Malcolm Spellman & Glasses Malone Talk ‘The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,’ The Importance of Authenticity & What to Expect in the Season Finale
Categoria: Musica
We talked with showrunner Malcolm Spellman and consultant Glasses Malone about how they were able to pull off a rare TV spin-off that works.
Por Billboard | 27/10/2026
Spin-offs of popular television shows rarely work, but The Drop: A Snowfall Saga is an exception. The eight-episode series picks up about four years after its predecessor left off, but now instead of following the crew as they navigate the ’80s crack epidemic, we follow them as they try to conquer the rap game during the early days of the genre’s commercial viability. The story follows Wanda (played by Gail Bean) after her and Leon (played by Isaiah John) get back from Ghana. She’s cleaned herself up after being addicted to crack and is working on fixing her reputation by legitimizing herself as a record executive during the early ’90s. But what makes The Drop impressive is that it’s also a family drama, and highlights the nuances of L.A. gang culture. During a specific scene, the audience sees Artillery (played by Simmie “Buddy” Sims III) holing up in a Crip ‘hood after bring chased by the cops — something consultant Glasses Malone commended showrunner Malcolm Spellman for being able to pull off on screen. “Spellman understands that a Blood could be in a house with Crips, like when Artillery’s grandparents live in a Crip neighborhood,” he tells me over Zoom. “You see him in a house full of Crips, and it’s all love. That situation isn’t this astronomical end of the world thing.” Malcolm Spellman hails from the Bay, but has been in the L.A. area for about 30 years, and is old enough to remember ’90s Southern California — which, of course, influenced his perspective. “Motherf—kers were not around to see what it was like to be a big time D-Boy in 1991; even Glasses is too young to have seen what the f—k it was like,” he says about those days. “I’m old enough that I was hanging out with them dudes. They was motherf—king stars. The D-boys was for real bigger stars than the rappers. Most of America was still not really f—king with hip-hop.” The Drop: A Snowfall Saga will surprise you. It’s more than just a show about L.A.’s rap scene during the early ’90s. It’s also a show with a lot of heart. Check out Billboard ‘s conversation with Spellman and Malone below, before tonight’s (Oct. 27) finale airs. I gotta be honest, The Drop has been better than I expected it to be. You never really know if you’re going to like a spin-off or not. I originally thought it was going to be about Leon and Wanda’s experience in Ghana — so how did we instead get to the story of the record industry during early ’90s L.A.? Malcolm Spellman: So, before I even came on, the original showrunners and FX wanted to do the record industry. I don’t know how much they knew, but it was a perfect mirror — because crack goes off like a bomb right when West Coast rap was emerging. And let me explain something to the people who are misinterpreting what I’m saying about hip-hop coming to the West Coast