Dreamville teams up with DJ Drama to release surprise Gangsta Grillz mixtape
Dreamville Founder J.Cole leads his label to #1 album with new collaborative project, “D-Day.” (Flickr)
Dreamville shocked the world on Wednesday after announcing that they teamed up with DJ Drama to produce their newest collaborative project, “D-Day.”
There wasn’t much time to process the surprise drop before the mixtape was released on all streaming platforms the following day.
The news came just two days ahead of the label’s annual Dreamville Festival which was held at Dorothea Dix Park in North Carolina and welcomed over 80,000 guests, according to The Source.
“D-Day” serves as the highly anticipated follow up to the label’s previous joint album, Revenge of the Dreamers III, which amassed three Grammy nominations in 2020.
Dreamville was founded back in 2007 when J. Cole met Ibrahim Hamad, who is now the label’s president, at St. John’s University. Cole was seeking a platform to release his music while Hamad had a desire to start a record label, prompting the duo to create Dreamville.
It’s safe to say that no one expected Dreamville to create the next installment of the Gangsta Grillz mixtapes, but after listening, it made perfect sense.
“You gon' stop playin' on Dreamville's time/ Like ni*gas don't run this,” Drama said on the mixtape’s intro track, demanding the audience’s respect for the label.
DJ Drama started the renowned mixtape series in the early 2000s and it quickly became a cornerstone of Hip Hop culture. Since the creation of the series, DJ Drama has produced mixtapes for artists such as Lil Wayne, Jeezy, T.I., Pharrell and many more. DJ Drama’s latest achievement came on Sunday when he won a Grammy for “Call Me If You Get Lost” with Tyler, The Creator.
“D-Day” features all of Dreamville’s artists -- J. Cole, Ari Lennox, JID, Bas, Lute, Cozz and Omen-- as well as guest appearances from 2 Chainz, A$AP Ferg, Reason and several others.
With a total run time of under 50 minutes, the mixtape is easily digested in one sitting and leaves you wanting more. The mixtape debuts 14 brand new tracks as well as J. Cole’s “Heaven’s EP” which was released exclusively on YouTube last year.
The Gangsta Grillz tape has something for everyone; the project starts with a high energy posse cut in “Stick” led by Atlanta native JID, J. Cole provides a braggadocious track in “Freedom of Speech” and Ari Lennox introduces smooth R&B vibes to the tape with her two tracks, “Blackberry Sap” and “Coming Down.”
This mixtape also allowed Dreamville’s lesser known artists Cozz, Lute and Omen to prove themselves as serious emcees as each artist has their own song where they were able to flex their lyrical abilities. The three artists also came together to create the standout track, “Starting Five.” If people didn’t know who they were before, they definitely do now.
“One of the best out the west, f*ck what you see on a list,” Cozz raps on his song “Big Trouble Freestyle” which samples the famous Hip Hop track “Who Shot Ya?” by the Notorious B.I.G.
15 years after the creation of Dreamville and its artists have made an undeniable impact on the music industry and they continue to keep their competition on its toes with exceptional projects like “D-Day.”