‘The Drop’ Episode 3: Lamar’s Music Hits the Radio, But Was He Betrayed By Wanda?

Episode 3 of The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, “Family Matters,” is all about what happens when dreams run headfirst into family expectations — and, in Artillery’s case, the LAPD.  Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 1 Episode 3 “Family Matters” of The Drop: A Snowfall Saga.

After dropping a song about a cop who was killed, Artillery (Simi Sims III) is now firmly on the police radar. He has already been beaten by two cops and lost a demo in the process, but that hasn’t exactly convinced him to keep a low profile. We find him back on a Compton street corner, slinging drugs while singing, when the cops roll up again. Artillery runs and manages to lose them, but he is officially a wanted man.

Meanwhile, label exec Jenny Favarella (Isidora Goreshter) is having her own fight at Macroscope Records. She pitches Artillery to the label executives, who remain unconvinced of rap music as an investment. “Grunge is the future,” they argue, while Darryl “DG” Grant (Brandon Mychal Smith) pushes back: “Hip hop is bigger than Black folks.”

That divide between the artists and the executives is central to the battle at Macroscope. While the label remains unconvinced that rap has a future, Wanda (Gail Bean) and Lamar (Asante Blackk) see where the music is headed and understand that its reach can extend far beyond South Central Los Angeles. Talking to TV Insider, Gail Bean and Asante Blackk explained why Wanda and Lamar recognize rap’s staying power before the executives do.

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“I would say we’re having cultural exploitation and cultural explosion, and it’s merging. And Wanda and Lamar know that this has staying power, and I think the people at these companies don’t understand that it has staying power. They feel that it’s going to just be some quick fly-by-night,” Bean explains.  “And also, what I think Lamar knows is, one, he’s a genius. There can’t be another him. There is only one Lamar.”

“Oh yeah, absolutely. Lamar is somebody who is so outside of the scope of what everybody else sees him as,” Blackk agrees. “I mean, he’s taking references from Afrika Bambaataa to Sun Ra to, like we talk about in the show, Miriam Makeba. These are people that aren’t necessarily what the kids in his neighborhood grew up listening to, but because of his family, because of his older brother, because of his grandparents, and even because of Wanda, he’s been exposed to just a different side of culture and wants to be able to transmute that into something that is just better for himself, better for his family.”

“Artistically in the ’90s, I think people did not expect Black art to translate across genders, across races,” Bean added. “So we’re also in a time where, as a visionary, Wanda knows, and Lamar is taking samples from all different genres of music, all different producers, all different beats, and being able to creatively express his version of life in South Central Los Angeles.”

“And I think both of them know that this is something that everybody can resonate with, no matter where they’re from, and it does have longevity,” she continued. “And I think the music execs, they’re just looking at it as a quick cash-now cash cow. And we know, we don’t know how it’s gonna get out, but we know once it’s out, once people hear it, there’s no going back.”

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The executives also make it clear they are worried about protecting the legacy of Jenny’s father, Mario Favarella. They ultimately says no, but Jenny isn’t giving up. She wants Artillery and his masters, and she’ll handle the rest. DG makes it clear that Wanda needs to make sure her people deliver.

That is becoming increasingly difficult.

Lamar is already in the studio with his friend Andy (Zaire Adama), working against a deadline without Artillery. Lamar plays Wanda music that is practically radio-ready. The problem is Lamar’s parents want absolutely no part of his music career. They want him playing for the church, not chasing a record deal.

Things get worse when Officer Antonio Garret (Todd Anthony) visits “Big Daddy” Casey (Mykelti Williamson) and tells him Lamar is working with Artillery, who the police are actively looking for. Big Daddy begs Garret not to tell his wife.

He has another problem at home. James Kinsey (Peyton Alex Smith) reveals that Wanda got Lamar a record deal and that Lamar signed the contract anyway. Big Daddy is furious, while Girdy still hasn’t gotten over what music did to James’ mother. As far as the family is concerned, Wanda isn’t protecting the boys by encouraging Lamar. She is putting him on a path they already know can end badly.

At Macroscope’s hastily moved-up photo shoot, everything starts falling apart. Artillery doesn’t show, Lamar wants Jenny to hear his new music, and Wanda is desperately trying to keep DG under control.

Jenny finally unloads on Wanda. “You f**ked it,” she tells her, but she also recognizes they are in the same boat. “When you are under it and a woman, you hit the day like it’s f**king war.” Jenny is still trying to build something while living under her father’s shadow, and she needs Wanda on the same side. Right now, their lifeline is “Ryda,” the single Lamar has finished mixing.

Except Lamar doesn’t want to give it up.

He thinks his new song is better, and he doesn’t understand the point of making music if he doesn’t get to decide what people hear. Wanda gives him the hard truth: She needs the “Ryda” mix or the dream dies.

Eventually, DG demands the reels, and Lamar hands them over.

Elsewhere, Big Daddy’s focus on Lamar creates another family problem. At the laundry, he tells James he is removing him from the business so he can concentrate on Lamar. James is furious. He has put two years into the business, only to be pushed aside. “He ain’t your daughter, and he ain’t dead,” James tells him.

Big Daddy insists James doesn’t understand sacrifice and says Lamar has an opportunity that he never had.

Lamar, meanwhile, is determined to find Artillery. With Wanda and Dara, he tracks him down to a Crip neighborhood, dangerous enemy territory for Artillery. Lamar begs Artillery to put a verse on his new song, but Artillery has much bigger problems. He is on the run and doesn’t give a damn about Lamar’s deadline.

When one of Artillery’s people hits Lamar, James arrives and knocks the guy out. Then the police raid the place, and Lamar and James are both arrested.

Vance (Eric Balfour) gets them out, and Leon Simmons (Isiah John) brings them home, where Big Daddy has a surprising response. Instead of tearing into James, he admits James did well. Big Daddy says it was unfair to shut him out and promises that when he retires, James deserves the business. But right now, it has to be about both James and Lamar.

Big Daddy also tells Lamar he is a lot like his mother, though Lamar doesn’t know exactly what that means.

And despite all the chaos, Lamar’s music is getting somewhere. Artillery finally listens to his new song and starts writing lyrics. Wanda and Lamar jam to Andy’s version, and Lamar begs her to let Jenny hear it before she chooses the single.

But it is too late. “Ryda” has already gone to radio.

Lamar realizes Wanda told DG where the masters were hidden. For Wanda, it was about keeping the deal alive. For Lamar, it is a betrayal. Furious, he gets out of the car and leaves Wanda behind, walking off into the street as his dream finally starts moving forward, just not on his terms.

Lamar wants more time to perfect the music and have a say in what gets released, but Wanda sees a bigger picture. Speaking to TV Insider, Gail Bean explained why Wanda did what she did.

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“I don’t think it’s necessarily a choice between getting Lamar’s career off the ground and Wanda’s vision. I do think it’s all still in one. Wanda believes she’s doing the right thing. She believes that this will help get Lamar’s career off the ground,” said Gail Bean to TV Insider. “So sometimes people feel, ‘Look, you don’t know. I know better than you.’ So Wanda is just stepping into the big cousin role and trying to protect Lamar from himself. So she does something to kind of push the music forward instead of him being a perfectionist and obsessing over having it right.”

“Because so many times, I mean, with art, we’re always our own worst critic. It got to be right. I can’t put it out like this. It has to be perfect. And Wanda is like, ‘It’s already perfect,'” explained Bean. “It’s already — first off, I have an advanced ear, and I think it’s perfect. So imagine what the audience is gonna hear. And once you look at, or even when I’m editing, once you look at something too long or listen to something too long, you miss some things. Or when you stare at something, you’re like, okay, I need to take a break. And so this is one of those moments where it works, where it’s like, take a beat. Trust the process. Trust.”

The Drop, Tuesdays, 9/8c, FX and Hulu