DJ Drama Confirms De La Soul 'Gangsta Grillz' Mixtape is in The Works

The producer first expressed interest in a De La Soul edition of Gangsta Grillz when the group's plan to debut on streaming was announced back in 2021.

DJ Drama has seemingly revealed that ground has been broken on the long-rumored De La Soul installment of his legendary Gangsta Grillz mixtape series.

On a recent episode of Elliot Wilson and B. Dot's Rap Radar podcast, Drama was discussing the key to his longevity and how, as someone who came of age in the '90s, he had always maintained a firm footing in rap's history while keeping an ear to the ground for what's next. De La Soul was mentioned as a group he'd ride around listening to as a teen, but, as an aside, the producer claimed "we've got a Gangsta Grillz coming." The interview was clearly conducted in the weeks ahead of the group's streaming debut proper and potentially even before the death of Trugoy The Dove. So it's entirely possible the recent tragedy has altered whatever plan Drama and De La may have had for their tape.

However, it should be noted Drama has been pushing for a De La Soul edition of Gangsta Grillz for years now. The producer first expressed interest in working with the group when they went public with their plan to finally arrive in the streaming age back in summer of 2021, hoping to help them celebrate their debut. And Posdnous was an early and vocal supporter at the time. Obviously, it would be another two years before De La's full catalog was available on DSPs, but if Drama's still trying to toast the group's milestone, there's no time like now.

You can watch DJ Drama's full interview on the Rap Radar podcast below.