In the last 10-15 years, the state of Culture has suffered many blows risking to compromise its roots. Its authentic and genuine spirit, that revolutionized the worlds of music, art and pop culture all over the globe, left, step by step, a wide space . Rather than some cases, the mainstream musical offer was flattening itself over the same sounds and models being just able to attract masses and to generate big numbers, but the Culture was losing its principles. Despite this, in the last few years we are assisting to a true artistic “Renaissance” of this genre, that is balancing the majors power.
Certainly, one of the most important leaders of this “revolution” is Westside Gunn, the Griselda Records patron.
The Hip-Hop Holy Scriptures of Griselda Records
The “FlyGod” Westside Gunn, along with the brother Conway The Machine, their cousin Benny The Butcher and Daringer, is revolutionizing the Hip-Hop industry
Together, as Griselda Records, they have restored the Hip-Hop Culture essence, bringing it back to a mainstream attention and already deserving the status of legends. We prepared for you a deep dive into Griselda’s catalogue across all their top works.
Together, as Griselda Records, they have restored the Hip-Hop Culture essence, bringing it back to a mainstream attention and already deserving the status of legends. We prepared for you a deep dive into Griselda’s catalogue across all their top works.
Intro
The Hip-Hop “takeover” to the music industry
The origins
Westside Gunn, the Griselda Rec. mastermind
Westside Gunn, the Griselda Rec. Mastermind
Born in 1982, Alvin Lamar Worthy, a.k.a Westside Gunn, since a kid had a great passion for the Hip-Hop culture, getting inspired by the legends as the Wu Tang Clan, Kool G Rap or the N.W.A, also nurturing a strong passion for wrestling, fashion and a glamour lifestyle.
However, growing up between the violent and rough streets of the Eastside of Buffalo (NY) and Atlanta (GE), he developed a great talent as ‘’hustler’’, making money from several legal/illegal businesses. One of them i the Street Entertainment Gang (S.E. gang) collective’s manager. The group, based in Buffalo, was originally composed by his brother Conway The Machine and his cousin Machine Gun Black (Benny the Butcher’s older brother killed in 2006). Some others Westside Gunn’s legal activities were situated in the West side of his hometown Buffalo, whom his art name belongs to.
In the 2012, W$G comes back home after serving a sentence in a federal penitentiary, focused on his legal businesses, his family affairs and to not get back behind the bars. But, unfortunately, another tragedy strikes the S.E. collective and Westside Gunn: his brother Conway gets shot to his head and neck by several shots, semi paralyzing his face. Now, with his brother seriously injured, Machine Gun Black dead and Benny The Butcher in jail, Westside Gunn has to run the S.E. gang by himself
Chapter 1
The Myth's origins
Hitler Wears Hermes 1 (2012)
In the 2012, trying to revive the fortunes of his street crew, the S.E. gang, Westside Gunn packs the first episode of his mixtape series Hitler Wears Hermes, already proving his visionary intuition. In facts, always inspired by the provocative imaginary of the Street Art, He used as cover a portrait of Hitler calling the mixtape Hitler Wears Hermes, flipping the famous movie’s title “The Devil Wears Prada”. Then, disappointed by the New York rappers that are adapting their sound to mainstream influences coming from the South, W$G picks some less known instrumentals of The Alchemist and Harry Fraud, with a vintage East Coast flavour. With his scratchy voice He raps some streets and prisons detailed tales, mixing them with fashion brands names and expensive cars. Westside Gunn, already in this first HWH episode, keeps referring and tributing some rhymes to Donald “Sly” Green, a well-known gangster from Buffalo who took under his wing in the federal prison the younger W$G.
That was a significant experience for the Buffalo rapper that learned from Sly a lot of useful things about businesses, also forming his charismatic personality. Westside Gunn will keep to tribute, verses and songs to his mentor, in his future works. HWH 1 , distributed hand-to-hand in Buffalo, became viral in the local scene of the New York’s upstate cold city.
Streets or prison, they both got plenty rats in ’em
If fly was a crime I’d be in maximum
Let me out for an hour, I might stab a nigga
Playing chess with other bosses
Made a few moves, realizing that they novice, yoWestside Gunn-Mess Hall Talk/HWH 1
Westside Gunn & Sly Green – “Don Diva” Magazine
Chapter 2
The advent of Westside Gunn
Hitler Wears Hermes 2 / Hitler Wears Hermes 3 (2014, 2015)
Westside Gunn, from the first HWH’s chapter, begins to mature a brighter and 360° vision of his music and the Hip-Hop culture idea: a concept that comprehends either music, art, fashion and streetlife. Indeed, He starts his fashion brand, the Griselda x Fashion Rebels, bringing his imaginary: a flashy mix of narcos stories, Hip-Hop, Street Art and wrestling.
Then with the same approach and artistic perspective he created from a branch of his fashion brand the homonym record label, the Griselda Records.
From the 2nd chapter of his controversial saga, Hitler Wears Hermes 2 (2014) , Westside Gunn gave a stronger identity to his formula, recruiting from the Buffalo’s Hip-Hop underground scene, the dj and producer Daringer. The beatmaker, in fact, produces some tailor-made beats for W$G that perfectly match his voice, flow and raw imaginary thanks to grimey samples and obsessive loops. Daringer becomes officially the Griselda home producer. When the majority of the Hip-Hop landscape is looking to “trappy” sounds, Westside Gunn bets on a vintage and dirty kind of. The unorthodox artistic vision of the Griselda Records CEO does not finish here: He involves in his projects Keisha Plum, a Buffalo’s native poetess, that will feed almost all the W$G projects with her poetic raw and evocative verses.
So after publishing Hitler Wears Hermes 2 and Hitler Wears Hermes 3 (2015), Westside Gunn’s name begins to buzz in the N.Y.’s underground scene and he receives the attention of Sean Price, the first name of a long list of Hip-Hop legends that will cosign the Buffalo Mc.
AYO I’m tryin’ to pull it off for my city lord,
Machine Gun tatted on my titty lord,
spray the AK like is graffiti lordWestside Gunn “Raisen Bagel”/HWH 3
Chapter 3
Conway, "The Devil’s Reject"
Conway the Machine - Reject 2 (2015)
Between 2014 and 2015, Conway The Machine took up the microphone again, after a long rehab time, due to the wounds and Bell’s palsy caused by the gun shots that, in the 2012, caught him at the neck and at the head, while he was leaving an Atlanta club on a friend’s vehicle. Surviving was a real miracle and he came back to rap, becoming one of the best spitters of the game.
However before the shooting, Conway was considered one of the better rap prospects from Buffalo, thanks to his career in the freestyle battles and to his mixtape (under the name of Cannon Conway). His fame was confined to the local scene, tough. Westside Gunn’s brother, from same father and a different mother, Conway grows up in poverty in the cold streets of the NY upstate town, spending a difficult life between crimes and prisons.
The incredible talent that he disposed, indeed, has always constituted his exit ticket from the ghetto. The shooting was about to close prematurely his promising career, but Conway The Machine, at the registry office Desmond Price, showed an uncommon grind and He rose up again and publishes Reject 2 tape (2015), with Griselda Records. The menacing voice and lyrics of Conway, along with a phenomenal flow, perfectly fit the grimey beats provided by Daringer. So, he dives the listener to the dark stories about his violent life transmitting all his anger and his desire of revenge. This is a raw album that shows the great talent of Conway. Now the Westside Gunn’s label has another powerful gun on his hands.
When they don’t name me top five I feel slighted
Niggas be talking but when I’m around they real quiet
You can pray to Jesus all you want
You still dying, motherfucker
Conway The Machine-RexRyan/ Reject 2
Chapter 4
The beginning of the Griselda Records cult
Hall’n’Nash EP / Griselda Ghost (2015)
Once Westside Gunn identified the winning formula, he began to start to deliver project after project at a very fast pace without any effort neither compromising the quality of his products. With his brother Conway The Machine, under the wrestling duo name Hall’n’Nash, they publish two sensational EPs, Hall’n’Nash and Griselda Ghost (this one entirely produced by the underground beat maker Big Ghost Ltd.)
The Griselda duo exchanges punchlines between each other, as two boxers on the ring, bringing to the memory the best Wu tang’s years Ghost and Rae and showing their technical and lyrical skills. The extraordinary ability of Westside Gunn and Conway in painting raw and vivid pictures with their rhymes, gives, to these two less known pearls of their catalogue, the feeling of watching some mafia movies in an audio format.
The newborn label started to develop a sort of a cult aura. W$G thanks to his intuition has succeeded in intercepting some niches of devoted fans, including some golden era nostalgic ones, gangsta rap and wrestling lovers.
The plug daughter callin’ me La Machina
Shot him in the hall, blew his brains on the BasquiatWestside Gunn + Conway The Machine- Brains on the Basquiat/Griselda Ghost
Chapter 5
FLYGOD, the Kings will be crowned
Flygod LP (2016)
Once Conway’s career has been relaunched, Westside Gunn can focus on his debut album release, the one which will finally mark his definitive maturation. Indeed, the FLYGOD LP is the summa of Westside Gunn’s genial artistic vision setting the basis of the raise of the Mc from Buffalo and of his label, the Griselda Records. This album attracted the attention of the american underground scene enlarging the devoted fan base, also spreading the Flygod word around the world too. The fanciful artist and businessman interprets his music as a painter would do with his canvas or as a fashion designer with his models.
Westside Gunn, in fact, paints with originality flashes of his colorful imagination or he cuts extravagant rips from the tissue of his works, using, for example, 24 news reports or vintage 90’s wrestling clips and obsessive gun adlibs. The FLYGOD LP is acclaimed by the most careful critics and by a lot of hip-hop heads. W$G thanks to his charisma and the respect gained in the Hip-Hop scene, reunites for his album some of the best producers as The Alchemist, Statik Selektah, Apollo Brown, beside the usual Daringer, and illustrious MCs as Roc Marciano, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, Meyhem Lauren, DJ Qbert among others. The aesthetic and the distinct personality of Westside Gunn are condensed in this contemporary classic album, where his author takes care of all the artistic process in detail ( from the artwork to the tracklist). Difficult to summarize with words, the Westside Gunn’s music is developed with a freestyle jazz approach. With rapid acoustic brushstrokes He mixes street life references, cult street artists and fashion designer with expensive cars. Be careful, tough, to not confuse Westside Gunn with other of his colleagues that fakely claim this kind of life: He wants to let us know that he is really living it. Indeed, the self-proclaimed “Flygod” owns an outstanding collection of luxury cars and a real art gallery inside his big house in Atlanta’s suburbs.
Gucci been dead since Tom Ford left
Still smell the blood on Gianni’s doorsteps
I hope they fade away
On my third gold bottle to take the pain away
Sell coke for a Cavalli coat
Residue on the black Pusha T’s for steppin’ on the dope
No Malice said pray for me
I got some little niggas that’ll come spray him for me…Westside Gunn-Vivian Art Basel / Flygod
Chapter 6
Griselda Records, the underground’s leaders
Roses Are Red... So Is Blood / There's God and There's FLYGOD, Praise Both / Don’t get scared Now (2016)
At this point, Westside Gunn has understood that is genial plan was working. Indeed, He succeeded in creating a cult about the Griselda Records. Thanks to his brilliant marketing strategies He conquered a faithful niche willing to spend even considerable sums for his works, collecting them as art works. Also graffiti and murals of the Griselda Records artists spread around the States and all over the World. W$G added to his collective’s roster two others little known rappers of the underground scene, with an unconventional and unorthodox style: the haitian Mach-Hommy and the Atlanta’s rapper God Fahim. But after few years, they both split up from Griselda because of some disagreements with its founder.
So, how a pusher with his trusted clientele, Westside Gunn keeps feeding his fans with a non-stop amount of Griselda Records projects and collaborations with some underground producers. He delivers some hidden gems as Roses Are Red… So Is Blood (with The Purist), There’s God and There’s FLYGOD, Praise Both and a Griselda’s Ep, Don’t get scared Now. Westside Gunn’s increasingly success is inspiring and opening doors to many others underground MCs to follow his successful formula.
Ay, yo! Jeremy Scott, Moschino apron
Used to do 100 up’s,
100 dips on a yard baking
We spent the max of commissary,
Sly coming home in Neveruary
He washed my hands, I washed his,
you talking, you’ll get buried
Valentino velour suits in the mess hall,
sucka think he prettier than me,
cut his neck offWestside Gunn – Perfect Flex
Roses are Red… So is Blood
Chapter 7
W$G and the Griselda Records formula of success
Hitler Wears Hermes 4 / Hitler Wears Hermes 5 (2016)
After the FLYGOD debut album, everything created by Westside Gunn, Griselda Records and the Griselda Fashion brand has such marked identity that all their physicals products (as vinyls, cd) and clothing merchandising sold out in few hours.
In a digital era, It is also a great economic success for the Buffalo entrepreneur given to a dedicated marketing policy of limited editions and a total art executive production. While the first projects were initially free downloadable, as samples of the Westside Gunn’s artistic vision, now the physicals are resold at crazy prices. In this period of time W$G never stopped to produce extremely cured and dope projects as the follow-ups of his controversial saga: Hitler Wears Hermes 4 and 5. In these two episodes there are some of the best tracks of the collective as “The Cow”, with a touching verse from Conway The Machine, “Nitro” with Benny The Butcher or “Down State” with THE LOX’s Styles P alongside West and Benny. Moreover the Griselda’s show at the NYC Webster Hall was a fundamental moment for the movement and the whole Culture where many Hip-Hop legends came to tribute their respect to the shining Griselda Records.
Ask my baby momma how much I cried
when Machine Gun died
When I pulled up and seen
that yellow tape outside
Had me ready to grab the stick
and go apes outside
I never found out who did it
that shit ate my pride,
I swear But maybe that was a sign
Maybe God ain’t want me
killing them niggas and doing time
Maybe God wanted me here
to kill ’em with the rhyme
Maybe that was part of his plan
and part of the design
I don’t know I’m not religious
All I know is I’m viciously giftedConway The Machine-The Cow (HWH4)
Chapter 8
Griselda on Steroids: the Shady Records deal
Hitler On Steroids / Reject On Steroids / More Steroids / Butcher on Steroids ( 2017 )
The growing success of Griselda Records has driven its CEO, Westside Gunn, to seek a managerial support to expand the audience and to promote the crew’s tour. Westside Gunn, indeed, has a strong ability to weave business relationship so he tightened the ties both with the Eminem’s label, the Shady Rec., and the Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. However He had a well-designed plan for his team and he did not want to rush signing the deal as he preferred to build brick after brick the foundation of Griselda’s success.
Therefore He and his brother signed with Paul Rosenberg, the manager of Shady, opening new opportunity to the squadron. Westside Gunn decided, also, that was the time to let finally shine Conway and his cousin Benny The Butcher. So the Griselda collective published in few months several hard-hitting mixtapes : DJ Green Lantern : “Hitler On Steroids”, “Reject On Steroids”, “More Steroids” e “Butcher on Steroids” and then destroyed several radio appearances with their freestyle, showing and proving their skills.
Where I’m from nobody drug free,
but the drugs cheap
We sell ‘caine at NFL games,
we sit in club seats
The hate strong, but the love weak
That’s why we buy a lot of guns,
say fuck Donald Trump,
but we love MeechBenny The Butcher – “Spurs 2”
(More Steroids)
Chapter 9
Westside Gunn, the eclectic
WestsideDoom Ep / Riot On Avenue Ep / RawisFlygod Ep / Flygod Is Good... All The Time
Westside Gunn is a flashy street guy, dressing big chains and expensive clothes. He talks and moves with the self-confidence of those who have seen everything. He is this and much more you could expect : a superfine, versatile and anti-conformist mind. For example He is a passionate contemporary art collector owning also some Murakami’s puppets. In the past, his brillant open mind led him to the whitey underground scene of Buffalo becoming aware of kind of rappers as Necro, Non-Phixion or Vast Aire. He also stated that one of his favourite MC is MF DOOM, with whom collaborates in an Ep, entitled WESTSIDEDOOM (2017).
So his musical taste is never banal, as he listens both to the Young Dolphs and the less known underground rappers. His refined ear allows him to perfectly orchestrate his projects, picking also some beats from unknown producers.
Between 2017 and 2018 he collaborated with Mil Beats releasing “Riots on Avenue” Ep and Mr.Green releasing togheter FLYGOD…is good all the time. W$G also published another short banging project called RAW IS FLYGOD with his producer Daringer.
Ayo, I was in my cell, I clicked my heels 3 times
P Just 2s, my khaki suit mastermind
Water whip, tossed the coke in the alkaline
Platinum and gold, rock English hat to the side
Immaculate rhyme (immaculate rhyme)
Westside Gunn -”Gorilla Monsoon”- Westsidedoom (2017)
Chapter 10
Conway, the Griselda Records sharpshooter
Conway The Machine - Hell Still on Earth Ep x Prodigy - GOAT / Blakk Tape (2017-2018)
Westside Gunn, as he revealed, considers himself a businessman and a mogul rather than the best rapper. He prefers to plan the future of the Griselda Records and of his teammates Conway The Machine and Benny the Butcher. Initially, the most powerful weapon in the hands of W$G was his brother Conway: indeed, he always has been a natural talent as he can spit hard bars switching flows, without any effort, and the story of his life definitely deserve a movie. Since his first Griselda’s projects, Conway earned the respect of many legends as Raekwon The Chef, Lloyd Banks and Mobb Deep’s Prodigy (r.i.p), just before he passed away. In fact, the legendary Queensbridge rapper was one of the best supporter of Conway and together they realized, also, a full short project “Hell Still on Earth” (2017). The Conway’s raw verses and sharp flow, supported by the spooky Daringer’s beats, made him win the title of “Grimiest Of All Time”, as he proclamed himself in his tape “G.O.A.T” (2017).
A sinister mood he took up also after few months in the following “Blakk Tape” (2018).
Pour out some liquor for my niggas I lost
Used to think about Doughboy
when I was whipping the salt
Break the sour diesel down
and then I twist the cigar
Niggas almost killed me,
only twisted my jaw
When Prodigy died that shit hurt
My nigga Lord Flee called my phone
going berzerks
And that shit hurt me more
’cause I felt his pain
So we gon’ hold this grimmy
shit down in Prodigy name
Conway The Machine – Pavements
(Blakk Tape)
Chapter 11
Benny The Butcher, the secret weapon of GxFR
Benny The Butcher “My First Brick” / Benny The Butcher x 38.Spesh “Stabbed and Shot” / Benny “A Friend of Ours” / Tana Talk 3 / “Plugs I Met (2016-2019)
Westside Gunn has another devastating weapon in store ( aside of Conway): his cousin Benny The Butcher. Thanks to his extraordinary talent in depicting vivid hood tales, bar after bar, he became one of the best lyricists of the Hip-Hop landscape. Btw if you’d like more informations about Benny’s life and his catalogue check his full story here: Benny, “The Butcher” from Griselda Records. – Art of Bars
Somebody must be praying
cause I ain’t ‘pose to make it
I think about it every time
I see my kids’ faces
My pops wasn’t around
and my momma was free-basin’
I was always on the grind,
in and out of police stations
The legal system love
to see a young nigga fumble
And all my city is,
is just a young nigga jungle
They get it how they live,
I watched them young niggas hustle
Bob and weave like Ali;
“Rumble, young nigga rumble!Benny The Butcher -“ Prayer Hands”
(My First Brick)
Chapter 12
W$G plan to conquer the music industry
Westside Gunn “Supreme Blientele” a.k.a “Chris Benoit” a.k.a “God Is The Greatest” (2018)
In the 2018, the inspiration, the ego and the ambition of Westside Gunn lead him to a turning point i In fact, the underground scene is too tight for the Buffalo’s entrepreneur to aims to taking over the mainstream, without compromising his sound. Despite the Shady Rec. deal, he did not believe that was the right moment to use his power as he first wanted to expand his audience. So, W$G decided to realize his second official album using only his forces for the realization and the promotion.
In fact, while in his tweets He attacked a part of the business ready to snatch his formula; he announced his album using another brilliant marketing idea. one album for 3 titles and 3 covers ( “Supreme Blientele” a.k.a “Chris Benoit” a.k.a “God Is The Greatest”). Once again, He used a controversial theme for one of the album’s title, choosing the name of Chris Benoit, the wrestler who first killed his family and then himself.
As always in Westside Gunn albums, there is no lack of references to the world of art, wrestling and fashion. For one of the covers, He picked an art piece created for the occasion by the californian painter Isaac Pelayo, who depicted Chris Benoit with a third eye; where for the “Supreme Blientele” version (title inspired by the Ghostface Killah’s classic album) W$G wore a rare and expensive mask of Fendi while embracing an automatic rifle.
The Griselda’s mastermind always dedicated a meticulous care to every detail of his powerful second album, even if he has realized it in few days. Aside of the Griselda Records members, the album featured Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Roc Marciano, Elzhi e Anderson Paak among others. Also the producers names featured here are outstanding: The Alchemist, Statik Selektah, 9th Wonder, Sadhu Gold, Roc Marciano and, obviously, Daringer.
Once again, thanks to his unique artistic vision, Westside Gunn demonstrated that he is not a super skilled MC but a genius, when it comes to the realization of some projects. The result is another Westside Gunn album with a “classic” feeling to be added to the Griselda Records catalog.
I guess jealousy prevails
That’s why I keep
my third eye open on the scale
Why the nigga chain so big?
Your neck frail
Used to lay up on the couch,
reading wifey mail
I can tell, the hate
getting stronger and stronger
You used to fuck with me,
now my bread getting longer
Tryna compare me
to the niggas I birthed
They only sell the vinyls,
nigga, check out my worth
Be you, I’d rather
jump off a bridge first
Carry a man? I’d rather
carry my kids first
Westside Gunn – “WESTSIDE”
( Supreme Blientele Lp)
Chapter 13
Conway towards the Shady debut.
Conway the Machine - Everybody Is F.O.O.D series / Look What I Became (2018-2019)
While Westside Gunn is planning the next moves for his Griselda Records teammates, the Shady Records holds the Conway The Machine debut album “God Don’t Make Mistake”, expected to be released in the 2020. Anyway, in the meantime, Conway wants to reap the rewards of a devoted fanbase, feeding them and to building the hype for his Shady debut album. So between the 2018 and 2019, he released four tapes, where he demonstrated all his set of skills: the series in three volumes of “Everybody is F.O.O.D” and “Look What I Became”, aside another project realized with Trillmatic Goods, called “Organized Crime”.
I was just like you nigga, I was hurtin’
Only thing I did differently
was put the work in (I’m on my grind)
I don’t know why you feelin’ so entitled
When I ain’t have no money to eat,
I couldn’t find you (where was you?)
Niggas ain’t real
when they always remind you
You mad ’cause you ask for a favor
and I declined you (that’s wild)
That shit is weak, nigga,
You ain’t dial my number in weeks, nigga
Everybody food,
I gotta eat, nigga (I gotta eat nigga)
When the last time you call
to see if niggas was good, if niggas ate?
That fake love shit I hate,
That kind of shit I can’t relate,
all you do is take
I thought you wanted me to be great
Conway The Machine, Proud Of Me (E.I.F 2 )
Chapter 14
Follow the leader: The New K.O.N.Y. e the Roc Nation management deal
Westside Gunn “Hitler Wears Hermes 6” / “Flygod Is An Awesome God” / “Hitler Wears Hermes 7” 2018-2019)
Thanks, also, to the Benny The Butcher exploit with the phenomenal Tana Talk 3 ane Plugs I Met, the Griselda Records earned new influential supporters and his founder Westside Gunn is now ready to the 2nd phase of his plan.He is focused to takeover the Hip-Hop mainstream, gaining the deserved attention.
In fact, the Buffalo’s squadron gave a new life to a struggling Culture, without compromising their sound. A leader, as W$G is, doesn’t need to follow trends and existing models, but He keeps building something new and original, inspired from the Culture’s foundations. In this way, organically, he took place the handover with the Hip-Hop mastermind par excellence, Jay-Z. This summer the Griselda Records finally signed a management deal with the Hov’s EMPIRE distribution part of Roc Nation.
Everyone else who signed simultaneous deals with two of the most powerful and influential major label of the Hip-Hop industry (the Eminem Shady Records and the Jay Z Roc Nation ) could be satisfied, but the Griselda’s general, Westside Gunn isn’t. In few months, indeed, he released four more projects to launch his collective further: Hitler Wears Hermes 6 (2018), Flygod is an Awesome God (2019) , Hitler Wears Hermes 7 and Fourth Rope ( an anthology of his tracks with wrestling themes).
The unstoppable Buffalo businessman launched also a wrestling merchandising clothes brand, becoming partner of the Master P’s new wrestling company, the H.O.G (House of Glory). Moreover, the Buffalo mayor honors Westside Gunn (who, in the meantime, declared that he is retiring at the end of 2020) dedicating him a “Westside Gunn day”, for the works of benevolence given to the city.
Ayo, street sweepers
hanging out the Corniches (Brr)
Walked on water
way before Jesus (Ah)
Cooked the brick with no stove,
pushed the gold Demon (Skrrt)
Before I tell, kill me twice,
nigga, know the reasons
Right on the tip of my tongue
Ayo, I been locked up
about a hundred seasons (Ah)
Turned two to five,
it was pure genius”
Westsidegunn, Gunnlib
(Flygod is an awesomegod)
Chapter 15
WWCD (What Would Chine Gun Do ?)
The Griselda major debut album, paying homage to the Machine Gun Black’s loss.
The last chapter of this Throw Up Magazine special dedicated to the unbelievable story of the Griselda Records, coincides with the last work of the Buffalo squad, entitled WWCD, released the 29th of November for Shady Records.
This is the first official album of Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher and Daringer with a major label, coming after a long apprenticeship that permitted them to build brick after brick their Hip-Hop legacy. An epic story, where the three Griselda Records members witnessed on their skin the meaning of coming from the bottom, taking some losses along the way, as being imprisoned or loosing in the streets their closest relatives and friends. Finally they overcame all the obstacles and realized their vision.
In fact, WWCD is the first step of their career towards a durable success, bringing a breath of fresh air to the Hip Hop Culture and the hardcore street hip-hop to the mainstream attention. They are following a path created in the 1993 by an other legendary crew: The Wu Tang Clan. This is an album that does not yield to compromises, incarnates the Griselda philosophy to the fullest and it is also an ode to the dead Machine Gun Black, the oldest Benny’s brother and cousin of Westside Gunn and Conway.
WWCD is a raw and violente but and a punch to the trendy mainstream, thanks also to the Daringer and Beat Butcha spooky beats (without using samples!!). Those who are not tuned to the right frequencies may not take “the signal”. Sometimes, in fact, to fully understand Griselda Records works (mainly the W$G ones) you may look to them from different angles, like a paint. You shall listen carefully to references intros and outros of their projects, often entrusted to charismatic figures as Raekwon The Chef or A.A. Rashid.
For these reasons Throw Up Magazine led you into a deep dive through their catalog referring to whom don’t know them or to new joiner that recently tuned to the Griselda Records. Everyone who loves this Culture should respect what they have done for it, giving them their roses now.
Hall N Nash and Benny
like James Worthy,
Kareem, and Magic (Yeah)
Every time Griselda drop,
this shit gon’ be a classic
Conway – Griselda “Dr Birds”
(WWCD Lp)
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