Released on April 18, 2025,
on Perico’s Innerprize.

DJ Drama is a fantastic curator. No one matches him when it comes to showcasing the very best a rapper has to offer, extracting and laying bare the very essence of their art. At this later stage of his career, in these years when – after a break – he has resumed his legendary Gangsta Grillz series, the best mixtape DJ proves it once again. By giving the South Central rapper a second release alongside him, following Hot Shot in 2023, he elevates G Perico’s style.

We’ve known Jeremy Nash for at least a good decade now – since he founded the aptly named So Way Out label to leave delinquency behind, released his standout projects Shit Don’t Stop and All Blue, and linked up with Roc Nation. But often, what he has to offer feels reheated. G Perico presents himself as an heir to DJ Quik and Suga Free, and he leans heavily into the California gangster persona with his nasal voice, Jheri curls, and fondness for the Crips’ signature blue.

With DJ Drama, he doesn’t change direction – quite the opposite. L.A. Gangster is the straightforward title of this second joint project, and it lives up to its name. Together, the two men fully embrace a regionalist, revivalist logic. They reactivate the powerful mythology of the City of Angels. G Perico recycles old slogans (“L.A., L.A., big city of dreams,” on “Go Shop”), he glorifies this city of money, sex, and shopping, he represents its streets (“LA Takeover”), and he loudly proclaims his hard-edged bandit philosophy (“LA Real Estate”) and his gang spirit (“Lil Homies”).

As G Perico both celebrates the gangsta lifestyle and depicts its dangers, we hear the heavy basslines, melodies, and syrupy vocals of g-funk (“Street Lights”), along with his smooth crooning (“No Interruptions,” “Thankful”). The featured guests perfectly embody Californian soil, from Bay Area legend E-40 on “Gangsta” to one of the coolest rappers on that side of the United States, Kamaiyah, on “Resume.” Aside from a few “skrrt” ad-libs and onomatopoeia imported from elsewhere, and a handful of concessions to contemporary rhythms, everything is right where it should be.

And sometimes, it feels good to fully embrace the cliché and the formula. How clever, in the grand mixtape tradition, to hold nothing back, including a rather obvious Pink Floyd sample (“HEY”). With DJ Drama’s fateful assistance and magical touch, and with a few melodic gangsta rap gems like the fabulous single “Commas” and the ultra-minimal yet irresistible “Sold Out,” G Perico comes very close to delivering the best work of his career.