memphis Youth Symphony Orchestra as well as being offered artistic scholarships to study music at the college level. As an amateur producer during his high school days, he began charging $200 for each beat that he made and eventually made $500 per track by the time he graduated from high school. Gholson attended the University of Memphis as a Music Business major. Due to the pressure from his parents to achieve academically, his father advised him that a college degree would open more doors for career advancement and his mother stressed the importance of financial savvy. Gholson also attended college to satisfy his father's belief that a college degree was a ticket to a solid and stable career. Following his father's advice and by his junior year, Drumma Boy established a name for himself and was quickly becoming the most sought-after producers in his home state of Tennessee. Gholson matriculated at the University of Memphis as a music business major in 2001. Gholson spent much of his spare time outside of classes on the keyboard and drum machine making hip hop beats in his room. In between attending classes, he would shop his homemade beats to local Memphis rappers such as Gangsta Boo, as well as travel to Texas to work on musical projects for Scarface and Bun B of UGK. Though Gholson earned good grades, he was kicked out in 2004 due to his burgeoning music career and under-attendance. The cash flow from his music production company was so strong that Gholson pulled $20,000 per month where he eventually realized that he had no reason to stay in college. His father later became upset and embarrassed about him being kicked out and told Gholson that hip hop production was an unstable career path and eventually wanted to put Gholson back in school. His father challenged him to earn $100,000 within 12 months to prove his independence, Drumma Boy later accepted the challenge and earned $100,000 within 10 months to gain his father's trust. Though Gholson never returned to the University of Memphis, he and his father established the James and Christopher Gholson Scholarship Fund, a scholarship that goes towards undergraduate and graduate students studying music at the University of Memphis, furthering his father and his family's commitment and values towards education and cultural literacy.