Die-hard followers of Griselda know what to anticipate after they hit play on any album executive-produced by the imprint’s abbot, Westside Gunn: tight manufacturing curation, nice options, glorious sequencing, and—as of late—scene-stealing performances by Range God Cooks. Nevertheless, one factor they often haven’t been capable of count on is the sudden.
This isn’t to discredit the Flygod, nor touch upon his development or development as an artist. As a curator, his tasks have acted as springboards for abilities like Estee Nack, Rome Streetz, and producers like Conductor Williams—to not point out visible artists like Isaac Pelayo. But, even whereas diversifying and enjoying along with his general sound on tasks main as much as his newest LP, And Then You Pray For Me, he’s primarily remained inside a specific sonic wheelhouse.
Pray For Paris—the precursor for this challenge—was his most inviting launch so far, a straightforward entry level for brand new listeners. Within the months main as much as And Then You Pray For Me, we noticed Gunn touring the world, dwelling his finest life (for an incredible recap, take heed to Westside Pootie’s interlude on the finish of “JD Wrist”). By all accounts, primarily based on the snippets, we have been in for one thing particular.
His extremely anticipated new launch, which sits at a comparatively hefty 21 tracks, did ship many issues we anticipated, like an AA Rashid intro, an interlude from his daughter berating our wealth, a poem from the always-dope Keisha Plum, hell, even a wrestling pattern. As an incredible nod again to PFP, Cartier A. Williams seems once more with a faucet dancing interlude produced by Mr. Inexperienced (a producer we haven’t seen Gunn work with in years).
However he additionally delivered one thing else: lure beats. Like, numerous them. The place 10’s “Flygod JR” noticed him metaphorically dipping his toes in a brand new path, this LP sees him take a swan dive and swim throughout the lake. With manufacturing dealt with by the likes of “Sicko Mode” producer Tay Keith and little-known producer Miguel da Plug (who dealt with a number of too many tracks), amongst others, Gunn spends greater than half the album on what might really feel like a blindsiding aspect quest for longtime followers.
This, in fact, isn’t one thing he didn’t foresee ruffling feathers; in a clip shared through Instagram, he predicted blow-back from core followers.
“You’re going to have the core underground followers that solely take heed to growth bap who hate as a result of they’re going to say, ‘This nigga modified,’” he famous.
The ensuing experimentation is a combined bag that depends on the listener’s skill to waft. A number of the dangers, in fact, repay greater than others. The Tay Keith/Griselda collaboration, “Kostas” (that includes Benny and Conway), is the perfect of the bunch and admittedly an LP standout. Conway, specifically, who was nonetheless below anesthesia post-surgery for his fractured proper tibia and dislocated kneecap, went loopy along with his prolonged verse.
Different winners embrace “Mr Every thing,” which sees him commerce bars with Jeezy, and the Miguel da Plug-produced “Extremely GriZelda, that includes a standout visitor verse from Denzel Curry.
Nonetheless, for these on the fence, songs just like the sonically generic “LL BOOL GUNN,” which sees WSG adapting his bars and aesthetic to a extra formulaic move, might not change minds. When you evaluate this to his EST GEE collaboration “Steve and Jony,” produced by Tay Keith & Deats, he sounds extra relaxed.
However for the true ones, the benevolent Flygod sticks to the tried and true for the opposite half of the LP’s tracks and delivers some unimaginable joints. “Mamas PrimeTime” kicks the album off with a bang, with enormous visitor verses from JID and Conway that don’t disappoint. Then there’s the soulful “Kitchen Lights,” produced by DJ Benoit, which is beautiful—the audio equal of angel tears. Arguably one of many most interesting Range God verses in his catalog, as he shines his coke-rap crown with strains like, “You talkin’ to a nigga that counted a half 1,000,000 money/With cocaine below his fingernails.”
Elsewhere, Gunn eats the jazzy “Flygod 2x,” a beat that match him like a glove. Additionally, unsurprisingly, all the pieces Conductor Williams touches is great. “The Revenge of Flips Leg” with Rome Streetz might be the higher of the producer’s two contributions.
“Home of GLORY” is one other shiny gem, with Gunn and Stovie sliding over probably the perfect RZA beat we’ve heard in over a decade and a few change.
It does really feel like Gunn melded two juxtaposed tasks collectively. One offering elite-level materials polished with the well-defined Griselda aesthetic he’s spent his profession rigorously defining. The opposite traverses a sound that he has but to grasp to the identical diploma.
Conversely, there’s something admirable about leaning into it somewhat than going small. And as his “huge ass bracelet” suggests, going huge is in his DNA. In Gunn’s phrases, the album is for him; he’s evolving, exploring and making the music he looks like making within the second, which isn’t a fake pas. If something, retaining artists contained in packing containers and chastising them for exploring exterior of it’s a “you downside” for the viewers.
Nonetheless, there’s one other meta verse the place this challenge might have been cut up into two distinct components–going all in with what labored finest production-wise and diversifying the credit to assist make this dominant model break as palatable as doable. Finally, amid very excessive highs, it heavy-handedly embraces a sound that his most religious followers typically flip to Griselda to keep away from. Whether or not the preliminary shell shock wears off for these listeners stays to be seen.
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