by Westside Gunn
Released July 8, 2022 via Griselda Records
Reviewed July 18, 2022
Top tracks (based on community voting)
Big Ass Bracelet (76%), Horses On Sunset (52%), Danhausen (52%)
Westside Gunn perpetuates history, legacy, and culture in the latest (and potentially final) installment of his Flygod series. Historically, any Gunn record with “Flygod” in the title will harness the more raw and unorthodox musical palettes he has to offer. In this record, AA Rashid steps up to deliver yet another sound soliloquy intro. In it, he remarks something important: “I wasn’t born to try to figure out what somebody else don’t know.” Gunn’s music is often a double-edged sword of raw reality and abstract expressionist beauty. As Griselda Records grows positively in the consciousness and fabric of hip-hop, Flygod remains polarizing as ever. Possessing a Kanye-like will to alter, minimize, and degloss the status quo creatively, Westside Gunn continues to become one of hip-hop’s greatest creative forces. Even so, Gunn splits the wealth of spotlight and airwaves considerably with his featured cohorts. In Wu-like fashion, Stove God Cooks and Estee Nack play Raekwon and Cappadonna to Gunn’s Ghostface. In the end, this three-headed monster crew have recaptured the alienating brilliance of Griselda’s “for us by us, all by ourselves” mantra. – DeVán (8.5/10)
After flirting with the idea of retirement last year, it took Westside Gunn a whole ten months (for Griselda artists, that’s equivalent to a lifetime) to pop back up with a new addition to his discography, PEACE “FLY” GOD, which seemed to defy what we all expected from a Westside Gunn release. If one had to find a valid criticism of PEACE “FLY” GOD, it is how small and rushed it all feels. To maintain the wrestling theme, if you were to think of albums like Supreme Blientele and Pray for Paris as marquee events, PEACE “FLY” GOD would be more akin to a house show. Westside Gunn isn’t nearly as present as he is on other albums, sometimes taking a backseat and letting either Stove God or Nack take the wheel. But another thing about house shows is that the performers are visibly having fun, and it rubs off on you. The project isn’t nearly as methodical as a traditional Westside Gunn album, sounding more like he’s just having fun with it all. With every single gem of a punchline he drops, he puts a smile on any listener’s face through his charisma alone. All of Westside Gunn’s best albums are 12+ songs, chock-full of features, and generally feel like a bigger deal. Still, “minor” projects like this one are a welcome addition to his repertoire, and show that he can go on any stylistic direction and still hit it out of the park. – Alan (8.2/10)
DeVán: 8.5/10 | Alan: 8.2/10 | Pax: 8.2/10 | Ben (Synth): 8/10 | Dominick: 7.5/10
Daniel: 7/10 | Jacques: 7/10 | Cam: 6.8/10 | Peter: 6.5/10
Community Reviews:
For a project that is just meant to hold fans over until the album, it is extremely consistent and a fun listen overall. The features also do great, with Stove’s verse on Derrick Boleman being one of my favorites of the year. – anyonymous community member (7/10)
Flygod being flygod. – anyonymous community member (6.5/10)
One of the weaker albums out of Griselda. Production and Lyricism was below the usual par. – @zain.guthrie (4.5/10)
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