Source: Dreamville / Dreamville Records
I normally don’t write posts on Hip-Hop Wired in my own voice because, well, who cares about what I have to say nine times out of 10, right? However, I want to be honest and say that I’m just eight songs on DJ Drama & Dreamville Presents D-DAY: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape and it’s definitely going to blow some minds due to its high quality and variety.
The genius of J. Cole’s squad releasing this project on the eve of the revived Dreamville Festival this weekend can’t be understated and every member of the roster came to show the absolute best of their abilities.
Without laboring through each track, we’ll just say that J.I.D., EarthGang, Ari Lennox, Lute, Cozz, Bas, Omen, and J. Cole show and prove across the 15 tracks much as they did during the excellent Revenge Of The Dreamers III compilation. In a similar vein heard on Tyler, The Creator’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, DJ Drama’s presence is undeniable and most necessary. We should also note that the Dreamville crew worked on this album recently as this week due to a Chris Rock Oscars reference.
There might be something for everyone and what we’re most excited about is the powerhouse vocals of the beautiful Ari Lennox and getting to hear more of Lute, Omen, and Cozz. That said, there isn’t one second of filler on the project, and it all gets bolstered by smart features such as 2 Chainz, Sheck Wes, Young Nudy, G Perico, REASON, A$AP Ferg, and Kenny Mason.
Although Cole largely stays out of the way and lets his soldiers shine, it wouldn’t be right if the head of the outfit didn’t get off on a couple of tracks of his own. The Fayetteville, N.C. native goes in on the tracks “Freedom of Speech” and the project closer, “Heaven’s EP.”
On Twitter, folks are slowly catching on and we’re sure this mixtape will be on everyone’s mind before the weekend is over considering the power-packed material within.
Check out the reactions below and access the project at your preferred DSP below.
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Photo: Dreamville
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No need to compare.
