6lack originally planned for his latest project to be a Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama.
The R&B singer and rapper, who released his new LP Love Is the New Gangsta on Friday (May 22), spoke to Pigeons and Planes about intending for the project to be a mixtape hosted by DJ Drama. The producer and DJ famously hosted mixtapes with Jeezy, Lil Wayne, and Gucci Mane throughout the 2000s. In 2021, Drama even hosted Tyler the Creator’s seventh album, Call Me If You Get Lost.
"It started with me going back to Atlanta and I go link with Drama and the energy is like, I've never done a Gangsta Grillz and like what would it be like to do a R&B Gangsta Grillz or a rap Gangsta Grillz?" 6lack posed.
The vocalist added that he and Drama were already in the process of crafting the mixtape, which the DJ provided ad-libs on. "At the same exact time, simultaneously, life just got very personal it got very sad and it got very reflective," 6lack said. "One day I just came in the studio and I was just like, I don't think anybody needs to narrate this story right now besides me."
6lack was impacted by a multitude of things, including the 2025 birth of his son with singer Quiñ. The singer also has an older daughter, Syx, 9, from a previous relationship.
"And life is getting too personal for anyone else to pop into my story right now. Like, that is reserved for a different time," he added. "And whenever I make it there, it'll be great. But for now, I was like, this is me, this is mine, and nobody else can touch it. Ultimately, I think it was best choice. So that could still happen someday. ... But that's just not the season I'm in right now."
DJ Drama may not be featured on Love Is the New Gangsta, but the album is stacked with appearances from Leon Thomas, Young Thug, Odeal and more.
