Benny The Butcher’s albums always generate discussion amongst his listeners. Some of them have attained success in the mainstream lane which has divided his fanbase. This crossover success has allowed him to collab with current generation rap veterans like J. Cole and Lil Wayne. Nonetheless, the attention from these markets has brought more ears to his music. Benny also has his own label called Black Soprano Family. His labelmates often feature on his songs and he has full projects with them too.
Like his Griselda labelmates, Benny has released multiple projects in his career. The albums have been released through a variety of labels including his own imprint and Griselda. His upcoming album, Everybody Can’t Go, will be released through Def Jam. At this time, his best first-week sales album was Tana Talk 4 which debuted at #22 on the Billboard 200 Chart and #9 on the Billboard Rap Chart. It sold 20K units in its first week. Burden Of Proof peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 and #15 on the Rap Chart and sold around 19K units in its first week. Tana Talk 3 did not chart at all.
Benny The Butcher’s albums and mixtapes have created multiple series’ in his discography. These include American D.Boy, The Plugs I Met and of course, Tana Talk. The Tana Talk series is his most popular. Something special about is the rarity of the first project in the series. Even dedicated fans have had trouble finding it – Benny stated that he does not even have a copy of it anymore. Tana Talk 2 is available on YouTube and according to sources, released in 2009. It finds Benny rapping over other popular beats of the time period with a stylistically different approach than he currently has.
Tana Talk 3 was the album that introduced many people to Benny The Butcher’s music. 10 of the 14 songs on the project were produced by Daringer, the go-to producer for Griselda’s signature dark and gritty boom-bap sound. The Alchemist, who has a history with Benny and is a legendary producer in his own right, produced the other four. This project helped continue to push the wave of the Griselda movement. On it, Benny told authentic street tales that resonated with many listeners. Tana Talk 4 followed this technique but also had Benny speak on his success over the years and how these changes affected his life.
The Success Of Tana Talk 4
Benny The Butcher secured one of the biggest features of his career for the first single from this album. Titled “Johnny P’s Caddy,” the track features J. Cole. Cole has done a variety of surprising features over the last few years and this one was one of the most praised ones of 2022. The track was certified gold by the RIAA and was the first song from Benny’s discography to receive this certification. It was also the first song from any Griselda artist to receive it. The success of “Johnny P’s Caddy” undoubtedly encouraged new listeners to tap in with the full Tana Talk 4 album. The album also featured Boldy James, Stove God Cooks, and his day one collaborators Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn.
Benny The Butcher’s albums sometimes can deviate from the signature Griselda sound. However, Tana Talk 4 sticks to the style of its predecessor. With production from Daringer and The Alchemist, the album contains the grimy, eerie and menacing production listeners know and love. Sometimes, the production can even get soulful, like the tracks “Johnny P’s Caddy” and “Weekend In The Perry’s.” One of the most unique tracks is “Thowy’s Revenge” produced by The Alchemist. It isn’t quite eerie or soulful but Benny still sounds comfortable on it. This one finds him talking about his past and ascension as an artist. The album closer “Mr. Chow Hall” showcases him speaking directly on the biggest events of his life in 2022. These events include him being shot and making a deal with Def Jam.
The track “Guerrero,” which features Westside Gunn, quickly became a favorite amongst Benny’s listeners. Across haunting sounds from Daringer and Beat Butcha, Benny delivers arguably the most unique verse from the entire project. In it, he names track titles from both Tana Talk 3 and Burden of Proof, connecting them seamlessly. Listeners shared their excitement when hearing the song for the first time and how they were proud they recognized the song titles immediately.
Another unique track on Benny The Butcher’s Tana Talk 4 album is “10 More Commandments.” As a student of the game, Benny has referenced those who came before him on tracks before. This song takes his homage to Biggie’s track “10 Crack Commandments” to the next level and updates it with his list of rules, including one that refers to social media. Additionally, the standout track “Tyson Vs. Ali” features Conway sharing how his own hard work allowed him to be successful just like Benny is.
Conclusion
Tana Talk 4 was something for the tried-and-true Benny fans and was a welcome entry into the series. Listeners praised this one for how it sounded truer to Benny’s core sound than some of his other releases. They also appreciated the insight they got into some things that had recently occurred in his life. As Benny becomes more and more successful, his listeners have realized his music is getting more diverse. However, they must draw their own conclusions on if they’re here for the expansion or not.
Conway The Machine has had an extremely prolific 2023. He began the year with a short collaborative tape with label-mate Jae Skeese called Pain Provided Profit. That was followed up by Conway’s newest studio album WON’T HE DO IT in May. The track featured appearances from Conway’s Griselda contemporaries Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher as well as Juicy J, Fabolous, and more. Conway also appeared multiple times across Drumwork The Albuma compilation released by his label Drumwork.
Then in September, he teamed up with rapper and producer 38 Spesh for yet another collaborative tape. The project was called Speshal Machinery and features appearances from Lloyd Banks, Benny The Butcher, Elcamino, Emanny, Pharoahe Munch, and Che Noir. The album was pretty well received by Conway’s fans with two songs in particular standing out. “Latex Gloves” with Lloyd Banks and “Goodfellas” with Benny The Butcher have both racked up more than 500k streams on Spotify since the album was released. Now, Conway and Spesh have shared a new version of one of the album’s deep cuts.
On the original Speshal Machine, the penultimate song is “Made Bosses” featuring Emanny. Subsequently, a few months after the album’s release the song is getting a brand new version. That new version is courtesy of Big Ghost Ltd. who has worked with Conway and Griselda pretty extensively in the past.
Conway himself has teamed up with Big Ghost Ltd. for a pair of collaborative efforts. The first came in 2021 with their project IF IT BLEEDS IT CAN BE KILLED. The second came a year later when they released another collab album called What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed. What do you think of Big Ghost Ltd.’s new version of “Made Bosses?” Do you prefer it over the original song? Let us know in the comment section below.
Benny The Butcher seems to mostly be living the high life now, but it wasn’t always easy getting here. During a recent interview, the rapper told a story about his ex-wife, who he learned was cheating on him while he was in prison. “I was on a parole violation. I used to teach a class that you can take to get your time off, and seeing that I’ve always been a smart muthaf*cka, I was in prison teaching. Everywhere I go. I was a tutor in the school – everywhere I go,” Benny’s story starts. “So basically I was teaching, but right before the class I got a letter. It’s a thick letter and I’m like damn, I wanna read my letter. I got somebody else to teach the class. So I’m sitting in front of the class reading the letter,” he continues.
But the rapper probably wasn’t expecting the letter to say what it did. “This b*tch telling me about how this other n*gga f*cking her. And it was just a long letter asking me what should she do, like, ‘He got a wife. What should I do? I don’t know.’ I’m like, ‘This b*tch crazy.’ So I put the letter down – this how I knew I was f*cked up. I went to my man and my man was like, ‘Yo, you good n*gga? You look like you seen a ghost.’ I’m like damn. And I seen one. I seen the f*cking ghost. That’s when I realized – I counted my losses with her. And it is what it is,” Benny explains. Check out the full video of him telling the story below.
One thing Benny The Butcher did that surprised many after telling the story, is take the high road. ““And guess what? As a real n*gga, I never blamed her for it because I know I was in and out of prison and a woman is only strong as the bond that she got with her n*gga. So I understood that our bond wasn’t that strong. Can’t no n*gga do that to my b*tch if I’m there doing what I’m supposed to do,” he concludes.
Just last week, Benny The Butcher teamed up with Bun B and Rome Streetz for a new single called “Trillselda.” What do you think of Benny The Butcher’s story about being cheated on while in prison? Do you think he had the right reaction to it? Let us know in the comment section below.
Armani Caesar, the talented rapper from Griselda, chose to make this Christmas extra special by unveiling a heartfelt surprise—she’s expecting! On Christmas Day (December 25), Armani Caesar treated her half a million Instagram followers to an intimate revelation. In a sexy and joy-filled post, the Griselda rapper showcased her baby bump, wearing a lingerie set and a mesh transparent robe. In a caption that captured the essence of the moment, she wrote, “From Mani to Mommy. Merry Christmas,” sharing the exciting news and spreading the holiday cheer. The post quickly garnered attention and congratulatory messages from industry peers. People such as A$AP Ferg, Rico Love, Peter Rosenberg, and Jozzy shared their congrats.
Moreover, Armani continued to share the joy of her pregnancy through a series of images and videos from her maternity photoshoot. In the caption accompanying the post, she expressed, “Best present ever,” emphasizing the profound happiness this new chapter brings to her life. However, amidst the celebration and well-wishes, the identity of the father remains shrouded in mystery. Armani Caesar has kept this aspect private, adding an element of curiosity to her pregnancy journey.
Furthermore, the rapper’s decision to unveil this personal milestone on a platform like Instagram reflects a sense of connection with her audience. By sharing these intimate moments, Armani invites her fans into this joyous chapter of her life. Turning her journey into a shared celebration. Either way, social media and fans alike couldn’t be happier for her.
As Armani Caesar embarks on the journey to motherhood, the excitement and warmth surrounding her pregnancy announcement create joy. The unanswered question of the baby father’s identity adds an intriguing note to this symphony of joy. Making Armani’s pregnancy journey even more captivating for her followers. With each post and update, the rapper continues to compose a narrative of love, anticipation, and the shared happiness that comes with welcoming a new life into the world.
The Griselda roster has remained busy this year, with major releases from Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine. However, Benny The Butcher has been musically silent for the most part. The Buffalo lyricist is gearing up for the release of his next album, Everybody Can’t Go, which officially drops on January 26, 2024. One of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of the new year, Benny’s next project will mark his major label debut for Def Jam. While Shady Records and Interscope handled the 2019 release of Griselda’s WWCD album, Benny never actually signed to the Eminem-led imprint. As we patiently await the release of Everybody Can’t Go, here is what we know so far about Benny The Butcher’s Def Jam debut.
Benny The Butcher’s Def Jam Debut
Benny The Butcher signed with Def Jam in 2021 under Snoop Dogg’s tutelage as a creative consultant for the label. Since then, the Griselda heavyweight did not drop any music under the label in the following years. His previous album, 2022’s Tana Talk 4 was released via Griselda Records and Empire Distribution, featuring the gold-certified and J. Cole-assisted “Johnny P’s Caddy.” During an appearance on Rap Radar, Benny explained the meaning behind the title of Everybody Can’t Go. “They not made like that. And you can’t dance to every song, you know what I’m saying? Everything is not for everybody. With new levels come new devils, and I want more. I want bigger for myself,” he said.
Everybody Can’t Go was initially announced back in April for an August 11th release date, but was subsequently delayed as clarified by Hit-Boy. Benny explained the setback, saying, “I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was. Just know when you hear my s**t it’s gonna be better than all this other s**t you’ve been hearing all year.” With the update, he still referred to Everybody Can’t Go as an album of the year contender. In October, Benny The Butcher thanked fans for their patience before sharing a countdown to the announcement of the album’s lead single.
Produced By Close Collaborators
The Alchemist and Hit-Boy entirely produce Benny The Butcher’s Def Jam debut, which comes as no surprise to hardcore Griselda fans. His musical history with both California producers runs deep. The Alchemist co-produced both Tana Talk 3 and Tana Talk 4 while Hit-Boy solely handled the production of 2020’s Burden Of Proof. During his update on Everybody Can’t Go, Hit-Boy told Elliott Wilson that he produced nine tracks on the album.
Benny told Rap Radar about his decision to only work with two producers. He cited The Alchemist and Hit-Boy as his “dream team” with whom he has been the most successful. “When it’s time to do this shit for the masses, I clicked them boys up together,” he said of them being the right fit for his major label debut. Benny also claimed that the album “will not be loaded with boom bap beats.” Benny expressed his intention of not allowing the traditional Griselda sound to artistically limit him and instead, “do things out of feeling.”
Everybody Can’t Go Is Already Sounding Promising
With Everybody Can’t Go around the corner, Benny The Butcher’s Def Jam debut is already sounding promising based on the two singles that he released. The Alchemist-produced lead single, “Big Dog” features a ferocious verse from Lil Wayne. Benny and Weezy had previously worked together on “Timeless” and “Russian Roulette.” They also recently collaborated on “Oprah & Gayle” from Wayne’s and 2 Chainz’s Welcome 2 Collegrove. The second and latest single from the album is “One Foot In,” produced by Hit-Boy and featuring Stove God Cooks. The Syracuse native and Griselda signee last worked with Benny on “Back 2x” from Tana Talk 4. While Benny has not yet shared an official tracklist, Everybody Can’t Go reportedly includes 12 songs.
In October, Benny The Butcher boldly claimed that his upcoming album will be the best hip hop album to be released on Def Jam since DMX’s iconic 1998 debut, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot. Setting the bar incredibly high for himself, he is clearly confident in his next full-length release. The new year is shaping up to be an exciting one for the Griselda roster. With Benny’s next album arriving shortly and a possible sequel to WWCD, 2024 seems exciting for fans of the label.Be sure to check back in with HotNewHipHop for the latest updates.
Netflix released the first trailer for Griselda, the highly anticipated crime series based on the notorious drug kingpin. Sofía Vergara stars in the lead role as Griselda. Vergara will also serve as series executive producer.
Alongside Vergara, the cast includes Alberto Guerra, Christian Tappan, Martín Rodríguez, Juliana Aidén Martinez, and Vanessa Ferlito. Directing duties for all episodes are being helmed by Andrés Baiz (The Hidden Face). The series was created by Eric Newman, Doug Miro, Ingrid Escajeda, and Carlo Bernard. Escajeda and Miro are the series’ showrunners.
The trailer shows Carolina Giraldo, professionally known as reggaeton star and pop artist Karol G, who hails from Colombia. Karol G will play Carla’s character as this huge role marks her acting debut. Carla, is a close friend and confidant of Griselda, who arrives in Miami from Medellín, Colombia, with other sex workers. She will play a vital role in the Netflix series.
Netflix dropped the official series description: GRISELDA is inspired by the life of the savvy and ambitious Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. In 1970s-80s Miami, Blanco’s lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm helped her expertly navigate between business and family, leading her to become widely known as “the Godmother.”
We can expect the series to premiere on Jan. 25, 2024.
“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.”
Dee-1 has found himself dealing with some self-imposed beef with a variety of other rappers he’s called out recently. He took jabs at Jim Jones, Meek Mill, and Rick Ross for the violent content of their lyrics and the impact it has on listeners. Meek was the first to reply taking a pretty dismissive approach to the situation. But Jim Jones hit back with an even more robust response which concluded with what some interpreted as a threat of violence.
In another new video he shared, Dee-1 took issue with the label of “coke rappers.” For the video, he used a clip of Benny The Butcher being asked during an interview to list off his top 5 favorite coke rappers. “I knew this n*gga was comin for me” Benny captioned a tweet of the original video. But Dee quickly replied clarifying that his issue wasn’t actually with Benny. Instead, he claims he was calling out the question that Benny was asked as being part of the problem. “Yo! That wasn’t bout you brudda. It was about the question homie chose to ask you,” his response reads. Check out the full interactions between the pair below.
Benny The Butcher’s new album was expected to drop earlier this year but ended up being delayed. When Benny did eventually speak on the album not dropping on its original release date, he clarified a few things. He wanted to make sure fans knew his intentions were always to drop it then. But in reality, the album required more work before it was ready.
After sharing a countdown clock with fans earlier this year, Benny officially confirmed that the project’s release had been moved to 2024. A specific date hasn’t been confirmed yet but fans are hoping that it’s soon. What do you think of Benny The Butcher’s response to Dee-1 calling out the phrase “coke rappers?” Let us know in the comment section below.
Categorizing Westside Gunn albums is a tricky task. The Griselda multi-hyphenate has multiple highly revered projects in his discography. They are regularly star-studded cross-generational features like A$AP Rocky, DJ Premier, Tyler, The Creator, MF DOOM, and many more. As a student of hip-hop, Gunn takes pride in having these names attached to his projects, alongside budding talent that he’s taken under his wing.
His album from 2020, Pray For Paris brought multiple new ears to his music. This project’s critical success ensured its 2023 sequelwould become his best-selling album so far. And Then You Pray For Me, which dropped on October 13th, sold 20,000 units in the first week. Meanwhile, Pray for Paris moved over 10,000 units in its first week. It also reached #29 on the Billboard 200 while Pray for Paris reached #67 and his previous release 10, reached #183.
Westside Gunn albums are always highly anticipated. However, Gunn’s also gained a reputation for delaying projects or not dropping them altogether. This is what happened with And Then You Pray For Me, the sequel to his critically acclaimed album, Pray for Paris. The original release date – according to him – was June 23rd to coincide with Paris Fashion Week. However, the album ended up actually being released on Friday, October 13th. The album rollout was on brand for him, too. He posted a video of tap dancer Cartier Williams performing in New York and then the camera panned up to show one of the album’s covers. He also started a new YouTube channel with a 4 episode docuseries that details his creative process. However, his posts on social media with the featured artists and producers created the most anticipation.
Westside Gunn Predicted People’s Reactions
Westside Gunn albums – and the whole Griselda movement – are known for their dusty, gritty, boom-bap production. Westside dived into this across the album but the inclusion of trap production seemingly caught many off-guard. He predicted apprehension about this decision. “You gone have the core underground fans that only listen to boom bap hate it, ’cause they gonna say ‘this n*gga changed,’” he said in his docuseries. “Then you gonna have the new fans who know me from Travis album gone be like ‘Oh this sh*t hard.‘” Ultimately, the album reached #1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart. Ironically, Westside himself would be proud to say he’s anything but “emerging” – he’s even called this project his last album.
And Then You Pray For Me is a unique Westside Gunn album. Its length of 21 tracks is nearly twice as long as its predecessor. Gunn works with pretty much anyone he wants at this point in his career but he truly pulled some unexpected names for this project. Ty Dolla $ign, Rick Ross, JID, Denzel Curry and more appear across the tracklist, as well as his usual cohorts like Conway, Benny The Butcher and Stove God Cooks. For the most part, the addition of artists like Giggs, EST Gee, Jeezy, and Peezy left fans curious about how these collabs would turn out. Although there was criticism towards the Ty Dolla $ign assisted, “Chloe,” “KITCHEN LIGHTS,” with a show-stealing performance from Stove God Cooks, has been called the song of the year.
Westside Gunn Is Not Done
This is the best-selling Westside Gunn album as a result of his growing fame and reputation for quality. In the past few years, he’s appeared on albums from The Free Nationals, Mary J Blige, Kanye West, and Travis Scott, among others. Westside Gunn continued the legacy he’s built with And Then You Pray For Me.
Griselda is sending ripples of excitement through the music industry as they gear up for a long-awaited reunion. Westside Gunn recently revealed their plan to reunite with fellow Griselda artists Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher for a new album, scheduled for release in 2024. A Long-Awaited Reunion Griselda, the revered rap collective hailing […]
