Born as a common, typical EP. Four tracks, eleven minutes. But what would that have been, huh? Westside Gunn diligently lengthens it with two remixes and six instrumental versions. The production is realized by French hip-hop beatmaker Mil Beats aka Mil, [there are] no guest.
The extended play is opened by "Fly Shit", a very dark, almost disturbing, pressing boom bap, increasingly bleak with the passing of the seconds, then enters Westside and forces you to enter this mood. A heavy, jazzy midtempo boom bap starts, sample from Bo Hansson's "Excursion With Complications", well done by Mil Beats; the Buffalo rapper doesn't even rap, he doesn't need to, this song it's a classic yet; another bleak shiver towards the end, but it's a flash. "Brains Flew By" presents a dark jazzy rhythm with another sample from Bo Hansson ("Leaving Shire") on which WSG delivers smooth and slow, functional hook but the track is solid.
The third pick has an excellent dark jazzy beat, sample from "Walking Zero" by Sneaker Pimps, Westside delivers slow and without too many excesses. "Brains Flew By" is back: spectacular rhythm in a re-release of the track just listened to, with a brilliantly vintage beat thanks to a sample of Rubba's "Way Star", you probably recognize it because it's the same one used by the genius Madlib in "Thuggin" with Freddie Gibbs. Excellent WSG delivery. Another remix, vintage soulful boom bap, also amazing here with a sample from "Season's Trees" by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi featuring Norah Jones, great delivery at pace of Flygod in one of the best tracks of this EP. Technically, "No Face Dealer" closes: few words from DJ Djaz (the only featuring of the entire project, a sort of event since Westside Gunn managed to emerge within the game), instrumental jazzy synthesized with a nice scratches job of Mil Beatz, sample from "The Fusion - Joining" by Jason Havelock.
The EP is over, right? Wrong. Don't sleep on the instruments. Not here. Among the first three, I don't recommend only "Brains Flew By" which I don't find completely successful. "No Face Dealer" is average Griselda, excellent rhythm, but not at the level of the finest production. While the instrumental versions of the remixes, "Brains Flew By (1964 Version)" & "Don't Trust A Soul (7th Avenue Version)", are incredible, absolute must-listens.
Highlights: "Brains Flew By (1964 Version)", "Don't Trust a Soul (7th Avenue Version)" and both these instrumentals.
Rating: 6.5/10.
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