Westside Gunn's “Pray for Paris” is a Full on Masterpiece
After completely turning heads with their debut album in 2019 “WWCD”, Griselda’s Westside Gunn has returned with the first solo album since the supergroup was made official. The highly anticipated third album from the Buffalo star titled, “Pray for Paris” is finally here, and it did not disappoint. If you’re like me, you probably assumed that “Pray for Paris” would be a classic as soon as Westside Gunn revealed the Virgil Abloh designed cover for the album. The Off-White founder’s album artwork is based on “David with the Head of Goliath” a piece by renaissance painter Caravaggio, but with some added 2020 drip. The cover embodies exactly what the FLYGOD has been trying to tell everyone for a while now, he’s not just a rapper, he’s an artist, and he makes it at the highest quality level on the scale, and he couldn’t have been more right.
The album stands at 13 songs over 41 minutes and doesn’t disappoint for any of those. Chocked full of high profile features like Tyler, the Creator, Wale, Joey Bada$$ and Freddie Gibbs, and some other features like Joyce Wrice, Roc Marciano, Boldy James, Keisha Plum, and Cartier Williams as well as top quality producers like Tyler, the Creator, Daringer and The Alchemist. The great balance of luxury and grit that fans of Griselda have come to love is in full effect on “Pray for Paris”.
Categories
The songs on “Pray for Paris” flow into four lanes that is prevalent throughout the project and scored on a 1.5 scale. (0 = trash, .5 = not for me, 1 = good, 1.5 = a standout)
Interludes/Skits
“400 Million Plus Tax”
Jazzy/Orchestral 90’s
Smooth beats that rely on a smooth sample, and minimal percussion, these songs aren’t meant to be hard, but more a musical canvas for wordsmiths.
“No Vacancy” (1)
“327” ft. Tyler, the Creator, Billie Essco & Joey Bada$$ (1.5)
“$500 Ounces” ft. Freddie Gibbs & Roc Marciano (1.5)
Gritty 90’s
Dark and eerie a vibe that was very prevalent in 90’s Hip-Hop, Hard kick basses, subtle strings and a piano loop, these beats sound made for a horror movie.
“George Bondo” ft. Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher (1.5)
“Euro Step” (1)
“Allah Sent Me” ft. Benny the Butcher & Conway the Machine(1.5)
“Shawn vs. Flair” (1)
Lighthearted 2000’s
Similar to the Kanye West production style, heavy on gospel and soul samples. These songs hit your soul before the rapper even starts spitting.
“French Toast” ft. Wale & Joyce Wrice (1.5)
“Versace” (1)
“Claiborne” Kick ft. Boldy James (1.5)
“Party wit Pop Smoke” ft. Keisha Plum (1.5)
“LE Djoliba” ft. Cartier William (1)
The Standouts
“327” ft. Tyler, the Creator, Billie Essco & Joey Bada$$
A classic lowkey jazz vibe, produced by Camoflauge Monk, “327” is a perfect example of the essence Griselda can call at any moment in time. The track feels like a lost track from Illmatic, not just for the jazzy beat, that uses instrumentation similar to the Nas track “One Love”, but the flow and the bars Westside and Co. all feel like an homage to classic Hip-Hop. Joey Bada$$ comes in with the 2nd verse marveling at the life he has created for himself and all the inspiration he got from the artists who came before him. Billie Essco sings an almost haunting chorus ensuring that “Paris will be prayed for.” The song gets closed out by Tyler, the Creator who pulled out the classic Tyler flow to glide over this beat. The song as a whole is beautiful, but each artist takes the time to shine as well.
“Allah Sent Me” ft. Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher
If “327” was a perfect example of the smooth jazzy Hip-Hop from the 90s, “Allah Sent Me” is the gritty song from the era. Produced by Daringer, the eerie piano, and simple percussion is all the canvas the three-headed monster needed to make a gem. The track is trademark Griselda, Westside Gunn longs for simpler times starting the song off saying “I miss the days when bricks was only nineteen” when is followed by the three MCs reveling in their drug dealer past, making it seem almost as luxurious as the new life they live now being rap stars.
“$500 Ounces” ft. Freddie Gibbs & Roc Marciano
This track is especially interesting as Freddie Gibbs is another Hip-Hop act that has made a name for himself as a wordsmith similar to the members of Griselda, after dropping multiple albums with super-producer Madlib (Pinata & Bandana). But while the expectations were sky-high, nobody disappointed. The beat produced by legendary producer The Alchemist sports an amazing sample that provides strings and horns, the beat isn’t lazy but rather solemn, leaving plenty of room to hear the verses. Freddie spits a verse that is a mix of classic braggadocio and what feels like the sorrow of survivor’s remorse, as he depicts the issues the hood faces and his new lavish life where he lives like a king. Roc Marciano comes in and goes toe to toe with his counterparts, displaying clever wordplay before Westside Gunn comes into tie the bow on this track, scorching the beat, speaking on the dangers of where he grew up, and how he got by.
Final Review
I’m claiming it now, “Pray for Paris” is a full-on, masterpiece and a classic. It only took Twitter about an hour before Hip-Hop fans were already touting it as the album of the year. Griselda projects usually sound like a mixture of many classic Hip-Hop albums from the 90s and early 2000s. A mix of gospel and jazz vibes, and gritty Hip-Hop sounds combined with orchestral instruments the sound that perfectly fit Roc Nation at the turn of the century, for The Diplomats and The Lox, now suits Griselda. The ability that Griselda has shown to put out quality music is very impressive, especially with the three rappers all being in their mid-30s, breaking out onto the mainstream scene of Hip Hop is quite difficult. But of the three, Westside Gunn especially has seemingly made it their job to drop absolute fire. The beats are great throughout, while there isn’t one main sound for the full project, you could tell the luxurious aesthetic they were going for. Old minds, with new-age understanding displaying music that can be appreciated rather than just consumed. “Pray for Paris” feels like the culmination of patience and focus, with a whole lot of savvy, from the intro, to the carefully picked features and wrestling star skits, “Pray for Paris” is a great example of how a rap heavy artist can still be appreciated for bringing quality to the table.
Scoring
Raw Score: The number of good songs on a project versus the overall amount. Songs must have a 1 or above to be counted.
Quality Score: The total amount of points accumulated over the total amount of songs.
Playback value: The resonance an album is perceived to have if played again in full. Scale out of 5.
Raw Score: 12/12
Quality Score: 15.5/12
Playback Value: 4/5
