When you have an all-consuming passion for something, you do all it takes to see it through. Sometimes, that may mean walking a dangerous path and suffering. The good news is, regardless of how long it takes, determination and hard work always pays off. As legendary Dren STARR proves, pursuing your passion will never be in vain.
Dren is an old hand in the music industry, with a career spanning over 3 decades. Born and raised in the Lower East Side of New York City, Dren will go down in the neighborhood’s hip-hop history as one of the greats. Unlike today where all you need is talent and the internet, back in the mid-90s when Dren began his career, that was not the case. You needed to know people in real life to get your music played on the radio. Plus, the music had to conform to a certain standard, or no one would touch it.
Dren began his journey DJing from the ages of 14 to 18. Over the years, he noticed a disturbing pattern that forced him to pivot. With only one major radio station in the city, HOT 97, new artists didn’t stand a chance. The station favored major record labels, so anyone who didn’t get picked by them would have a difficult time getting airplay. To Dren, that was unacceptable. He was fully convinced that every artist deserved a chance to be heard. He started and ran his own hip-hop radio station in NYC, WBAD RADIO 91.9FM.
At the time, you needed licenses from the Federal Communications Commission to get a frequency. Without that, they classified you as a pirate radio station, and the FCC would hunt you down and shut you down. Dren, who was only 18 years old, didn’t have a license. Consequently, he fought a losing battle with the FCC. For the next 3 years of WBAD RADIO’s existence, Dren changed locations several times, but the FCC, NYPD, and Housing Authority always seemed to find him. After the last incident, he gave up on broadcasting and joined the RCA promo department.
In the next few years, Dren witnessed changes in the music landscape. He was there when cassettes gave way to CDs and, later, MP3s. In the CD era, he featured on the cover art of Ghostface Killah’s album, The Big Doe Rehab. He was also featured on the Biggie’s duet album on track #5, a song intro featuring Big Pun, Fat Joe, and Freeway. Then, Dren’s career took a break when he was incarcerated for 5 ½ years on a gun possession charge.
When Dren came out, the music industry had changed, but his reputation hadn’t. Although music was now digital and social media was king, his name was still solid, and he easily found a place for himself. Dren started rebuilding his brand and landed on digital marketing and promotions. Before long, he started his own company, LES BRAND, and his business took off.
Since then, Dren has worked closely with the Roc Nation brand, Rolling Loud, and D’Ussé cognac, among others. He has also been on many hip-hop tours and festivals. Dren’s goal right now is to create more opportunities for himself and a legacy for his family when he is no longer here.
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