Snap Backs & Tattoos

Driicky's ''Snapbacks & Tattoos'' just passed 500,000 singles sold mark, per this week's Soundscan report. Official RIAA Gold record certification is pending. This is a very impressive accomplishment on the US-market at present for any artist or record - even more so for a new artist like Driicky Graham. The best hip-hop, like any other fine art, is a byproduct of dedication to craft. There's simply no replacement for putting in the time and energy it takes to represent the culture properly. At only 19 years young, Driicky Graham knows this as well as anyone. In the early 90's, a three year-old Graham co-starred in the video for Lord's of The Underground's ''Tic Toc,'' a baby with a mouth full of silver fronts, rapping along to DoItAll's verse. ''Since I was a baby, Biggie, 2pac, it's always been in the car,'' Graham says. He's had the luxury of growing up in an era where hip hop was omnipresent, but Graham has utilized what so many took for granted to harness a talent he was destined to share with world. Though Graham will claim not to have ''a style,'' nothing could be further from the truth. He has style in abundance, a mix of dazzling technical skill and the contagious enthusiasm of someone who can't help being the life of the party. In fact, he believes this duality to be the answer to the industry's problems at large. ''It's not enough balance in our culture these days,'' Graham says. ''It's either a really hot track and somebody who's not really saying anything or we have those who say a whole lot but can't get their point across because it's not entertaining enough for the audience. I'm doing my best to provide the balance.'' So far he's gotten a chance to share that vision on tour with 106 and Park mainstays like Dorrough, the Party Boyz, as well as taking part in a marquee showcases put together by legendary producer (and mentor to Kanye West), No ID. Driicky has worked with Diamond and Gucci Mane previously and is working on a mixtape and his first album. ''Snapback & Tattoos'' is nothing less than an impressive start with the promise for much, much more to come.