Album Review: Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris

New York’s very own Westside Gunn has released his new project “Pray for Paris”. Westside Gunn has gathered some huge names for the production of this album that include DJ Premier, Tyler the Creator and Daringer just to name a few, with a star-studded lineup all around we lept straight into the new 13 track project.

“Pray for Paris” overall production has delivered on a massive scale. The combination of Westside Gunn’s key boom bap type style with his gangster rap delivery glides over the vibrant keyboards and pounding of the drums. Gunn has also given a very old school rap a “2020” facelift with his unique trap-like voice over his heavy adlibs. Gunn has really crafted a vintage new school style while still paying homage to Brooklyn in a lot of their beat productions. A standout example is the track “500 Ounces”, The Alchemist delivers a smooth animated beat that Gunn, Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano could run riot over.

“327” is a track that really catches the listener during the project, Westside preaches across the smooth beat and delivers with the backing combination of Essco and Joey Bada$$ on the catchy hook. Who can forget Tyler the Creator’s verse on here though, stages of his verse felt like his voice and delivery that we use to hear on his old projects such as “Wolf” it felt like an old high school reunion as such. Catching sight of some new school and old school type rap artists on a track never felt so good.

My biggest criticism behind “Pray for Paris'' would have to be that it does feel very stretched in places and it feels like the project could have been shorter and still not lacked anything in the final cut. “Claiborne Kick” is a track that drags and doesn’t feel like it really gives anything to the final project in the long run, This track also comes across as very adlib heavy throughout the chorus and leaves you wondering what the main verse is that you are supposed to be tuned into.

Personally, I don’t think Westside Gunn is going to be drowned out anytime soon. “Pray for Paris” is definitely a consistent project with a few songs that I do think will go further than a fair amount of the others. Westside Gunn has done one thing that stands out in this project and that is making ends meet with the two different generations of rappers in a time when rap is dominated by the new school trap. Westside Gunn and his team have definitely proved that they are not going anywhere yet. 

Reviewed by: Aidan Treston