Delaware Rap Legend Grand G Talks Viral Fame, Project X, Hip-Hop History & Redemption

For decades, Oya “Grand G” Gilbert has quietly helped shape Hip-Hop culture from Delaware to New York. Now, the East Side Wilmington veteran is bringing that legacy to the forefront with his upcoming Hip-Hope Ball, a celebration designed to honor pioneers, inspire young artists and also promote healing through music. Big Daddy Kane headlines the 2026 affair with announced guests like Freeway. But this conversation is not about other rappers or even the glamorous, beneficent affair. This is about Grand G, the talented MC from Wilmington, DE, who ventured out into the world. But, the story gets far deeper and more personal than ever imagined. (Below is an edited version of the full Q&A with Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur. For the full convo, watch the video on AllHipHopTV.)

AllHipHop: Grand G, welcome. People might not recognize the name right away, but they definitely know the music. Delaware’s East Side legend is in the building.

Grand G: Appreciate that. East Side Wilmington all day. I’m just glad to be here.

AllHipHop: Let’s start with the viral moment. We saw Miss Jade dancing to a record, and it turned out to be Delaware music. What’s going on?

Grand G: The song behind the viral #EmaticChallenge is from our 1989 album Project X: Armed and Dangerous. Everybody jumped in—Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, politicians, mayors. It just went crazy. I didn’t even know at first. Somebody DM’d me like, “Yo, your song is blowing up.” I had to check it myself.

View this post on Instagram

AllHipHop: How did that record even happen?

Grand G: Shout-out to executive producer Troy Husser. We made Project X:Armed And Dangerous, a compilation album with Delaware and Philly artists.

One Philly artist named Todd-One worked in a record store on Market Street. We brought in my single “Got to Get Funky.” He liked it and asked to collaborate. We helped him with his project, and he gave us a song for Project X. That became “Give Them Something Radical.”

Sadly, Todd-One passed away from HIV complications before seeing any of this.

But now, decades later, his song is touching millions. That’s powerful.

Saving a Lost Hip-Hop Classic

AllHipHop: Your name is on the digital release now. How did that happen?

Grand G: Collectors found Project X vinyl selling worldwide for hundreds of dollars. So I tried to recover the masters—but they were lost in the analog-to-digital transition. I found a clean vinyl copy, digitized it, got the publishing right, and put it online. I didn’t want our history lost. Hip-hop deserves preservation.

From Homeless Teen to Hip-Hop Pioneer

AllHipHop: Let’s rewind. What was life like before Project X?

Grand G: Late in high school, I was homeless. Washing up in school bathrooms. Sleeping wherever I could. Then Troy took me in. Bought equipment with me. Gave me space to create. Hip-Hop saved my life.

Project X was supposed to be my solo album, but we turned it into a compilation. We recorded at Power Play Studios in Queens. I learned engineering from Ivan “Doc” Rodriguez, who worked on classic records. We hustled selling tapes from car trunks, Penn Relays (in Philadelphia), anywhere people would listen. That’s how we built momentum.

Running With Hip-Hop Legends

AllHipHop: You mentioned spending time around some legends early in your career. Who were you around in those New York years?

Grand G: I was blessed to be around a lot of the greats. I spent time around Gang Starr—Chris and Keith—and got to watch their process up close. I hung around DJ Premier at D&D Studios and learned how production was really done.

Back then, you could actually sit in the studio and watch legends work. You saw how serious they were about their craft.

---

AllHipHop: What did you learn just by being in those rooms?

Grand G: Professionalism.

I learned that Hip-Hop isn’t just rhyming. It’s discipline, preparation and respect for the craft. Watching guys like Premier program drums, arrange samples and tweak mixes taught me patience.

That’s something young artists don’t always see today.

AllHipHop: You were also around during the New Music Seminar era in the early 90s. What was that like?

Grand G: The New Music Seminar was like Hip-Hop college. Everybody was there—artists, DJs, executives.

You could walk into the hotel lobby and see future legends just talking, networking and building. I remember being there during tensions between Ice Cube and the Lench Mob crew. Moments like that showed you how serious the business side could be. But mostly, it was about learning and connecting.

AllHipHop: You also mentioned a memorable Queen Latifah party.

Grand G: Yeah, I went to a birthday party for Queen Latifah. Atlantic Records invited me because I was being considered for a deal at the time. I remember LL Cool J and my friend Zeke hanging together like they’d known each other forever. It was surreal—seeing people you admired just being regular people.

That era felt like family.

AllHipHop: Any unforgettable battle moments?

Grand G: One of the wildest lines I ever heard was at a battle between Treach and a female MC named L.A. Star. The room exploded. Back then, battle rap was serious. You had to have bars, breath control, delivery. It was about skill, not gimmicks.

AllHipHop: What was the biggest lesson from those early experiences?

Grand G: Respect the culture.

Those artists rehearsed. They studied. They honored the pioneers before them. Nobody walked in thinking they were bigger than Hip-Hop.

That’s something we need to bring back.

AllHipHop: Final thought about that era?

Grand G: It was magic. Hip-Hop was competitive, creative and respectful all at once. Everybody wanted to be great—but they respected the culture that made them. If we bring that mindset back, Hip-Hop’s future will be strong.

AllHipHop: Delaware is full of talent. Why haven’t we had a huge rap superstar?

Grand G: Support. Cities like Houston and Atlanta blew up because they supported their artists first. Delaware sometimes has a crab-in-a-barrel mentality. Somebody has to go first—and everybody has to support them. We have industry people like Young Guru, AllHipHop, and more. We just need unity.

Grand G: I’ve seen talented Delaware artists killed before they could shine. That’s heartbreaking.

And young artists sometimes don’t listen to elders. Hip-hop is one of the few genres that forgets its pioneers.

But there’s hope. Some young artists are asking questions and learning.

AllHipHop: Who inspired Grand G?

Grand G: Kane, KRS-One, Chill Rob G, Poor Righteous Teachers, Steady B, Tuff Crew, Three Times Dope. Back then, every artist had their own lane. Today, everything sounds similar. But lyricism still matter,