When Westside Gunn arrived in Paris for the Off-White Fashion Show earlier this year, he wasn’t there to make music. Among other ventures, he debuted his new sneaker, the New Balance 357, and soaked in the elegance of the city of love. After a week, he was overwhelmed with inspiration from the lavish Parisian lifestyle and began creating this masterpiece, Pray For Paris. This album is nothing short of artistry as Westside recruits top of the line production and features to complete the project. Virgil Abloh, creative director for Off White and Louis Vuitton, designed the cover art based off Caravaggio's 17th century painting, David with the Head of Goliath.
To set the theme, the album is introduced with audio from Christies auctioning of the Salvador Mundi, the infamous DaVinci portrait of Jesus that had been missing for over 250 years. It remains the most expensive item even sold at auction, at a whopping $450 million USD. Westside continues with songs portraying the regality of coke rap, his time on the streets of Buffalo, his threatening tones, and underrated wordplay. Often overshadowed by fellow Griselda labelmates Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine, Westside proves he can keep up lyrically and sonically to these artists and just about anyone in the game. Thematically, this album is Westside Gunn’s realization that his days selling coke led to this ultimate trip to Paris that afforded him the opportunity to live a lavish lifestyle.
On George Bondo, Westside recruits both Griselda members for the albums gritty lyrical punch. Benny the Butcher comes through with his famously creative punchlines and stands out as a top rapper of 2020, continuing where he left off in 2019. “Think it's a game until I Patrick Kane somebody homie. That's slidin' through with a stick, shooting' one by the goalie.” Jaw dropping, head scratching bars are what make Benny a premier emcee, yet Westside surprisingly keeps up and doesn’t get left in the trail of pristine features.
Perhaps the albums most popular song, 327, named after Westside’s debut sneaker, features two verses: one from the recently reclusive Joey Badass and one from the recently emotional Tyler the Creator. In true 2013 fashion, they both body their verses to make this song unforgettably float over a soft jazzy instrumental. Tyler continues his experimental fashion and explorational sexuality as he raps “glitter on my neck match the glitter on my fingernails.” He keeps the gender breaking stereotypes but raps a verse with grit and punchlines that we missed on his past two projects. To keep on topic, Westside throws in a few more songs about Paris, confessing his love for the city, fashion, and it's women. He even recruits Wale, a rapper that was famous in 2011, whose verse is the only slight misstep on this near perfect album.
About halfway through the album, the production value, artistry, and a true Parisian feeling increase tenfold. On $500 Dollar Ounces, we are blessed with a Griselda and Freddie Gibbs collaboration, which has been years in the making. Two of the three heads on the Mount Rushmore of coke rap (maybe next time, Pusha T) reminisce about their days selling crack over a groovy soulful beat. Freddie’s wordplay isn’t to be understated, nor his adaptability to the topic of the album, rapping about his “skeletons in my closet right next to Balenciagas.” Lost in this collaboration is a stunning verse from Roc Marciano, who, along with producer Alchemist (who has many credits on this album) introduced the Griselda three headed monster to the world. Former Vine star Jay Versace debuts as a producer on “Versace,” which only compares to elegance heard in a European street with church bells and violinists in full swing. It is truly beautiful and allows Westside to rap uninterrupted for a succinct yet stunning verse. Following this is a beat from the Alchemist, featuring an Alchemist protégé, Detroit rapper Boldy James. This song has been critiqued for its pitched down Westside verses, but I seem to disagree with the hate. Westside has created such a distinct sound, flow, and cadence that even with the pitched down vocals is heard loud and clear. Boldy raps a sultry and well-placed verse about (what else?) dealing drugs.
After the album was finished and track list released, the legendary DJ Premier reached out to Westside with one request: to make a beat for the album. Despite its completion, Premier sent over the beat that would turn into Shawn vs. Flair. Consider this a gift from the rap gods who added a Premo beat to this already stacked production lineup. To match the specific mood of this album would be difficult; it is hard to recreate a royal sounding elegance that only Paris could copy. However, Tyler the Creator produced the track “Party Wit Pop Smoke,” which is impressively cohesive for an album reportedly made so quickly.
It would be disappointing for this album to end on anything short of a gilded track that could be echoed throughout the walls of the Louvre or Mount Olympus. LE Djoliba, named after a Parisian restaurant serving West African cuisine, is the magnum opus of this album as well as Westside’s career. It is barely a verse, with bars slowly rapped with no real meaning or rhythm, but it isn’t about the lyrics. Over the course of the album Westside Gunn proved he could keep up, if not out-rap, both his label mates and other top notch rappers. There aren’t many words to describe the feeling that this song invokes. In short, what a closing. Perfection. Chef's Kiss. I noticed my usual rap-listening-stank-face recede for a look of awe that only a piece of art could inhibit. The listener observes the invisible violinist, the omnipresent choir, and the music dances into the moonlight as one can only hear echoing through the alleys of Paris. Cartier William’s tap-dancing sample is, in a word, perfect. It sounds like an audience applauding the end of this masterpiece. It sounds like gunfire through the streets of buffalo. It sounds like a maestro conducting an orchestra that is on its final notes. In a time of massive streaming, Westside Gunn proves that he can release a well-constructed album from start to finish.
Pray For Paris is plated like a five star dish, presented like Paris Fashion week, and created as a symbol of hardships and royalty. The album screams Paris with a side of grit and violence that only Westside Gunn would know. BO BOO BO BOOOOO.
As of now, this is my album of the year. 8.8/10