There are very few artists in the world who’ve produced as much art as Westside Gunn. Though the output slowed down in recent years, there was a time when Griselda fans were really eating out here. Numerous projects per year, including albums, mixtapes, and EPs, stellar guest appearances, and a slew of singles kept the growing fanbase fed. However, in the wake of his recent album, And Then You Pray For Me, he revealed that it would be his final studio album. Of course, this led to the assumption that he was retiring completely.
The rumors picked up instantaneously, leading to dismay among the die-hard Griselda fans who’ve been rallying behind the Buffalo-based collective for over 10 years. Fortunately, Gunn quickly dispelled the rumors surrounding retirement during an interview with Rolling Stone. In fact, he stated that fans could expect even more music now that he isn’t tethered to the idea of traditional studio albums. Still, there’s one particular album that fans hope to see surface, Michelle Records.
If there’s ever an instance where Westside Gunn loses everything to his name, he plans on banking on Michelle Records to lift him out of financial hardships. During our latest cover story with Westside Gunn, he explains that he has the album tucked away with no immediate plans to release it. However, in the vein of Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, the infamous body of work that has yet to be heard by the public, Gunn plans to turn it into an art piece “Whenever I get broke, I’m saying, lookin’ like Franklin [Saint] in the last episode [of Snowfall], I know I can cash in that Michelle Records,” he says.
“I might be sittin’ in the f*ckin’ MoMA with a tuxedo on,” he continues. Start the highest bidder at… let me start it at… we’ll start it at $5 million,” Gunn says. Interestingly enough, Westside Gunn isn’t rapping on the album at all. He teased snippets of the production from the album on social media but he confirmed that he leans into his role as a curator even more so on Michelle Records. “I could play that shit right now,” he adds, revealing that the album is complete. “I was already curating ahead of its time. I’m not on one song, but it already [has] your favorites on it.”
Westside Gunn might not have ever reached the top of the Billboard 200 – nor has any member of Griselda, really – but their impact can not be overstated. Their catalog runs deep with dozens of celebrated albums deemed classics in their own right. However, before Gunn released his final album, And Then You Pray For Me, the Griselda mastermind received his rightful flowers from the culture. On the outro to “Flygod 2x,” a familiar voice emerges and utters high praise for Westside Gunn. “To JAY-Z, to André, to Westside Gunn for makin’ me just wanna rap again,” Tyler, The Creator says in a sample pulled from Instagram Live. “I f**kin’ love it, I love rap, it changed n***as lives.”
Tyler’s never limited his praise for Westside Gunn to an Instagram shout-out. On “Sir Baudelaire,” the intro of the Grammy-award-winning album, Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler used a sample of Conductor Williams’ production from “Michael Irvin” by Westside Gunn. The recognition alone further proved that his influence has reached well beyond the underground. Drake’s recent collaborations with Conductor Williams on “8 AM In Charlotte” and “Stories About My Brother” further showcase Gunn’s unmatched influence on the culture.
Westside Gunn Just Wants To Push The Culture Forward
Image via Prolifickid
Gunn expresses nothing short of gratitude for these moments, where his peers honor the work that he put in. When we spoke to Westside Gunn for the latest HotNewHipHop cover story, he explained that these gestures from Tyler and Drake capture his goal of pushing the culture forward. “To inspire my peers is everything,” he says. “It’s respect, you know what I’m sayin’? I like when someone’s confident enough to give somebody their flowers. Like I said, Tyler don’t have to do that ever again. He already did that. Drake don’t have to do it again, he did it. I’m gonna always respect both of them for doing that.”
During the past few years, Gunn, alongside Benny The Butcher and Conway, have pushed this vintage sound from the depths of the underground onto the highest placements of the Billboard charts. “Tyler doing that is everything because I hope it shows that people don’t have to – you know, so many people just want to be the man, you know what I’m sayin’? And then don’t want to actually give credit where credit’s due. It’s no need for that. We all in this to push the art, and push the culture, and let’s just keep doing that man.”
“Before [I was incarcerated, the sound of hip-hop] was more East Coast grimy,” recalls Westside Gunn, “when I came out, it was leaning towards the trap. That’s when everybody was going South for a little bit.” The transition from the East Coast’s dominance to the South’s reign is vivid for the East Side Buffalo native. When Jeezy’s Trap Or Die and Gangsta Grillz mixtapes punctuated hip-hop’s soundscape, Gunn sat in a cell in Atlanta. “It was the soundtrack of what we were doing,” he describes fondly of the South’s surge.
Those days of hustling embody the same grit that Griselda conveys in their art. And while we’ve heard Conway, Benny The Butcher, and Westside Gunn lean into the rolling hi-hats and pulsating 808s in recent years, the sound of trap music is deeply ingrained in Griselda’s DNA. “At the same time, I was hustlin’ in the A. I was in that time in real-time. That was my life,” he adds. “My route was going back and forth from Atlanta to Buffalo.”
And Then You Pray For Me concretizes this chapter of Westside Gunn’s life, where these routine trips to Atlanta exposed him to a lifestyle that encapsulates the Fly God’s aura. From frequenting clubs to shopping for designer brands that weren’t readily available in Buffalo, it’s no secret that Atlanta captures Fly God’s ethos to some degree — the often bleak descriptions of the streets and his upbringing, juxtaposed with the flamboyance of Atlanta’s dope boy chic.
It’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles, days after the release of Westside Gunn’s latest studio album, And Then You Pray For Me. It’s an album he’s described as his final full-length body of work that also serves as the successor of Pray For Paris. Gunn appears on Zoom, diamonds dancing across his teeth and chest with a jovial spirit that shines as brightly as jewels. After a hearty meal at Los Angeles’ revered Bossa Nova (chicken, fries, rice, and some grilled shrimp, he tells me), Gunn is en route to a quick shopping trip. His tone is relaxed, sounding equally as satisfied with his plate of chicken and shrimp as he is with the reception of his latest album. “It’s super dope that I could make another classic project that don’t sound like none of my other projects,” he states confidently. “I was really just trying to have fun. Just being in a different space in life and living life, but it wasn’t like I was trying to outdo anything. It was really one of those projects.”
Everything about 2020’s Pray For Paris — a masterclass in curation that juxtaposes opulence with Buffalo’s grimy essence — laid the foundation for And Then You Pray For Me. COVID-19 struck a month before Pray For Paris, and Westside Gunn suffered a serious bout with the respiratory illness as the death toll started to rise. Then tragedy struck again with the death of Virgil Abloh. Pray For Paris was birthed after Abloh invited Gunn to the Off-White fashion show at Paris Fashion Week. Similarly, the 2023 Paris Fashion Week planted the seed for AndThen You Pray For Me, down to the cover art, another Virgil Abloh design.
Hip-hop, as a whole, suffered greatly from Virgil’s death. As a visionary, Virgil understood the importance of Griselda back in 2016, the year before they inked a deal with Shady Records, and his bond with Westside Gunn was fortified in the following years as the rapper’s profile grew. Admittedly, the stream of inspiration Gunn captured on Pray For Paris was hard to find after Virgil’s passing. “[Virgil] made me get the passport and everything. You know, I owe a lot to that man,” he says emphatically. “He’s one of the illest architects of all time. The GOAT. I’m just privileged to be able to keep the legacy alive, keep the art alive, and give the world what me and him cooked.”
His worldly travels this year helped rekindle that musical breath of life. And Then You Pray For Me captured Gunn’s energy over the summer — the spur of creativity that allowed him to travel to the UK to record with Giggs or head to Champagne, France, to “build with the builders.” “Fashion week ended on Sunday. On Monday, I was taking a road trip with Kid Super and Mike Amiri out to Champagne, France, to meet Just Don. Like, it was just like fly shit.”
In the same way that songs like “Kitchen Lights” and “Mamas Primetime” intend to bring us into the alleys of East Side Buffalo, a large portion of And Then You Pray For Me describes this summer journey. Visiting the pyramids in Egypt, overseeing the waters of Athens, Greece, while eating Wagyu steak. “A lot of [this album] will go over people’s heads because they have never been to London, they’ve never been to Athens, Greece, they have never been to Paris. So a lot of this sh*t might sound like I’m talkin’ sh*t, but if you’ve been there before, then I’m speaking your language,” he says.
Westside Gunn’s Obligation
Image via Prolifickid
The Griselda fanbase is far from monolithic these days. Still, the expectation for a 10+ song body of work with songs that lean closer to “Flygod 2X” rather than “Kostas” is evident. Many of these fans followed the ascent of Griselda for over a decade, others discovered Gunn’s nasally flow on Kanye’s Donda or, most recently, Travis Scott’s Utopia. “I can be their favorite rapper at 12 years old, but then you got OG that just came home from doing 15 years [in prison],” he says, “he’s 50 years old, like, ‘Yo, bruh, man, I miss this sound. I thought the sound changed, but y’all brought it back. I’ve been listening to bullsh*t on the radio for 15 years. This is what I miss.’”
As a hip-hop historian, the sonic palette of the 90s has been well-explored with the voices of a number of pioneers (Slick Rick, AZ, etc.) echoing through his catalog. “I done gave the boom-bap community a decade straight of their language,” he states.
That’s why And You Pray For Me stands out in Westside Gunn’s catalog. Although previous collaborators, such as DJ Drama, appear on the record, along with the usual cast of Griselda mainstays, Westside Gunn felt an obligation to ensure that the fans he’s procured in recent years — both old and young — have a comprehensive understanding of what’s shaped him and hip-hop at large. Much of it stems from his own personal tastes. Take Drama, for instance. Gunn recalls tuning into the Grammy-award-winning Gangsta Grillz maestro through the radio on Saturday nights when he was locked up in Atlanta. You could imagine he feels a sense of vindication when Drama’s voice emerges on songs like “Suicide In Selfridges.”
As such, exploring the textures and frequencies of trap music on his latest project felt necessary not solely in paying homage to artists like Jeezy and Rick Ross but integrating what they’ve done with the voices of the new generation, such as J.I.D., Denzel Curry, EST Gee, and Peezy. “It’s my responsibility, now, man, to keep doing exactly what I’ve been doing,” he adds.
It’s a pledge he took for the culture, an unofficial oath to push it forward and preserve the legacies of those whose roles in the culture have been celebrated to various degrees. “The youngins, we just got to educate them and show them the history, teach them the history. People scared to learn. Ain’t that sad?” he asks rhetorically after emphasizing the importance of Jeezy rapping the way he does on “Mr. Everything” alongside DJ Swamp Izzo.
Even beyond his lyrical aptitude and the ability to stand next to everyone, from Rick Ross to MF DOOM comfortably, Westside Gunn’s ear transformed him into a cultural pillar. He admits that he skims through roughly 1,000 beats to find the perfect selection for each project, whether for his own catalog or the artists he works with, like Estee Nack. “Just imagine starting with a blank canvas and actually have production cater to that artist 12 to 15 times to bring the best out of them,” he says. That’s exactly what soundtracked his summer travels — finding the right beats for his latest album. However, he admits he’d often press play on Young Nudy’s Gumbo during his off-time.
“My whole goal was to turn it around… bring this sound and this style to the mainstream,” he says of the signature Griselda production style. The influence is discernable, especially considering the number of Billboard chart-toppers who’ve sought a similar sound in recent releases. The ultimate goal is to ensure that he can shed light on the talent that surrounds him. For example, Gunn reflects on working with Jay Versace on Pray For Paris. Fast forward a few years, and Versace contributed his production to R&B’s brightest talents, like SZA and Summer Walker.
Gunn’s approach to introducing talent to the world has ushered in a new 90s renaissance of sorts. Drake, for instance, tapped Griselda’s in-house producer, Conductor Williams, for two songs on his latest album, “8 AM In Charlotte,” and “Stories About My Brother,” which appears on For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition. Then, there’s Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, The Creator, an artist who has openly credited Westside Gunn for revitalizing his passion for rapping. “Sir Baudelaire,” off of the Grammy award-winning album, contains an uncredited sample of Westside Gunn’s “Michael Irvin,” produced by Williams.
“To inspire my peers is everything,” he states calmly. “It’s respect, you know what I’m sayin’? I like when someone’s confident enough to give somebody their flowers. Like I said, Tyler don’t have to do that ever again. He already did that. Drake don’t have to do it again, he did it. I’m gonna always respect both of them for doing that.”
Westside Gunn’s Plans For Michelle Records
Image via Prolifickid
Gunn makes it clear that everything he accomplished was done on his own terms. “I earned my respect. There wasn’t nothing given to me in this shit,” he states. As an avid wrestling fan, Westside Gunn parallels this chapter of his life to Roman Reign’s WWE career. He reflects on Roman Reign’s journey from The Shield, alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, to overcoming hardships and eventually, becoming a leader of his own team.
“When’s the last time Roman lost?” he asks. The similarities are uncanny — The Shield could be compared to the original Griselda trifecta, alongside Benny and Conway. Gunn faced personal adversities when he lost his cousin, Machine Gunn Blakk in 2006, and then in 2020, close Griselda affiliate DJ Shay passed away. “Roman Reign came back stronger than ever. Like, he hasn’t lost since,” he says.
Gunn’s comfortable with his position right now and looking forward to another unrelenting run. However, it’s a moment that he feels should’ve come three years ago. The roll-out for Pray For Paris was hindered by a bout with COVID-19 in the midst of the devastating death counts. Without the ability to touch the people and travel, the album wasn’t able to reach its maximum potential on a commercial scale. Vowing to deliver even more music at higher quality, he’s alleviated himself from the pressures of producing high-quality bodies of work for himself now that he’s released his final album. However, there is one particular album stashed away: Michelle Records. “That’s my baby that’s tucked under,” he says. An album that we may never hear unless — as Westside Gunn describes it — he mirrors Damson Idris in the tragic final scene of the Snowfall series finale.
“Whenever I get broke, I’m saying, lookin’ like Franklin in the last episode, I know I can cash in that Michelle Records. I might be sittin’ in the f*ckin’ MOMA with a tuxedo on. Start the highest bidder at… let me start it at,” he thinks, “we’ll start it at $5 million.” It’s a plan inspired by Wu-Tang Clan’s infamous one-of-one seventh studio album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, that made the rounds between the hands of incarcerated pharma bro Martin Shkreli and the FBI. “I might do that for the art of it.”
Michelle Records, an album shrouded with mystery ever since he began teasing beat snippets of it on Instagram, already has songs fully recorded. “I could play that shit right now,” he adds, revealing that he’s not even rapping on the album. “I was already curating ahead of its time. I’m not on one song, but it already [has] your favorites on it.”
It’s Still Buffalo To The World
The next chapter of Gunn’s career will continue to carve out and magnify his legacy. His children, of course, will inherit his legacy, carving their own artistic avenues (future fashion icons and hip-hop connoisseurs, no doubt). Four out of his five kids already have credits on the album. More music remains in the pipeline, too in the form of singles and EPs, along with more movies and visual content that centers around Buffalo. Then, there’s the next chapter of Griselda. As the original trio, Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher — establish themselves as forces, Gunn is putting his golden touch on a number of projects, including Jay Worthy’s, that he describes as influenced heavily by the early 90s West Coast sounds. Before jumping on the Zoom call, he was on the phone with Benny The Butcher, who was filming a video with Stove God Cooks, to discuss plans for his Def Jam debut.
From building Griselda from a clothing line to one of the most respected labels in the game, Westside Gunn has kept Buffalo at the forefront of his plans. “It’s still East Side Buffalo, don’t let the bougie sh*t fool you,” he asserts. His efforts have earned him the honor of having a Westside Gunn Day in the city. Next, he plans on opening another art gallery in Buffalo inspired, in part, inspired by Nipsey Hussle. The art space will be located on the corner of Kensington Ave and Bailey Ave in East Side Buffalo, an intersection he describes as Buffalo’s equivalent to Crenshaw and Slauson in Los Angeles. It’ll be a cultural hot spot that will only open four days out of the month but will focus on bringing the community together through events like paint and sips.
But what’s most important to him is ensuring that the legacy of Buffalo is conveyed with balance. Yes, the Buffalo Bills have also been doing well in recent years, but it’s the stories of local legends like the late Claire Melendez, whose image graced the cover of Griselda’s WWCD and Eastside Flip, who appears on And Then Pray For Me, that he hopes reaches beyond the city.
“Just the stories of these people are crazy, you know what I’m sayin’? This is really the harsh reality,” he says. “These are very important people to my city,” he adds, citing a billboard of Claire that he put up on the highway near his stomping grounds to ensure that her story, like other local figures and rap legends to whom he pays homage, isn’t forgotten. “I like to give it to people raw, you know what I’m saying? And sometimes, it might be a little too rough… We could rap about it all day but, you know, people are scared to show it. It’s like, nah, you got to put it out there.”
At one point in the conversation, Torae mentioned Westside connecting with the likes of Eminem, JAY-Z, and Kanye West and asked what he’s taken away from their meetings. “Not to sound cr*zy — I learned how ill I am,” Westside responded. “You heard the names that you just named. They don’t get no bigger.
Westside Gunn Attends “And Then You Pray For Me” Release Party
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 11: Westside Gunn attends the “And Then You Pray For Me” Album. Release on October 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
He went on to reveal that JAY-Z was the inspiration for his song, “Steve & Jony.” “And these is guys that’s my friends, my family,” he said. “I could call them and ask them for anything. […] So, that’s how you have Virgil [Abloh] on the cover [of Gunn’s albums Pray for Paris and And Then You Pray for Me]. The ‘Steve & Jony’ record that’s on the album? That idea came from Hov. […] He called me and him that. […] We was just talking about this album, and he was like, ‘Yo, you should name one of them songs that.’” Check out Westside Gunn’s full comments below.
Westside Gunn Discusses Inspiration From Hip-Hop Legends
The interview comes on the heels of the announcement that Westside will be teaming up with Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher for a sequel to their 2019 release What Would Chine Gun Do (WWCD). Appearing on The Complex Sneakers Show on Friday, he teased: “’24 is gonna be probably one of the biggest years for Griselda. For the last couple years, Conway been doing his thing and he has a label, Drum Work, that he’s pushing, he’s the boss of; and Benny has BSF and he’s the the boss of his label. But we are family. There’s nothing stronger than us three together. We gotta come together and give people What Would Chine Gun Do 2 — we have to for the culture.”
Westside Gunn just dropped of a new album last Friday, And Then You Pray For Me, and it’s been met with a positive response! However, Gunn says that his latest project was met with a lot of hate. Something that he said he’s experiencing for the first time in his career. In an IG video, he reposted a clip from the Joe Budden Podcast where co-host Ice was praising the album. “On the first listen, this is top 3 rap album this year for me,” Ice proudly said. “This album is crazy. It sounds like he made an album for me… I’m like, wait, this is an Ice album!” However, Gunn took to IG to comment and address the haters.
“Everybody won’t get it and that’s fine, bc the same ppl that I THOUGHT knew me and what I stood for is the main ones leaving hate comments,” he wrote. “I’ve experienced for the first time in my career where it’s literally bots that was sent to put negative attn on my album in the comments. And I still smile with every VVS Diamond tooth in my mouth showing bc whether u get it or not I’m still the [goat emoji] AND I FORGIVE YOU [goat emoji].” Westside Gunn’s decision to share this positive feedback on his social media platform was a testament to his confidence in his work. By sharing the endorsement from Ice, he aimed to highlight that his music had resonated deeply with a prominent figure in the hip-hop community. This gesture was a strategic move to counterbalance any negative feedback that might have surfaced.
As an artist and label head, Westside Gunn’s poise in the face of criticism demonstrates his commitment to his craft. And the ability to handle both praise and critique with grace. By amplifying positive reviews, he emphasizes that his artistry speaks to the hearts of fans and critics alike. Some people in the comments did have different opinions. “cant be mad that core fans prefer the old sound. doesn’t mean you’re obligated to make it anymore but they’re not obligated to like the new shit either,” one person wrote. “The album is a definite grower. What I love is how you’re not afraid to try something new. Some of the songs are absolutely insane,” another person said.
In the competitive realm of hip-hop, where opinions and judgments are abundant, Westside Gunn’s approach serves as a reminder that artists have the agency to define their narrative and validate their artistic vision through strategic communication and promotion. Furthermore, in the comment section of that post, people had nothing but praise for And Then You Pray For Me. “They’ll get it in a year or 2 no worries,” someone commented. Let us know your thoughts on this project!
In what Westside Gunn believes is his best work yet, his highly anticipated album And Then You Pray For Me, is finally here. “It’s something for everybody. It is enough to be a double album,” Westside Gunn said in an interview with Rolling Stone. This highly-anticipated album is filled with a star-studded line up of big-name features. Some of these features include Denzel Curry, JID, Tay Keith, Conway the Machine, DJ Drama, and more. This project serves follow-up to his 2020 hit album Pray for Paris. However, the excitement surrounding this release is tinged with melancholy, as it’s reportedly going to be Westside Gunn’s final album.
Moreover, the rapper and producer himself has confirmed this news in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. The news comes much to the disappointment of his devoted fanbase. Speaking about his reasons for stepping away from the studio album scene, Westside Gunn explained, “making a studio album, I’m done with all that. It’s back to dumping until I don’t want to dump no more. I’m going to have fun now. It’s no more pressure. This album was pressure to me.” With 21 tracks of pure hip-hop, the album has something for everyone throughout it.
Stream “And Then You Pray For Me” By Westside Gunn
Pray for Paris earned Westside Gunn a well-deserved place in hip-hop’s hall of fame. And with an album that showcases some of his best tracks, fans definitely have high hopes for And Then You Pray For Me. However, despite the disappointment that accompanies the news of his departure from studio albums, there’s no denying that Westside Gunn’s legacy will continue to thrive.
Subsequently, he also mentioned that this doesn’t signal his departure from rap entirely. “I’m not saying I won’t come with a five-song EP with Madlib or I won’t do a seven-song EP with Alchemist or I won’t rap,” he said. “I’ll do all of that.” As HNHH previously reported, Gunn mentioned that he wants to spotlight new artists and just have more fun with music. In addition, let us know what you think of the project!
Enjoy Westside Gunn’s next album, AND THEN YOU PRAY FOR ME, because it will be his last. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Gunn expanded on the release, which he believes is his “best work.”
“It’s something for everybody. It is enough to be a double album,” Westside Gunn said. “I’m not saying I won’t come with a five-song EP with Madlib or I won’t do a seven-song EP with Alchemist or I won’t rap. I’ll do all of that, but making a studio album, I’m done with all that. It’s back to dumping until I don’t want to dump no more. I’m going to have fun now. It’s no more pressure.”
Westside Gunn’s And Then You Pray For Me, the sequel to his critically acclaimed 2020 album Pray For Paris, is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated projects of 2023. Sure, there have been a few delays, but what’s a hyped rollout without them? Moreover, he recently published a teaser clip on Instagram with Washington, D.C. dancer Cartier Williams tap-dancing in what appears to be Times Square. In fact, Williams also tap-danced to Flygod’s track “Perfect Plex” at the Off-White menswear show at Paris Fashion Week 2020. That show was led by the late great Virgil Abloh, a friend of Gunn’s who collaborated on art direction and cover design for Pray For Paris, and he honored him in this teaser’s caption.
“FROM THE BEAUTIFUL MINDS of WSG x @virgilabloh,” Westside Gunn’s post began. “’PRAY FOR PARIS…. AND THEN YOU PRAY FOR ME.’ Before I take you to where we’re going I have to catch some ppl up to where we’ve been, the Album PRAY FOR PARIS changed my life!! It was so elegant but yet so raw, videos showing the grimiest street life but yet in a beautiful artistic way!!! Every step of the way VIRGIL supported from designing the cover, to twitch live shows, to us interviewing each other for @gq magazine.
“Every one from Jay Z to Young Thug, to Meek Mill in his video and many other taste makers wore the shirt,” Westside Gunn continued. “The value of the CD, the vinyl, the shirt, the print has gone up every since the release. But PRAY FOR PARIS season has returned and I have so many surprises. I wanna thank VIRGILS family for blessing me and letting me finish off what me and bro started. If I was y’all I would save my money for next week [it’s set to drop on August 11]. Bc this is one those drops of all drops, actually probably my biggest drop ever.
“And YES I been keeping this secret for years but Virgil Abloh did do the new album ART (direction),” he concluded. “Yes were back in Time Sq in the same spot… GOD IS THE GREATEST. @griseldarecords #GXFR #SUPERFLYGOD #ART#CULTURE blientele.com 8/11. Directed by WSG, Shot by @thedailygems, Immaculate 2step the great @cartierawilliams #ANDTHENYOUPRAYFORME.” For more news and the latest updates on Westside Gunn, stay posted on HNHH.
Westside Gunn’s next album, And Then You Pray For Me, is slated to be released this coming Friday, June 23. He announced the album’s release date back in April on the third anniversary of his 2020 studio album, Pray For Paris. In that announcement, he referred to And Then You Pray For Me as a sequel to Pray For Paris. He paid tribute to the late Virgil Abloh in that same post, who designed the album’s cover.
The album’s title refers to a lyric on Westside’s song, “Eric B.” where he raps, “Pray for Paris, then you pray for me.” Since Pray For Paris, Westside Gunn has not exactly slowed down in releasing music. In 2020, he also released the Flygod Is An Awesome God II project and his major label debut for Shady Records, Who Made the Sunshine. Additionally, he released the two-part Hitler Wears Hermes 8 album and, most recently, 10 at the end of last year.
Additionally, Westside Gunn is releasing And Then You Pray For Me just in time for Paris Fashion Week. This is on-brand for him as he is heavily immersed in the fashion world. Currently, there is limited information available about the details of the album, including the artwork and tracklist. Let’s take a look at what we know about Westside Gunn’s forthcoming album.
Westside Gunn Sets The Bar High For Himself
HAPPY BDAY to a MASTERPIECE, this album changed my life forever!!!! I wanna thank the Late Great my brother @virgilabloh for everything he has done for me & continue to do for me, “& THEN U PRAY FOR ME” drops 6/23 and YES this is PRAY FOR PARIS 2 releasing Fri during FASHION WEEK pic.twitter.com/3H4R6HogUQ
Pray For Paris featured a stacked tracklist, including features from Joey Bada$$, Tyler, The Creator, Wale, Freddie Gibbs, and Roc Marciano. Of course, the album included Griselda family members Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher. The list of producers on the album was also quite impressive. DJ Muggs, Daringer, Beat Butcha, DJ Premier, The Alchemist, Tyler, The Creator, and more lent their talents. Upon its release, the album was critically acclaimed, and fans held it in high regard among his best albums like Flygod and Supreme Blientele.
Westside Gunn announced the new album in the Pray For Paris anniversary post. He wrote that his upcoming release will be “a different kind of art piece.” Although he has continued to tease And Then You Pray For Me since the initial announcement, he has a tendency not to stick to album release dates. However, the fact that he consistently promotes the album is a good sign.
This month, Westside Gunn shared a snippet of an unreleased song from And Then You Pray For Me. The song features his distinctive nasal tone and plenty of adlibs, all backed by a signature Griselda boom-bap beat produced by Jr Swiftz. In the song, Westside Gunn mentions being on the top floor of a penthouse, where he’s recording the video from, and talks about his deals with Roc Nation and Shady Records. He assured fans in the caption that And Then You Pray For Me is “dropping very soon.” If this snippet reflects the sound of the new album, Westside Gunn fans are sure to be satisfied.
A Possible Hall & Nash Song
FROM EASTSIDE BUFFALO we send our LOVE!!!!!
HALL & NASH
Starting tomorrow PRAY FOR PARIS season officially begins…. NeW Looks, New Sounds, New energy, SUPER FLYGOD is the greatest curator in the game and “THEN YOU PRAY FOR ME” will continue to show that dominance pic.twitter.com/NoKg8z3NIt
The most recent update from Westside Gunn about his new album was a post of him and his brother, Conway The Machine. He is pictured posing with Conway, who recently broke his leg. The post’s caption fuels excitement for a Hall & Nash collaboration between Westside Gunn and Conway on the new album. The two often feature each other on their albums along with Benny The Butcher, but a Hall & Nash song often sees the two trading bars back and forth, like on their 2015 collaborative mixtape titled Hall & Nash. Conway The Machine’s latest album, Won’t He Do It, featured Gunn on the song “Brucifix.” Gunn also wrote in his caption that And Then You Pray For Me will continue Griselda’s dominance.
And Then You Pray For Me: One Of Many Announced Albums
Yes I know ppl want GUNNLIB in 23’ Yes I do wanna make Awesome GOD a trilogy, Yes WWCD 2 is ontop of my list there’s no way I’ll hang it up without a project with my family, YES StoveGOD will be dropping, YES MICHELLE records will be dropping
Griselda often churns out multiple albums in a single year between all three members and the artists on their label. Last year, Westside Gunn announced many other upcoming projects that remain unreleased. These include the Michelle Records compilation, which he promoted throughout last year, along with Flygodis an Awesome God 3.
He had also been teasing multiple collaborative albums, including WWCD 2 with Griselda, the Madlib-produced Gunnlib project, a full-length sequel to Hall & Nash, and a Griselda album by Just Blaze. Although many of these previously announced albums most likely won’t see the light of day, the imminent release of Westside Gunn’s next album is exciting for fans. Hopefully, And Then You Pray For Me lives up to expectations as a sequel to Pray For Paris.
Westside Gunn linked up with Conway The Machine this week, sharing a picture of the two of them together on Instagram, Monday. The post comes ahead of the release of Gunn’s forthcoming album, & Then U Pray For Me. In the picture, Conway appears to still be recovering from a “severe leg injury.”
“FROM EASTSIDE BUFFALO we send our LOVE!!!!!” Gunn wrote. “HALL AND NASH. Starting tomorrow PRAY FOR PARIS season officially begins…. NeW Looks, New Sounds, New energy, SUPER FLYGOD is the greatest curator in the game and “THEN YOU PRAY FOR ME” will continue to show that dominance whether u get it now or not by the time u catch up I’ll be on some 2030 shit #GXFR #ART #CULTURE #HALLNNASH @whoisconway.”
Westside Gunn Celebrates The Release Of Conway’s “Won’t He Do It”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04: Westside Gunn attends Conway The Machine’s “Won’t He Do It” Album Release on May 04, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
As for Conway’s injury, the rapper announced that he suffered a fractured right tibia and dislocated kneecap during a statement last month. In turn, he had to postpone a number of tour dates to heal up before he can hit the road. At the time, he wrote that “anyone that knows me knows there’s nothing I love to do more than bein up on that stage! I can’t lie I’m super disappointed that I have to postpone the WHDi tour for a little bit, because I was really looking forward to goin on those stages and rocking this WHDI shit for y’all live. However I am in good spirits and I’m only looking at it as just a minor lil setback for a MAJOR COMEBACK! No stress!!”
