WestSide Gunn- Hitler Wears Hermes VIII
Westside Gunn, Your favorite rappers curator. He defines culture, art, and fashion as he dazzle’s us with his pure excellent raw talent of mixing the streets with wrestling reference, art culture influence, and name brand’s he likes to share with his world. On August 27, he dropped his 8th installment of his Hitler Wears Hermes series, Sincerely Adolf. The features he has on this album showcases that he welcomed his artist like an art gallery. Welcome to the exhibit as he explores how things went down for this piece of work.
The history of Griselda Records is iconic and it is meant to happy. Building the label after Benny gets arrested and Conway gets shot, Westside Gunn did his best to put Griselda Records in the music history books and he has succeeded to making an impact on our culture. The Art, Music, and Wrestling references were enough to catch my attention. The first song I heard from Westside Gunn was honestly a track called “Dudley Boyz” which features Action Bronson. Through out this body of work, I became so infatuated with his reference of art. This reminded me of when Hip-Hop was Hip-Hop and I honestly got tired of my surroundings listening to turnt up music like Future. I didn’t find nothing with partying at all but I myself am not a party animal period. I listen to music for my own personal leisure and Griselda’s music was perfect for my listening ears.
During that year of 2016, Fly God, The studio debut by Westside Gunn was roaming the streets and a year later, Eminem signs him and his half-brother, Conway The Machine. If Slim Shady signs you, he must’ve seen something special with the talent you possess, you are meant to be apart of a team full of artist. Their (Griselda Records) merchandise sold like wrestling t-shirts at Wrestlemania. Eminem must appreciate great art because for him to sign Conway and Westside as the duo Hall N Nash must be a lyrical threat to those in the rap game. Although many of those are turned to trap rap, times are changing and the b-boys are now getting back into their game. That summer of 2017, they dropped their single “Machine Gun Black”, dedicated to the memory of Benny The Butcher’s half-brother. With the flood of independent albums, instead of releasing a Hall N Nash album, Westside Gunn made a call to record WWCD (What Would ChineGun Do), Griselda’s Shady Records Debut.
This album opened eyes to the world of Griselda. The meaning of music, art, and fashion has became an aphrodisiac to our culture. It continues to bring many of those closer to the rap game as they would offer the best art pieces to the culture and coming to the stage are three talented brother’s from Buffalo, NY. The home of Rick James, Marc Mero, & Brian McKnight, Griselda has something to offer when it comes to bringing together our culture. Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf dropped August 27 and I will dig track by track and show you fans why this album is special.
- Murder in Maxfield- This sounds like a wrestler’s intro and those who know Westside Gunn know’s he a huge wrestling fan. This makes me think if the Demolition boys will come on the track.
- Blessed Feat. AA Rashid- Spoken word on an album to make this sound like complete poetry.
- Mariota Feat. Stove God Cooks- Westside Gunn boast about being lavish in the game of drug dealing. Stove God Cooks killing the verse and if you pay attention to Fly God, Stove God Cooks was taking over every track with Westside Gunn
- Vogue Cover Feat. Stove God Cooks- This is a catchy hook talking about leaving work on the Vogue Cover. What a lavish way to talk about crime. This is hilarious because Westside raps “walked inside the bank, bitch call me handsome”. Westside Gunn knows how to conduct his songs.
- Margiella Split Toes Feat. Mach-Hommy- Griselda has a line up and this track is straight b-boy stance for you boom bap rap fans. Westside Gunn obviously raps his shit saying “ I suplex the cane like Shane Douglas”. These wrestling bars never get old.
- Draymond Feat. Rome Streets & Stove God Cooks- This is another cypher from Westside Gunn and his Griselda crew. Being able to cypher with your crew is huge because Hip Hop is all unity and many people are divided.
- Peri Peri Feat. Rome Streets- Rome Streets is sounding as grim as the last song and Westside Gunn makes this art play very well. The situation with Westside Gunn doing this track is he got something to prove. Again, he raps his heart out.
- Right Now Feat. Stove God Cooks & Jadakiss- This is a lavish track where Kiss talk his shit regarding himself and the dope game. Stove God Cooks comes in with a catchy hook. This beat is soulful and it captivates your listening ears well.
- Westheimer Feat. Boldy James, Stove God Cooks,& Sauce Walka- When Buffalo connects with Texas, it is something big.
- Bash Money Feat. Lil Wayne- Westside Gunn makes sure his features out raps him and Wayne did quite well on this song. I almost thought this was an unreleased verse from 07 but Wayne was feeling himself as he delivers a metaphorical catastrophe over the beat.
- Claire’s Back Feat. Conway The Machine & Benny The Butcher- This track reunites all three. In fact, If Westside Gunn reads this, I am calling your collaboration with these guys, “The Brothers of Destruction”, a moniker used by J.R & King to describe Kane and Undertaker. This is my favorite song on the album
- Spoon Feat. Conway The Machine- When Conway and Westside go back and forth, they would make a collaboration look like easy team work. Bouncing off each other’s idea’s made each line in this song come picture perfect.
- 716 Mile Feat. Boldy James- A great outro where bars come onto the song and comes to life. You can tell by the outro that Side B was coming out and honestly, Westside Gunn got the best cliff hangers in hip hop discography’s.
Overall- Westside Gunn added another collection to his name but ironically, he drops Side B on September 10. This Side A is a great way to explore the life of FlyGod and what he has done for our culture. Bringing back New Yorks Boom bap rap style along with a line up where the guest feel like the host, I will break down Side B later this week and give y’all the proper review you deserve to read!
Live From The Stove Top,
Andrew Kenekham AKA Druski Dru
