Westside Gunn Drops Surprise Album ‘Ten,’ the Final ‘Hitler Wear Hermes’ Project with star-studded guest appearances.
Our Rating: 9.6/10
Westside Gunn said after the announcement of his last HWH record that he had planned to release Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B the series’ latest part but felt “wrong” doing nine instead of 10. In this climax, West has achieved to collaborate with an all-star lineup of artists while keeping true to his and Griselda’s voices and without appearing strained or out of context.
The Buffalo native startled his fans on Thursday afternoon (Oct. 27) when he revealed the project on social media while removing the name of the deposed German leader from the album’s title. Despite the fact that Gunn’s most recent album, 10, has been shorn of its distinct and provocative Hitler Wears Hermes prefix, it is a suitable conclusion to the saga. Gunn does not really alter anything, save from the title: he employs DJ Drama to refer to his work as “Cultural art at its greatest,” gathers a cast of outstanding gangsta rappers who foster healthy rivalry, and raps passionately over lavish sounds.
The Albums by Westside Gunn have the vibe of hip-hop tribute recordings. I couldn’t help but adore the music as I listened to the many Hip hop artists on this Mixtape. Let’s get going on a detailed review of the swan song to his HWH mixtape. Doe Boy joins on the intro’s album opener “FLYGOD Jr.,” which was produced by Kanye West’s son thus the caption, to spit some gangsta-laced bravado, while Conductor Williams’ “Super Kick Party” performs in a synth boom bap melody while conversing about being sportsmen and trying to run this show even while taken into custody. Black Star joins Westside for the introspective “Peppas” to merge his awareness approaches with his stretching, and his use of a clip from his participation on AEW Rampage last month for the end credits is the perfect grip. In truth, this track hits the best ones since it was awesome to hear Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) and Talib Kweli on a track together once again. They absolutely crush their verses as well, illustrating that regular flows over instrumental rhythms can still be effective. As the Mos Def/Talib Kweli reunion continues with each artist providing outstanding rhymes, “Peppas” is one of the album’s highlights. Additionally, veterans of the Wu-Tang group can be seen working on the music of the song “Intro” before Ghostface Killah and Raekwon make an impression on the song “Science Class.”
A$AP Rocky and Stove God Cook$ both feature on the unsettling yet grimy “Shootouts in Soho,” going on their gangster stuff. Three of the finest verses I’ve listened to this year are on “Shootouts in Soho,” a hip-hop song with a groove that was presumably created on some cloud computing. It’s amazing to hear Westside Gunn, A$AP Rocky, and Stove God Cooks talk about anything from making dope to realizing their aspirations as they leisurely stroll through the song.
While doing this, West is rapping about hitting shit in the open on “Nigo Louis,” which is followed by the Rome Streetz-assisted “BDP,” which has fly gangster stuff and a melodious drum-powered melody. My favourite track from this album is found in “BDP.” Rome Streetz, Stove God Cooks, and Westside Gunn, fortunately, all catch the groove at the edges with insanely assured tosses, rapacious bars, and very solid flows.
Sorry, but this track would receive 5/5 from us if Westside Gunn and the random “This Is How We Do It” sample was removed.
A track as beautiful, hippie-like, and Lasting Relationship from the 1970s- as the one driving “Science Class” is unlike any beat I’ve ever heard bonafide ghetto warriors rhyme over. Don’t be fooled; you’re about to get smacked in the face by Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Stove God Cooks, and Westside Gunn. According to the rhythm that is given, they might pluck some wildflowers for you. An incredible musical experience is “Science Class.”
During the final minute and a half of “God is Love,” Estee Nack & Stove God talk about how they made it work while weaving drumless samples into the mixture and switching the tempo.
Mike Shabb admitted that the only way to persuade guys to consider leaving the crib was to play “Switches on Everything” with Run the Jewels. Stove God shines brightest on ‘Switches on Everything.’ Stove concludes the track by relishing in his accomplishment, musing on drug selling and desiring to be rich; he believes he’s achieved it, as he exclaims, “Twenty later, we on a million.” While the last tune, “Mac Don’t Stop,” amps up the jazz levels with Pete Rock screaming his gun talk.
The album’s closing, ‘Red Death,’ solidifies Griselda’s place as a fixture of underground hip-hop in the upcoming years. With a runtime of 10 minutes, the song enters Gunn’s collection of lengthy, memorable compositions, since it comprises virtually all of Griselda’s mainstays, save possibly Mach-Hommy and Boldy James.
“Red Death” lasts a whooping nine minutes. Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, Armani Caesar, Stove God Cooks, and others deliver hard-hitting rhymes over this slower The Alchemist rhythm. Finally, DJ Drama’s heightened adlibs and the camaraderie between all involved will keep you engaged. Though Conway is still excellent, Rome Streetz takes the spotlight on “Red Death” because the New Yorker hasn’t slowed it down since Kiss The Ring’s debut, releasing a verse chock-full of witty references and spooky pictures of drug addicts in action. Again, West only appears for a brief moment, but it doesn’t matter since these are the musicians he has developed into chart-topping, independent stars. To convey his worth in this tune, he doesn’t need to rhyme.
The production on this record made me bang my head. You’ll be wowed by the spontaneous tracks that Westside recruited these gang star rappers to rap over, as usual. Denny Laflare, Elijah Hooks, Swizz Beats, Conductor Williams, Flygod JR, Mike Shabbo, The Alchemist, Pete Rock, and RZA deserve special mention. The cameo appearances on this record include everything, as expected. Westside Gunn’s colourful universe is full of Alice In Wonderland-ass rhythms, and A$AP Rocky, Yasiin Bey, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, Run The Jewels, Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, and many more. Everyone comes alive so brightly that you overlook you’re hearing to a Westside Gunn record. Stove God Cooks, in my opinion, takes the spotlight on the Disc. His ability to write lines that really are insane + nasty + reasonable is quite outstanding.
The rap performances on this album by Westside Gunn aren’t at all poor; rather, I’d describe them as fun and intentionally unengaging. He deserves praise for his curating abilities. On this album, he does another thing by blending rhythms that shouldn’t be blended. The strange sound combined with the tough-ass rhymes from every artist on 10 results in a listening experience that can only be compared to the previous nine HWHs.
While Gunn is frequently at his finest while not rhyming, he shows that he can nonetheless fit in on songs with far more skilled composers, giving us what may be the best HWH record as the series’ final instalment.
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