In 2019, Westside Gunn releases his third studio album, twelve choices, half-a-hour of listening. Daringer, Madlib and Denny LaFlare offer two beats each, the other rhythms are provided by The Alchemist, JR Swiftz, Motif Alumni, al.divino, Sadhugold, Evidence and DJ Muggs. The guests are Keisha Plum, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Sauce Walka, Raekwon, Westside Pootie, Meyhem Lauren and Hologram.
Blessed by Raekwon, this record is opened by the daughter of Westside Gunn, the Chef delivers hardcore and somber on a dystopian and very somber boom bap founded on guitar riffs and on a deep bass, synthesized bass lines, samples from Symphonic Slam's "Universe", delivery speaking purely mafia. "Sensational Sheri" follows: Alchemist's very dark boom bap, with heavy bass drum in the background and other synthesized guitar riffs, sample from Pete Knutsen's "Machines". Gunn delivers solidly, darkly, waits for the beat and takes his time to face the song; at times flowing, then an interlude of Benny who then enters and takes the scene with a composed flow, solid, fast, smooth, great delivery. The third pick is "Bautista": dirty, dark and heavy rhythm of JR Swiftz and Motif Alumni, sample from "Dungeon Music" by The Rucker Collective, fast, technical, clean and flowing delivery of the Buffalo rapper.
A jazzy production follows with a dark aftertaste of DennyLaFlare, midtempo, tight, glossy, WSG shiny, fast, smooth, dope delivery; the track is among the best on the album, flyish, thanks to a wonderful sample of "Goodbye" by Wojciech Karolak. Madlib gives a soulful boom bap for "Ferragamo Funeral", Westside Gunn drops smoothness bars on this phenomenal beat, that uses a sample of The Mystiques' "So Good to Have You Home Again". The following song is a posse with a soulful, dark production made by Daringer: over a leading tearful sample of The After Hours' "I Don't Wanna Cry", Meyhem opens the games with a good flow, smooth, compact, remarkable. It turns out to be a launch pad for Gunn that arrives and devastates everything by riding the beat perfectly; Hologram continues, beat looped tight but not too much, this last delivery listless, almost off but smoothness, he closes some good bars, then Conway finally grabs the mic before it falls to the ground and kills the song with a precise, powerful flow, dope verse, smooth, incisive, mad, here's at its best.
Denny LaFlare also produces "Birkin": splendid dark, disturbing soulful boom bap, sample from "Revelation" by The Rimshots, good WSG delivery, gloomy, relaxed, he takes his time to scroll on this beat, functional chorus + final skit. "Pete Sake" has a very dark boom bap, sample from "The Macaroni Man" by Jimmy Jules & the Nuclear Soul System looped very tight by Al.divino and Sadhu Gold, Conway opens, great technical delivery, fluid, flowing, fast, then word to Benny who delivers a solid, compact, technical, rapid verse, well executed. Westside exempt from this track. The ninth choice is among the best of the tape, thanks to a fantastic boom bap jazzy with a dark background, sample from Soul Surplus' "Track 4" ("Port Rich Vol. 3") relaxed production provided by JR Swiftz, a relaxed delivery by Gunn that adapts perfectly to the beat and delivers a single verse. Evidence makes a sublime soulful-jazzy boom bap, R&B vibes, soul sample looped and left to breathe, the rapper flows fast, dope, unique verse and rare "romantic" song — the definition is, yes, generous — of Westside Gunn, that ruins the whole track with one of his dirtiest, most vicious and worst lyrics ever. The rhythm is a masterpiece, with a dope sample from "I've Been in Love" by The Smith Connection.
As an evil wizard as he's, Madlib creates something absolutely timeless in the following track, genius. Boom bap soulful jazzy, very sick, brilliant, madly absurd, "it's art", there are vibes that breathe J Dilla clearly, R&B sample accelerated from "You May Not Love Me" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes looped tight enough to create a classic, Westside starts and goes away with two fast verses, light, smoothness and a more demanding chorus than its verses, short bridge at the beginning and at the end of the hook where Madlib lets the beat run freely for a second and a half. Last track to another top producer, DJ Muggs: heavy, dark, dystopian rhythm, sample from the Polish rock band Budka Suflera "Noc Nad Norwidem", guitar licks and bass lines stretched in the background, Gunn heavy and weighted delivery, broken flow, hard-core, Sauce announces himself and enters delivery an extra verse, dark, intense flow, very heavy, great effort.
Westside Gunn found a project in his hand that was so strong that it could easily be presented as studio album, despite embodying the characteristics of a short mixtape or a long EP: but in the last two cases, it'd have been really too strong for the rest of the game, for the poor general average. As a mixtape/EP, he can't afford to get to the level of the two previous studio albums, but it honestly looks good.
Highlights: "Ferragamo Funeral", "Thousand Shot Mac", "Amherst Station 3", the beat of "Dance Floor Love", "Gunnlib".
Rating: 8/10.
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