Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VIII: Sincerely, Adolf” review

This is the 8th mixtape from Buffalo emcee, songwriter & entrepreneur Westside Gunn. At this point, what can be said about the guy now that hasn’t been said already? From running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele, you’d be lying to yourself if you said he & the rest of the Griselda crew haven’t had the culture on lock for the last 5-6 years. Dude’s been laying low throughout a good portion of 2021 so far, but is deciding to finish the Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series in the form of the 2-disc Sincerely, Adolf. The first disc given to us now & the other most likely on Halloween

After the “Murders in Marfield” intro & the “Blessed Times” interlude by AA Rashid, the first actual song “Mariota” with Stove God Cook$ kicks things off with a soulful beat & them saying you ain’t gotta worry whereas “Vogue Cover” is somewhat similar instrumentally except the 2 are talking about birds going fast. Mach-Hommy tags along for the jazzy “Margiela Split Toes” to spit that fly shit referencing the longest reigning 4-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, former 2-time ECW World Television Champion, the shortest-reigning NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, the inaugural MLW World Heavyweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, XPW World Heavyweight Champion & WCW Hardcore Champion Shane Douglas alongside WWE Hall of Famers & former WWE Tag Team Champions The Brain Busters just before the dusty boom bap cut “Draymond” with Rome Streetz & Stove God includes a bar referring to the current 2-time WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as well as WWE Hall of Famer, the 2nd longest reigning WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion Bob Backlund whose first reign began after Vince McMahon Sr. had him defeat WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & CWA World Heavyweight Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham.

Meanwhile on “Peri Peri”, we have West & Rome sticking around to jump on top of some keys & dusty drums to talk their shit leading into the Jadakiss-assisted “Right Now” working in another jazzy beat to get on their pyrex shit. “Westheimer” by Boldy James alongside Sauce Walka & Stove God Cook$ find the trio hopping on top of an old time loop saying they had no choice but to commit murder, but then West & Lil Wayne come together for the grimy “Bash Money” to brag about their riches with Weezy making a great lucha libre line popularized by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) owned by the Lutteroth family & it’s rival promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) owned by Peña–Roldán family.

The song “Claire’s Back” starts off with a boom bap joint & the FLYGOD referencing former 5-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Tag Team Champion, アイアンマンヘビーメタル級王座 & XPW King of the Deathmatch Champion The Sandman until going into rock territory for Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher to spit that mafioso shit. The penultimate track “Spoonz” finds Hall ‘N Nash going back & forth with a meditative Conductor Williams instrumental, but then “716 Mile” reenlists Boldy for a wavy closer getting in their gangsta rap bag.

Although I like what I’m hearing from Hitler 8 so far, I think I’m gonna enjoy it more in context with Disc 2 when it drops a couple months from now. He didn’t have to put a feature on every single cut on here even though they all killed it, but I can definitely commend West for coming correct as much as the guests do & not rushing it like he did FLYGOD is an Awesome God II.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE?” review

Westside Gunn is a 38 year old MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York who broke out in 2016 with his near-perfect debut album FLYGOD. He would go on to take over the culture with his brother Conway the Machine & their cousin Benny the Butcher as all 3 of them have consistently dropped a slew of high quality releases both solo-wise & as a trio over the past 5 years. However, Westside has stated on numerous occasions that he’ll quit making music after 2020 & has released 2 albums since the year started: Pray for Paris & FLYGOD is an Awesome God II. But with Hitler Wears Hermes VIII set to drop at the end of the month, Westside is delivering his highly anticipated Shady Records album.

After the “Sunshine” intro, the first song “The Butcher & the Blade” with Benny & Conway named after the AEW tag team finds the trio talking about God having them winning over a boom bap beat from Daringer & Beat Butcha with some rapid keyboard arpeggios referencing former 4-time WCW World Television Champion as well as 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion William Regal whereas the next track “Ishkabibble’s” with Black Thought sees the 2 talking about pushing over an eerie instrumental.

“All Praises” sounds like a leftover from Boldy James’ The Price of Tea in China down to the Alchemist beat as Westside Gunn only handles the hook while the track “Big Basha’s” talks about there being blood & brains everywhere over a somber boom bap instrumental. The song “Liz Loves Luger” with Armani Caesar finds the 2 talking about wanting loyalty from their partners over a luscious beat while the track “Ocean Prime” with Busta Rhymes & Slick Rick sees the 3 talking about chopping dudes into pieces later referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever; 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker over a forlorn instrumental.

The song “Lessie” talks about how they’re still getting paid over a wavy beat while the track “Frank Murphy” with Elcamino, Estee Nack, Flee Lord, Smoke DZA & Stove God Cook$ is an epic East Coast posse cut with a wailing instrumental. “Good Night” hooks back up with Slick Rick to get in their storytelling bag over a beat with some ominous keys & then the closer “98 Sabers” is a vicious showcasing of the Griselda roster & the Just Blaze instrumental fits perfectly, but I wonder why Boldy James isn’t on here.

Not a bad album, but it could’ve been better in my personal opinion. It’s pretty much a slightly better version of FLYGOD is an Awesome God II as there are a lot of features & a couple of questionable production choices on here. Here’s to hoping Hitler 8 will be much better.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is an Awesome God II” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Buffalo emcee/entrepreneur Westside Gunn. Breaking out in 2016 with his near-perfect debut album FLYGOD, he would go on to take over the hip hop scene with his brother Conway the Machine & their cousin Benny the Butcher as they’ve consistently dropped a slew of high quality releases both solo-wise & as a trio. However, Westside has stated on numerous occasions that 2020 will be his final year rapping & kicked it off just this spring with Pray for Paris. But with the 1 year anniversary of FLYGOD is an Awesome God approaching this weekend, Westside is celebrating with a sequel preluding his Shady Records debut Who Made the Sunshine? set to drop next month.

After the “Praise God” intro, the first song “Michael Irvin” finds Westside talking about how no one’s flyer than him referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a jazzy beat whereas the next track “Jose Canseco” with Stove God Cook$ sees the 2 talking charismatically boasting including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Curt Hennig over a soulful instrumental from STREETRUNNER. I was surprised to see the loosie “1 More Hit” appearing on here, but I’m glad it did & the new Stove God Cook$ verse added on is a nice touch to it as well.

After the first “Sadhu Interlude”, the song “Lil Cease” with Griselda Records’ newest signee Armani Caesar finds the 2 rightfully proclaiming their thrones as King & Queen of Buffalo over a creepy boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. After the “Fuck the Police” skit, the song “Buffs vs. Wires” with Benny the Butcher & Boldy James of course gets on the drug dealer tip over a classy ass loop from Daringer.

Then after the “Mr. Maino” skit, we’re treated to a remix of another old WSG loosie “Bubba Chuck” with Stove God Cook$ being added on once again & I actually like this a lot more than the “1 More Hit” remix that I discussed earlier. Including the bar about WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior. After the final “Sadhu Interlude”, the song “Drive By Love” is a gangsta sex tune over a savory Chuck Inglish instrumental.

The penultimate track “Rebirth” namedrops both WWE Hall of Famers & former 3-time WWE tag team champions The Road Warriors alongside former CZW World Jr. Heavyweight Champion, PWG World Champion, record-setting 3-time ROH World Champion, ROH World Television Champion, the longest reigning NXT Champion, the inaugural NXT North American Champion & NXT Tag Team Champion Adam Cole on top of the peaceful instrumental. The album then finishes with “Steve Behr”, where Westside enlists Rome Streetz to talk about pushing coke over a hypnotic sample.

It’s not as good as Pray for Paris, but I still think this is a solid album regardless. In contrast to the predecessor seeing Westside Gunn experimenting & trying new things, he pretty much takes it back to the basement on here. Beyond excited to see where he takes things on Who Made the Sunshine?.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “Pray for Paris” review

Westside Gunn is an MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York that made his mark on hip hop in 2016 with his debut album FLYGOD. This has been continued with a handful of mixtapes, his 2018 sophomore album Supreme Blientele, inking a management deal with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation & his own label Griselda Records even signing a distribution deal with Shady Records. In 2019, we saw Westside drop his 3rd album FLYGOD is an Awesome God in the summer & then the 7th installment of his infamous Hitler Wears Hermes series 4 months later. However to kick off his final year of making music allegedly, he’s coming through with his 4th full-length album.

After the $4M + Tax” intro, we get into the first song “No Vacancy”. Where the FLYGOD of course talks about pushing & slamming muhfuckas on their necks like the longest-reigning WWE Champion, former 3-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino over a blissful DJ Muggs instrumental. The next track “George Bondo” with Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher sees the 3 talking about going from selling dog food to being successful & impacting the culture like former WCW senior VP, Monday Night RAW GM, TNA Executive Producer & WCW Hardcore Champion Eric Bischoff over a grimy Daringer/Beat Butcha instrumental while the song “327” with Joey Bada$$ & Tyler, The Creator sees the 3 flexing over a mellow boom bap beat.

The track “French Toast” with Wale sees the 2 talking about crushing their competition over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat & while the song “Euro Step” may have my least favorite instrumental on the album, I do like how Westside pays tribute to everyone he knows who’re still slanging yay. The track “Allah Sent Me” with Conway & Benny sees the 3 trading bars back & forth with each other like it’s nothing over a menacing Daringer beat while the song “$500 Ounces” with Freddie Gibbs & Roc Marciano sees the 3 getting mafioso over a jazzy Alchemist beat.

The track “Versace” talks about how he’s never going back to being broke over a harmonious vocal sample while the song “Clairborne Kick” with Boldy James sees the 2 talking about their dealing days & I really love the atmosphere that Uncle Al provides them with as well as nod to current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s finisher. The track “Shawn vs. Flair” shows off his wordplay over a flawless boom bap beat from none other than DJ Premier while the song “Party with Pop Smoke” finds Westside bragging & Keisha Plum closing it out with some beautiful poetry over a colorful Tyler, The Creator instrumental. The album then finishes with “Le Djobila”, where we get a very short verse & some really awesome tap-dancing over a soulful beat

If this really is Westside’s final year rapping because everyone has said it at some point, then what a way to kick it off. He sounds as passionate as ever, the big name features all come together fantastically & the production is easily some of the best that the man has EVER gotten his hands on.

Score: 4/5

Griselda – “W.W.C.D. (What Would Chinegun Do?)” review

Griselda is a hardcore hip hop trio from Buffalo, New York consisting of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher. All 3 of whom have made names for themselves throughout the latter half of this decade with modern East Coast classics like FLYGOD, Supreme Blientele, Reject 2, G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time), Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Now despite all those projects being put out independently under Griselda Records, the trio have seen fit to team up with Shady Records & make their collective debut album their inaugural release on a major label.

After the spoken word intro from Raekwon, the first song “Chef Dreds” finds all 3 members trading bars back & forth with each other over a chilling boom bap beat from Daringer & Beat Butcha (both of whom produced the entire album by themselves). The track “Moselle” serves as the theme song for crack dealers over a frightening instrumental while the song “Cruiser Weight Coke” references current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts over an organ-inflicted beat.

The track “Freddie Hotspot” talks about drug dealing tip over a haunting instrumental while the song “DR. BIRDS” sees the 3 flexing over a grimy beat. “The Old Groove” then talks about life in Buffalo over a ghostly instrumental while the track “Scotties” continues to display their amazing chemistry over a demented beat. After the “Kennedy” interlude, the song “City on the Map” with 50 Cent pays tribute to NY over a cold blooded instrumental & in a way it’s like 50 passing the torch down to Griselda.

“May Store” makes reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin over an ominous instrumental & then after the “Lowery” outro, there’s the bonus track where Westside Gunn & Benny add verses to the decent “Bang” single that Conway dropped with Eminem over the summer.

For a major label debut, this is damn near perfect & easily one of my Top 5 releases of 2019. Other than wishing that both Conway & Marshall recorded new verses for the “Bang” remix, I really admire how Griselda didn’t change up their lyricism or production trying to appeal to a crowd that doesn’t exist & just stayed being themselves.

Score: 4.5/5

Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VII” review

This is the latest mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee & entrepreneur Westside Gunn, who first rose to stardom in 2016 with his debut album FLYGOD. This has been continued with a handful of mixtapes, his 2018 sophomore album Supreme Blientele & his own label Griselda Records even signing a distribution deal with Shady Records. Westside has a history of releasing new installments of his Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series on Halloween & despite being delayed a day, this is the 4th year in a row of that.

The opener “FCKNXTWK” finds Westside providing a very brief verse as DJ Drama’s pretty much talking all over some harmonious vocals in the back while the next song “Broadway Joes” is a self proclamation as the King of New York over a rugged beat. The track “Size 42” gets cutthroat over an eerie Daringer beat while the song “Connie’s Son” brags over a soulful beat.

The track “Banana Yacht” with Estee Nack finds the 2 flexing over a grand instrumental & while I like how menacing “GONDEK” is, it’s way too short. The track “Kelly’s Korner” with Fat Joe sees the 2 getting bloodthirsty over a jazzy beat from Statik Selektah while the DJ Green Lantern produced “Undertaker vs. Goldberg” named after WWE’s 2nd annual Super Showdown’s main event gets on the classic Hall ‘N Nash vibe.

The track “Whoopy” talks about wanting to be with this woman over a laidback instrumental while the Animoss produced “Love U” is a better continuation of the previous cut. The track “Kool G” is an epic Griselda cut where Westside, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher use the same rhyme scheme throughout with this raw Alchemist/Daringer beat while the song “It’s Possible” with Boldy James & Jay Worthy sees the 3 talking about making it out of the hood over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “Lucha Bros.” with Benny the Butcher & Curren$y named after the current HOG World Tag Team Champions & AAA Mundial Parejas Campeons The Lucha Brothers who’re also former Tag Team Champions in PWG & TNA Wrestling sees the 3 getting rowdy over a vintage Alchemist beat boasting that current AAA Mega Campeon as well as former PWG World Champion, KO-D無差別級王座, DDTエクストリーム王座, KO-Dタッグ王座, KO-D6人タッグ王座, IWGPヘビー級王座, IWGPインターコンチネンタル王座, IWGPジュニアヘビー級王座, IWGPジュニアタッグ王座, the inaugural IWGP USヘビー級王座, NEVER無差別級6人タッグ王座 & the only gaijin to win the G1クライマックス Kenny Omega whipped an extra brick while the song “Westside Gunn Day” goes at Westside’s competition over a symphonic boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. And before a spoken word outro from Keisha Plum, the final song “Kesington Pool” pays tribute to NY over a decent boom bap beat.

This is a lot better than FLYGOD is an Awesome God that came out earlier this year. Westside goes back to his roots more on this one in comparison to taking more risks on his last album. The beats are punchier & the pen game continues to flourish.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is an Awesome God” review

Westside Gunn is an MC from Buffalo, New York who’s been making noise with his label Griselda Records since 2016 with the release of his debut album FLYGOD. They eventually signed a distribution deal with Shady Records in 2017 but now that their major label debut is finally on the way as well as a little over a year after dropping his incredible sophomore album Supreme Blientele, Westside is preparing us for it with his 3rd full-length album & the sequel to the one that got him where he is today.

The album starts off with “Jul 27th”, which is mostly a spoken word piece from Raekwon over some synthesizers. The next song “Sensational Sherri” with Benny the Butcher sees the 2 about living what he raps homaging former WWE Women’s Champion & WWE Hall of Famer Sherri Martel over a sinister beat from none other than The Alchemist while the track “Bautista” named after the 6-time WWE world champion & 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion Dave Bautista gets confrontational over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat. The song “Lunchin’” gets mafioso over a luscious beat & while the song “Ferragamo Funeral” gets murderous over a soulful beat, it’s way too short. The song “1,000 Shot Mac” with Conway the Machine, Hologram & Meyhem Lauren sees the 2 talking about hustling over a classy sample & while I do like the chilled out beat on “Birkin”, Westside’s delivery does nothing for me.

The song “Pete Sake” has little to no Westside Gunn appearance at all, but Conway & Benny make it work as they deliver a raw prelude to their upcoming collab album referencing WWE Hall of Famer & inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. The track “Amherst Station 3” is a somber conclusion to the titular trilogy while the Evidence-produced “Dance Floor Love” is a soulful love tune that works better than I had expected. The penultimate track “Gunnlib” while brief makes me hope that Westside & Madlib do a whole album together in the future because their chemistry on here is flawless & then the album finishes off with “Lakers vs. Rockets”, where the FLYGOD brags over a gritty rap rock beat. However, the Sauce Walka feature is kinda vapid.

While I personally prefer the original FLYGOD, this sequel is definitely worth checking out. A few joints could’ve been stretched out a bit longer & a couple features I could’ve done without, but Westside’s vivid street bars remain & grimy production most definitely remain intact throughout it’s 32 minute runtime.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VI” review

Westside Gunn is a 36 year old rapper from Buffalo, New York who started with his brother Conway the Machine in the early 2000’s. However it wouldn’t be until this decade that the 2 would see success, eventually forming their own label Griselda Records & signed with Eminem’s Interscope Records imprint Shady Records. They’ve continued to put out a number of modern classics since, including Conway’s G.O.A.T. (Grimiest Of All-Time) & even Westside’s latest album Supreme Blientele. But now to celebrate Halloween, Westside has delivering the 6th installment of his infamous Hitler Wears Hermes series.

After the “Black Hitler” intro, the first song “GiGi” sees Westside Gunn linking up with Benny the Butcher to vividly talk about drug the dealing game over an orchestral Alchemist instrumental. The track “Versace Will Never Be the Same” continues the themes of “GiGi” over an eerie boom bap beat from Daringer & while the song “Niagara Cafe” gets boastful over a soulful instrumental, it’s way too short. The track “Ready Made” talks about how he’s already been successful over a punchy Marco Polo instrumental. As for Keisha Plum’s poetry at the end, it’s just as insightful as always. The track “SLY (Slide Wit It)” talks about capping someone over a settle yet alluring beat while the “Big Luther Freestyle” with Benny sees the 2 returning to the drug dealer life over a clever Luther Vandross sample.

The track “Niggas in Puerto Rico” has some clever beat switches from The Alchemist throughout & while I do enjoy Westside Gunn’s verse as well as Benny’s, Flee Lord to me personally comes off as a Dollar Tree version of Westside Gunn. After the “Chyno Nyno Speaks” interlude, the song “Amherst Station 2” serves as a fantastically soulful sequel to one of my favorite cuts off of Supreme Blientele. The track “My First Drako” with Nick Grant sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a luscious boom bap beat while the song “Evidence Joint” is essentially Westside advising his competition not to fuck with him over a dreamy yet punchy instrumental from Evidence. The closer “John Bena” named after 16-time WWE world champion John Cena gets murderous over a dark instrumental from none other than DJ Muggs, but the Lil Eto verse at the start is kinda boring to me.

It’s obviously not superior to Supreme Blientele or even the last 2 installments of the Hitler Wears Hermes series, this was still a solid tape. Westside Gunn’s street tales are as intriguing as ever, but some of these songs could’ve been more fully fleshed out. Also, some of the production could’ve been better & the same goes to a couple of the features as well. But still if you’re a big fan of Griselda, you’re gonna enjoy a good chunk of what’s being presented on here.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “Supreme Blientele” review

Just a couple months after his FLYGOD is Good…All the Time EP, Buffalo MC Westside Gunn is delivering his highly anticipated sophomore album. After a spoken word intro from WWE Hall of Famer & 7-time tag team champion Arn Anderson, we go into the first song “GOD$ Don’t Bleed”. Here, the FLYGOD hooks up with Benny the Butcher & Jadakiss get confrontational towards their competition over a haunting soul sample from Daringer. The next track “Dean Malenko” named after the former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級王座, ECW World Television Champion, ECW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion is about drug dealing over a boom bap beat with some beautiful piano chords while the song “Brutus” is a bloody Griselda Records posse cut over an epic Pete Rock instrumental named after former WWE Tag Team Champion Brutus Beefcake. The track “Amherst Station” vividly tells the story of the hustler life over a soulful beat while the song “RVD” named after the former 2-time WWE champion, ECW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, the 4-time & final WWE Hardcore Champion, TNA World Champion & TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam gets braggadocious over a boom bap beat with some somber keys. I also like the spoken word passage from Keisha Plum during the second half.

Then we get into my favorite song on the album “Elizabeth” named after the late WWE/WCW manager Ms. Elizabeth where he talks about his street knowledge over a jazzy Alchemist beat. Then it transitions into “Mean Gene” perfectly, where he spits his signature “flyshit” paying homage to WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund over a soulful beat. However, the next 2 tracks “Stefflon Don & “Sabu” are easily the weakest on the entire album. Even if the latter is named after former 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, FTW Champion, ECW World Television Champion, 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, IWGPジュニアヘビー級王座 & the longest reigning XPW World Heavyweight Champion Sabu. They’re not bad, but they definitely sounded unfinished to me. If he added another verse on both tracks, that would’ve been perfect. The song “Brossface Brippler” with Benny & Busta Rhymes sees the 3 getting murderous over an eerie soul sample from Alchemist that fits the vibe perfectly while the track “Spanish Jesus” with Crimeapple sees the 2 returning to the drug dealer themes over a rap rock beat from Harry Fraud.

“The Steiners” with eLZhi is filled with battle bars named after the 10-time WWE Tag Team Champions, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions & 2-time IWGPタッグ王座 The Steiner Brothers Rick & Scott over a joyous boom bap beat from Pete Rock & then “Ric Martiel” with Roc Marciano go back to the drug dealer days over a soulful Roc beat. The track “WESTSIDE” gets braggadocious once again over a sinister Statik Selektah beat & before a spoken word outro from A.A. Rashid, it ends with the epic “WrestleMania 20”. Here, Westside tells us that he’s not playing games over a 9th Wonder instrumental with a prominent acoustic guitar & a smooth Anderson .Paak hook.

As expected, this is Westside’s best work yet. There are a couple tracks that could’ve been fully fleshed out but other than that, the hardcore boom bap production & Westside’s signature street bars is a lot more refined than it was on his 2016 debut FLYGOD

Score: 4.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is Good…All the Time” review

Up until this point, it seems that Hall ‘N Nash member & Shady Records signee Westside Gunn has been having a quiet 2018. However, he is finally coming out of the dark with his 3rd EP & he has enlisted Mr. Green to produce it in it’s entirety. After the Kool Herc intro, we then go into the first song “Part Deux”. Here, the FLYGOD gets reminiscent on his past & how far he’s come since then over a piano & an alluring soul sample. The track “Stash House” flaunts about the shit he’s bought from being in the drug game over a grimy boom bap beat while the song “Trash Bag” gets confrontational over a funky bass-line with the drums in the background popping like his famous gunshot adlibs. The penultimate track “8 Seconds” charismatically touches down on his success & pretty much says “fuck you” to those who didn’t have his back in the past over a gloomy instrumental. The EP then finishes off with “Brazy”, where he talks about being on his bullshit & basically tells you that he’s God over a dreary beat.

Overall, this was just as great as I expected it to be Westside Gunn’s grim street bars are vivid yet charismatic as always & they suit Mr. Green’s raw production just as well as I thought they would. I believe the Griselda camp is one of the illest out right now & despite this being released under Nature Sounds, it is no exception

Score: 4.5/5