Griselda has been treating us well recently. Just last month, we were blessed with Benny the Butcher’s new project, The Plugs I Met, and this past Friday, my personal favorite Griselda member, Westside Gunn, released his highly anticipated record, Flygod Is an Awesome God.
As expected, Flygod Is an Awsome God brings us beautiful production from a number of producers along with gritty and ruthless raps from Gunn, plus his iconic signature ad-libs and some (usually wrestling-related) skits. The contrast of Gunn’s unique delivery and raw lyricism with the luxurious production is what always brings me back to him, and this project did not disappoint in the slightest.
Not only do we get great features on here from the Griselda gang, but this project also features contributions from hip-hop legends like Raekwon, who delivers a sermon on the introduction, and Madlib, who produced the fittingly titled “Gunnlib”, making for the first collaboration between Gunn and the legendary producer. This track features jazzy production from Madlib along with an off-kilter vocal sample that seems it would be hard to rap over upon first hearing the beat. Gunn however, proves why he’s one of the best out, absolutely shredding the beat, making for one of his best performances on the album. In fact, he proves his versatility time and time again, rapping over a variety of beats from a number of producers. Sometimes they’re hard-hitting and dark, and other times they’re extremely minimal and soulful on standout tracks like “Lunchin”, “Dance Floor Love”, and “Amherst Station 3”, which is the third installment of the “Amherst Station” series that has yet to fail.
Overall, Westside Gunn continues to be one of the most consistent and unique rappers in the game, and once again he just dropped an undeniably great record. Check it out in full below along with all streaming services!