“Pray for Paris”: A Victory for Westside Gunn’s Health and Career

(Note: The author of the article, Kyle Chang, isn’t listed as a possible contributor. In addition, the art that was requested, a sketch of Westside Gunn standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, wasn’t in the folders)

Outquote(s):

1. Though Westside Gunn’s performance on almost every track is solid as always, his rapping arsenal often seems limited and one dimensional, especially on this project.

2. Despite releasing another standard Westside Gunn project that can seem repetitive without any cohesive concept or direction, the well-established rapper still manages to sharpen his skills a little more. In doing so, he creates a decent listen for rap fans in general and does justice to his East Coast roots.

Griselda Records founder and artist Westside Gunn released his third studio album, “Pray for Paris,” shortly after revealing the triumphant fact that he is now a survivor of COVID-19. With this album, the Buffalo native reinforces his already established East Coast influenced raps, filling the full-length LP with lush instrumentals backed by pounding boom-bap beats and a nasal delivery. Gunn offers much of the same content as he had in the past, touching on themes of drug dealing, wealth, and the life of a gangster. His aggressive lyrics contrast nicely with the more mellow beats and complement the hard-hitting drum loops. The beats go from angelic (as heard on “No Vacancy”) to dirty and grimy minutes later on the following track (see “George Bondo”). This formula of solid lyricism over a chill yet energetic beat is really on display throughout the whole album.

What stands out is how Gunn decorates the project with diversified sounds that could have become stale in their absence. The best example is “327,” which features Tyler, the Creator; Joey Bada$$; and Billie Essco. With a smooth chorus by Essco over a soft and mellow instrumental, Bada$$ and Tyler each give a refreshing take on the song; Bada$$ gives an expectedly great rap performance, and Tyler brings back his older, grittier style of rap his fans have been missing for a while.

Though Gunn’s performance on almost every track is solid as always, his rapping arsenal seems limited and one dimensional, especially on this project. A few tracks feel extremely derivative of previous ones, making the latter half a tougher listen. The recurring ad-libs that drag out for just a second too long, as well as his inability to write a catchy or even sonically appealing chorus, unfortunately ruin a few otherwise quality tracks like “French Toast” and “Allah Sent Me.”

But Gunn is able to pick the album back up with the last three tracks on the project. After a clear nod to late legendary New York rappers Prodigy and Phife Dawg, Gunn bodies the DJ Premier produced track, “Shawn vs. Flair,” boasting his incredibly fitting flow and delivery. On the very next track “Party wit Pop Smoke” (a tribute to recently murdered New York rapper Pop Smoke), Gunn features Tyler once again, this time utilizing Tyler’s best musical trait: production. On this track, Tyler showcases his ability to build around a sample, contributing his own artistic voice while maintaining the beat’s simplicity. Griselda poet Keisha Plum adds a unique touch to the song, accompanying the warm keys with a verse of her own. The project ends with “LE Djoliba,” yet another strong track with a great verse and an even better tap dance solo by Cartier Williams, nicely wrapping up the 41-minute album.

Despite releasing another standard Gunn project that can seem repetitive without any cohesive concept or direction, the well-established rapper still manages to sharpen his skills a little more. In doing so, he creates a decent listen for rap fans in general and does justice to his East Coast roots.