Westside Gunn - 10 (Album)

The tenth and final entry to Westside Gunn’s notorious acclaimed Hitler Wears Hermes series has come to an end on the 28th day of October; where it saw its dramatic close go off on a high note where the features & production credit become one of the most illustrious tracklists to date for West which ain’t easy to say especially when we talk about the Flygod’s catalog. He had previously announced the series ending on a sit down with Peter Rosenberg where he mentioned the features we would later see on the album: Black Star (Talib Kweli & Yasin Bey), Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Run The Jewels, A$AP Rocky Busta Rhymes alongside Griselda & frequent collaborators with protection carried by Swizz Beatz, RZA, Alchemist & more. It was a hard pill to swallow at first to see the end of an era of this magnitude occur since West has held it down for ten years, starting his first HWH back in 2012, since then Westside Gunn has changed the culture for the better becoming an idol, mogul & inspiration in the time with more being developed for the future. He’s mentioned on many occasions that he could leave rap and be good with the outcome since it leaves fans with a monumental record of art for new and existing fans to enjoy while having him focus on more endeavors in his career. We end wasting days to honor people like Westside Gunn while they’re here to enjoy their flowers. Seeing the come-up happen from day one, I’ve been motivated to carry my team in the same way West has done for his, so my send-off to this illustrious series is finally getting the opportunity to review the album in all its fine glory and pen my thoughts to it in hopes to see many others like myself admire and recognize his cemented status as a legend for the culture.

The intro starts with HWH alum AA Rashid spitting knowledge and wisdom over RZA’s soulful sample production to keep the listener’s mind sharp as we witness the historical greatness formed from Westside’s art. He prepares us to face new opportunities in the next journey with Griselda & Michelle Records. The next record, “Flygod Jr,” is presented to us by none other than DJ Drama, who describes this entry as “cultural art at its finest,” where Westside Gunn switches up his flow with a more composed sound that tossed with a different style in the mix which is a great way to start the album by shifting courses a bit in a versatile range.

CONDUCTOR, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!

Conductor Williams is back in production with “Super Fly Kick,” applying deep pressure for the Flygod to keep the haters on they toes, and when they start acting erratic, he hits up with a kick off the top rope to keep them back to being humble like Iron Sheik would do in the ring. The following records are filled with features we can’t overlook, especially when it comes to the cultural impact where you mixed A$AP Rocky & Stove God in “Shootout In Soho” to heat back up pots and pans in the kitchen to get to whipping dope up like this was a cook-off between Esco & Chapo in the 90s. The following joint, “Peppas,” gets Conductor Williams back behind the boards to get Yasin Bey serving up the lyrical warfare. At the same time, Talib hops up next to engage machine gun funk before it gets anchored by Westside, sealing off the top before more explosions go off. This album wouldn’t be a proper send-off unless we heard WS Pootie tells how broke we are and share her educational success getting to the fourth grade, where she ends off by comparing her riches to her principal, which is a mean flex to do on “Nigo Louis,” especially how Westside Gunn talks his shit in showing his riches are more significant than the opposition; like father like daughter. The meanest record out right now has to be “Science Class” you got Busta, Rae, Ghost, Stovy & West, which is a diabolical collection of lyrical proportions, then add the Swizz Beatz production to the mix, and you got yourself the ingredient of destruction. I couldn’t leave this review without mentioning the poetry of Keisha Plum anchoring after Estee Nack & Stove Gold’s seismic energy, where she still flourishes gracefully in serenading her voice to send off the entry to the heavens to sit close by her in the clouds. One of the biggest standout tracks to see on the tracklist was the Run The Jewels feature which lived up to the hype and more. Both EL-P & Killer Mike brash well with the Mike Shabbo production, while Westside Gunn goes off in a lyrical tangent at the end to send off another joint to the highlight reel. The outro record “Red Death” is a 10-minute killing spree starting with Drama’s voice before Griselda’s elite lineup annihilates the Alchemist production. Touched by the mighty pen of Benny, Conway, Armani, Stove, and many more, the ending record is the staple of achievements that each of these artists has come a long way from their start. They were introduced in the series to finding their own voice outside of it, which I’m sure was always West’s ideal plan. The album was full of surprises, along with remembrance of the first entry, I’m sure this was a tough decision but we all know great things must come to an end. Instead of doing it from a weak point, Westside Gunn ended on a peak trajectory where it proves there ain’t no god better than Flygod.

Westside Gunn has already mapped out his plans for the future on his latest fader interview with a focus on Stove’s Michelle Debut, an album with Jay Worthy & Boldy’s Griselda debut to be next on his plate. With the end of his HWH series, this won’t be the last time we see Westside Gunn in music, but a new beginning to see the art shine brighter. He has the merch going crazy right now and is working with the sharpest artists currently out, you can see the vision go up from here, and we’ll push to see ourselves in the same spot as the Flygod in the new year as our goal will be to meet and connect with the Griselda head honcho. If you haven’t had the chance to hear the final entry to the HWH series, be sure to do that here while sharing it around on all social media avenues.