Third studio album by Westside Gunn, rapper from Buffalo, New York. For his first effort of 2020, the artist decides not to release his debut with Shady Records yet and makes another independent record, signed by Griselda Records. The beats are handled by half a dozen different producers, while rapping is provided by several guests, including Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher, Keisha Plum, Boldy James, Joey Badass, Tyler the Creator, Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano.
It opens a skit on an auction, the first track is "No Vacancy", a beautiful light and gloomy jazzy midtempo boom bap with an elegant piano by DJ Muggs, WSG delivers a single verse, splendid choice. It follows "George Bondo", where Beat Butcha and Daringer provide vibrant and uptempo jazzy production, dark, with a vibrant and extravagant piano, Gunn starts slow and then accelerates towards the end, smooth and dope, Conway goes better with his excellent flow, deeply smoothness and fit, then Benny closes this brag-gangsta track without hooks, with final skit. "327" is a great joint, midtempo production of Camouflage Monk, boom bap jazzy light, sample from paradise by Kit Andrée's "Feelings", magic piano, soul chorus of Billie Esco, then Westside delivery launched by his own adlibs, excellent verses by Joey Badass and Tyler that both kill the cut.
The fifth song is one of the weakest of the whole album, despite an excellent boom bap jazzy midtempo realized by Camoflauge Monk, and a good soul bridge by Joyce Wrice: the Buffalo MC is gray in this track, while Wale delivers wacky and syncopated, and his lyrics are the worst in this disk, touching misogyny and a listless and never inspired braggadocio. The middle section proves particularly weak, as the first experimental rhythm of the project also arrives: dirty and skeletal, slightly distorted beat made by the unknown Conductor Williams, sample from "Interstellar Low Ways" by Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra, Gunn quickly delivers a single verse, then he places a Shawn Michael skit. Daringer gives one of his masterpieces for the latest Griselda joint of the record: excellent jazzy midtempo boom bap, let to breathe, sample from Mina's "I Know", but followed by a too sharp hook by Westside Gunn, it's deeply annoying, practically unlistenable. The Buffalo trio swaps mafia lines back and forth in a unique verse, in one of their best tracks, despite a hard chorus to get past even for a Griselda head.
"$500 Ounces" follows: The Alchemist blesses the project with excellent jazzy midtempo production, fantastic rhythm, tight female soul sample in the background, Freddie Gibbs warms up in the background, then starts and rips the track. He's one of the best rappers of the moment, and he proves it with an amazing and brilliant first verse, fluid and technically clean: he's one of the few in the game who can do a mafia verse and a tribute to Kobe at the same time, amazing. Here, he went away and was never reached again. A mafioso verse by Roc Marciano follows, particularly fit to this production, closing Westside Gunn with a short and lethal verse, dope cut. Jay Versace delivers quality jazzy midtempo rhythm for the next track, boom bap with female soul sample from "They Were Overcome (By the Word)" by The Clark Sisters and Mattie Moss Clark looped in the background, ethereal rhythm in what is one of the best tracks on the album. The rapper delivers a technically clean unique verse, and takes his time to deliver, brilliantly maintaining the ethereal vibe of the song, sublime work. Alchemist returns for "Claiborne Kick", impressing, again: the beat is tearful beauty, this guy makes an ethereal, celestial, dark and wonderfully amazing jazzy midtempo boom bap, soulful sample looping in the background, Gunn creates a good contrast synthesizing its hook that looks like a verse, Boldy James immediately adapts to the mood of the song and delivers a fluid and flawless mafia verse, dope; closes Gunn's chorus.
The eleventh choice is a classic, you feel it right away: boom bap that only a Man can do, scratches by Prodigy and Phife Dawg, splendid jazzy midtempo rhythm. Westside Gunn annihilates the cut, great job by DJ Premier: it's MC's fourth and final solo piece, at just two minutes it's also the longest one, over a sample of Marc Wilkinson and Douglas Gamley from the "Main Titles" of "Enigma" (1982) movie soundtrack. Buffalo rapper quickly delivers "Party Wit Pop Smoke", Tyler the Creator's sublime jazzy boom bap, consisting of a slow and light drum and a male soul sample from "Moonlight" by Apple & The Three Oranges looped in the background; the song is closed by Keisha Plum's mafia and disturbing bars, before the outro of Westside Pootie. The album ends with "Le Djoliba": wonderful jazzy rhythm extracted by Bohemia Lynch, soulful sample from "Garden of Prayer" by Max Roach and The J.C. White Singers looped in the background, the artist's only verse, smoothness, dope, then tap dance solo at the end.
Westside Gunn has a high-pitched voice than usual, he uses more adlibs than usual, he sings off-key more than usual. It's not an easy and accessible listening for anyone who isn't accustomed to this rapper. Despite this, the artist is still extraordinary: he's about to retire from the game at the end of 2020, the Griselda sound is wearing out over time and it seems that from one release to the next, the guys can lose their formula as has happened to all the others before them. Instead, Westside Gunn refresh the Griselda sound, proving it's not finished yet, and making a record with few flaws. The production is basically untouchable, the only mistake is caused by Conductor Williams, with a horrible rhythm in "Euro Step": one in thirteen, these top producers never miss a sample, and provide a jazzy soundscape that often sounds similar but never the same, giving a cohesive, consistent and magnificent sound, worthy of Daringer. The rapping is first class, still among the best in the game, no one disappoints and everyone adds something to the project (except Wale): the record doesn't reach the extraordinary level of Westside first two albums, suffering from some rare commercial errors, and keeps its soul on the street while looking up to the mainstream (first Griselda record classified by Billboard, officially; the "WWCD" charts are nowhere to be found), and emerging as one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.
Highlights: "No Vacancy", "George Bondo", "327", "Allah Sent Me", "$500 Ounces", "Versace", "Claiborne Kick", "Shawn vs. Pair", "Le Djoliba".
Rating: 8.3/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment