‘The Drop’ creator Malcolm Spellman says record labels pushed violence over conscious hip-hop: ‘That is by design’

The “Snowfall” spinoff’s showrunner has big plans for future seasons, including exploring how the music industry profited from the rise of gangsta rap.

The first season of “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” may have ended Tuesday, but creator Malcolm Spellman is just getting started telling the story of how the music industry transformed hip-hop in the 1990s.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Spellman revealed his ambitious plans for the FX drama’s future, including a deeper examination of the role record executives played in promoting gangsta rap at the expense of conscious hip-hop.

According to Spellman, the shift wasn’t simply a matter of changing musical tastes. He believes record labels recognized that violence, gang culture, and materialism could be profitable, and made deliberate decisions that ultimately changed the direction of the genre.

Speaking about his plans for a potential second and third season, Spellman said he wants to explore the music industry’s manipulation of Black culture, as well as the ways artists and communities participated in those changes.

His comments offer some insight into the larger story he’s building through “The Drop,” which follows Wanda Bell (Gail Bean) and Leon Simmons (Isaiah John) as they navigate the emerging West Coast hip-hop scene after the events of “Snowfall.”

The show’s first-season finale offered a glimpse of the industry’s darker side when record executives attempted to capitalize on a young man’s murder to generate publicity for an album. After Keith’s murder, the label rushed the release of Artillery and Lamar’s music, turning their project into a compilation featuring other artists.

While the characters appear to regain some control by the season’s conclusion, Spellman cautioned that their troubles with the recording industry are far from over. He explained that the show’s early episodes were designed to introduce audiences to its characters and the era, while the final three episodes began revealing the realities of the music business. In future seasons, he says he hopes to explore how record companies maintained control over artists, particularly during a period when independent distribution offered far fewer opportunities than it does today.

“That [going independent] wasn’t really a thing then,” Spellman told THR. “The label has all the leverage, and they are going to be forced into very uncomfortable situations, and there is no place to go. There is no other option.”

Spellman’s larger argument about the industry’s influence on hip-hop also raises questions about who controlled the narrative surrounding Black communities during one of the genre’s most commercially significant periods. Gangsta rap emerged from real experiences with poverty, policing, violence, and systemic inequality. Artists used their music to document conditions that were frequently ignored by mainstream America. But Spellman is interested in examining what happened when record executives recognized the commercial possibilities of those narratives and began prioritizing certain stories over others.

“’91 is when gangster rap begins to overcome and destroy conscious rap, and that is by design by the labels. It was easier for them to make money with negativity, and they just leaned all the way in, and a whole genre of rap died.”

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While the music industry will remain central to the show’s direction, Spellman says the relationship between Wanda and Leon is ultimately its emotional foundation. The couple’s complicated history has been one of the most compelling elements carried over from “Snowfall,” and their relationship faces new challenges following the events of the first-season finale.

According to Spellman, their romantic journey draws inspiration from his own marriage.

“Their story is based on me and my wife’s story,” Spellman revealed. “Here’s what the show is: Leon and Wanda is will they, won’t they every season, close calls, falling outs, and everything. And by the end of the [series], they have a wedding. I think they will ultimately be an uplifting story because it’s based on me and my wife, who went through all this sh-t.”

After spending much of the season grappling with his past and attempting to distance himself from violence, the finale finds Leon once again willing to use a gun to protect those he loves.

Spellman explained that Leon’s journey was necessary to bring the character to a place where he could fully participate in the world Wanda is entering.

“Leon had a very mythical journey in season one…he had to go through a redemption thing and deal with his mourning, because of all the sh-t he went through in the original series,” Spellman explained. “Once that happens, Big Daddy (Mykelti Williamson) sort of sets him free with that story he tells them. That’s Big Daddy’s way of saying men of our age understand that violence is part of the world, as is murder and death.” 

Although FX has not announced a second-season renewal, Spellman remains optimistic about the show’s future, particularly because of the response from Black viewers.

“This to me feels like a private party for Black folk right now, and it’s the most fun until the mainstream audience comes,” Spellman said. “I’m not even saying that’ll ruin it, but right now, with the way the songs are being received and the way the communities [are responding], it’s just been f—ing amazing.”

And while “The Drop” follows characters pursuing success in the music business, Spellman insists that its central story is about family and the forces threatening to pull that family apart.

With a potential second season still awaiting the green light, audiences will have to wait to see how much further Spellman gets to explore those themes.

For now, all episodes of “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” are streaming on Hulu.