by Westside Gunn
Released April 17, 2020 via Griselda Records
Originally reviewed April 27, 2020
Top tracks (based on community voting)
327 (52%), $500 Ounces (44%), George Bondo (30%)
An open mind in any time zone plays a catalyst like no other. So, for Westside Gunn, all it took was a plane ride to fall in love with the city of love itself. Without an instance of compromise in Gunn's vision, Pray For Paris gathers together a cast leaping across professional and social circles. – Ben (Synth) (9/10)
Pray For Paris is another victory lap after the cultural reset that has been the arrival of Griselda Records, sitting firmly in a divine lineage of Flygod and Hitler Wears Hermes-related products by Westside Gunn. Pray For Paris departs from many other Westside Gunn albums in its completed effort to provide significantly more for the yet-to-be Griselda fan. Collaborators for the album are already prolific, yet Westside Gunn is still bringing the absolute most out of so many moving pieces here. Like a painting on the wall, Pray For Paris will only age with grace with such fine and rare qualities. – DeVán (9/10)
Griselda has always been a consistent label; between Westside Gunn, Benny, and Conway, they’ve kept the boom bap movement alive and gone the extra mile to give it a modern coat of paint. As usual, we get lyrics that get you sporting a stank face, beats that make you bop your head till your neck breaks, and some of the most charismatic and confident personalities in the modern scene. Gunn’s unique voice allows him to stretch certain words to rework rhyme schemes and leads to some absolutely amazing lyrical moments. As always, he chooses his features and production well. Tyler the Creator, the Griselda crew, Freddie Gibbs, and even Wale give great performances and sound completely at home on these instrumentals. The grimy beats depict a dark underworld of decadence and high art, serving as perfect platforms for the guys to go crazy on; whether it be a slower xylophone sample or some speedy piano phrases, everyone rides the beats with complete control as they tell grim tales about death, drugs, and wealth. It’s nothing new in the scope of Griselda, but it’s overall one of the best releases from the camp yet. – Jared (8.5/10)
Ben (Synth): 9/10 | DeVán: 9/10 | Alan: 8.7/10 | Cam: 8/10 | Daniel: 8/10
Enth: 8/10 | Jared: 8/10 | Pax: 8/10 | Dominick: 7.4/10 | Hadley: 6.5/10
