Strong Signal: Creating a Columbus music scene with DJ Cashflow
by Frank Etheridge
Four men wait in the dark of a January night outside the locked back door of iHeartMedia’s offices on 13th Avenue. Smoking and standing next to the towering metal-frame broadcast antennas—their radio reach maximized from this placement atop the western edge of a hilltop neighborhood once called Boogerville—they’re from Atlanta and here to see DJ Cashflow.
About 45 minutes before the start of his “Cashflow Radio” program on Beat 98.3FM—on the air from 7 p.m. to midnight and the top-rated night show in Columbus radio—DJ Cashflow unlocks the door, exchanges warm greetings with each, and walks them inside down the hall to this broadcast booth. Accompanied by two managers and a photographer wearing bright red leather hightops, rising rap star Jamie Ray is here to tape an interview as part of promotions for his new mixtape, Castles in the Air. Introducing to tri-city listeners his special guest, DJ Cashlow (born Gilberto Drummonds, Jr. in Panama City, Panama in 1985) asks Jamie Ray to talk about his hit new single “16,” featuring NBA Youngblood and nearing two-million views on YouTube. A white native of Polk, Florida, Ray explains how the song deals with his early-teen years “roaming the streets on my own” after his mom was sent to jail on methamphetamine charges.
Ray and Drummonds (who also goes by “Slimm” and “Dynero”) then pose and send shout-outs together to share on social media before the four head out to hit the road for Atlanta. Drummonds asks the managers if they’ll be in Los Angeles for Golden Spin in February. They won’t, but Drummonds will.
“It’s an awards show for all the DJs the Thursday night before NBA All-Star game in the city hosting the event,” explains Drummond, who says he was able to meet and network with inspiring idols such as DJ Khaled and DJ Clark Kent (credited with discovering Jay-Z). “I went to the Golden Spins last year when it was in New Orleans. But this year I’m going with more of a purpose.”
Networking with nationally elite DJs and music-industry professionals could come at a perfect time for Drummond. In addition to his top-rated show playing contemporary hip-hop and R&B on Beat 98.3, he is also finding success as a recording artist, in-demand DJ for private parties and high-profile concerts, charity-minded community leader and business entrepreneurs.
Born during his father’s deployment with the U.S. Army in Panama, where he met his mother, Drummond’s childhood musical memories are his dad’s love of salsa star Gilberto Santa Rosa and his mom’s choice of Christian artists such as Kirk Franklin and Shirley Caesar.
“It was a big deal in my family when I got into hip hop,” he recalls, crediting a Jay-Z cassette he bought while working at the Ft. Benning commissary during his days as a Spencer High School student with forever changing his life. “I listened to everything: Snoop Dogg, Biggie, even a little rock with Nirvana. As a DJ now, I have to be into everything.”
Drummond followed his friend, mentor and business partner DJ O3 (Olly Hall), who first found success playing college parties, to Davis Broadcasting, home of Columbus stations such as Foxie 105, and then to IHeartRadio’s Beat 98.3. Drummond joined the station in 2008 as a member of the “street team.” Now 35, he began DJing on air in 2011, co-hosting in 2012 and presenting “Cashflow Radio” since 2015.
On March 10, he’ll serve as the “hype man” at a concert at the Civic Center with a stellar roster of rising rap talents Yo Gotti, Moneybaygs Yo and Blac Youngsta. Cashflow also gets the call to play to countless weddings, private parties and community events, such as the Way Down Film Festival. Known to pack the dance floor at local nightclubs such as Legends and Martini’s, his Saturday night spins at the now-closed Big City Jail are the stuff of late-night legend.
“A real DJ will scan the crowd, get a feel for the vibe, and that will determine what you play,” Drummond says.
Describing his friend as “one of the smartest guys I know and who taught me a lot about business,” Drummond and Hall formed Firm Grip Music Group to provide professional services (lighting, sound) for private events as well as promote artists and perform community service. Drummond partners with Wal-Mart for annual event collecting much-needed supplies for Bridge’s Girls Home, and plans are underway to create an event with area Boys & Girls Clubs to connect the children to Columbus musicians and music-industry professionals. “A lot of people don’t realize that music is such a powerful entity, especially with kids,” he says.
A Columbus Tech graduate in business management, Drummond also puts his creative energy into his Lyngo (Let Your Network Grow and Overcome) clothing line, which has expanded from t-shirts to hats, hoodies and sweaters. Sold online and at Culture, the University Avenue store owned by his brother Matthew, Lyngo’s logo is a flamingo that comes cast in all shades and colors.
Praised by Columbus-based hip-hop news and culture site D30 “as turning up the independent music artist scene with hot record after hot record,” DJ Cashflow has dropped four singles in the last year, all featuring the flow of top local MCs such as C-Blaq and Lil Nuke.
“All the records I’ve put out have been a collaborative effort,” Drummond says, who posts videos for the tracks on his CashflowTV channel on YouTube. “We have a lot of talent in Columbus, Georgia. We have to come together and support each other. Now’s the time to unify the city and try to create a music scene here.”