Griselda's having one hell of a year after an incredibly productive 2019 that included the release of WWCD. With Westside Gunn's Pray For Paris holding it down as one of the best rap projects of 2020, Conway looks like he's readying to release his own project in the near future. During a recent Instagram Livestream, Conway The Machine revealed the tentative tracklist for From King To A God which has some major features that people have been waiting on for a hot minute.

The Griselda hometeam will be scattered throughout the project. Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher join forces on "Spurs 3" while from Beat Butcha, Daringer, and Rick Hyde make up a portion of the production credits. However, the features and production outside the Griselda camp is what's more exciting. The long-awaited collaboration with Drake, produced by Murda Beatz titled, "50c Razors," will appear on the project. 2 Chainz, Freddie Gibbs, Dej Loaf, Flee Lord, and Havoc also serve as guest features. On the production side, Roc Marciano, CozmoBeats, Trizzy Williams, and Hit-Boy also hold it down.

Peep the tracklist below.

1. From King To God (Intro)
2. Tear Gas (prod. by CozmoBeats)
3. Tik Tik ft. Havoc and Flee Lord (prod. by Havoc)
4. Lemon (Prod. By Beat Butcha & Daringer)
5. Tru Bethel ft. 2 Chainz (prod. by Trizzy Williams)
6. 5500 (Prod. by Rick Hyde)
7. God (Skit)
8. Stay Solid ft. Freddie Gibbs (prod. by Beat Butcha)
9. 50c Razors ft. Drake
10. G Bundles ft. Dej Loaf
11. Spurs 3 ft. Benny The Butcher & Westside Gunn
12. Crack In The 90s (prod. Roc Marciano)

At the beginning of April, Griselda lyricist Conway caught his fans by surprise when he unveiled his plans to retire. “After FKTG, GDMM, and EIF4, I’m out,” he declared, alluding to his upcoming albums From A King To A God, God Don’t Make Mistakes, and Everybody Is F.O.O.D. 4. Now, Conway has once again teased his departure from the game, this time shortening the countdown to two more albums — though it’s entirely possible that EIF constitutes as a mixtape, technically.

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While it’s unclear as to what might have motivated his decision to bow out gracefully, it’s curious to see the tweets he highlighted in his recent IG post. In it, The Machine seems frustrated with those who only skim through his catalog, quoting Jay-Z’s eternal “do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?” His main problem seemed to stem from those who accused him of being single-minded, with Conway providing a list of potential songs designed to make his haters eat crow. “2 more albums left and [peace],” he writes, seemingly alluding that we’ll appreciate more after he’s gone.

Given how much Conway The Machine clearly respects Jay-Z, perhaps it’s possible that he’s taking a page out of the Jigga Man’s playbook. Lest we forget, Jay was originally meant to retire after The Black Album dropped in 2003. He returned shortly after with Kingdom Come. Should that indeed be the case, perhaps we can take solace in knowing that The Machine’s absence will be temporary — after all, rappers have tried to get out only to be pulled back in time and time again. 

Either way, we still have two more albums to look forward to before his final bow, including his long-awaited Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes. 

While there are millions of people who have their conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, people who have survived a bout with the virus are here to tell you that it’s the real deal. We previously reported that Griselda emcee Westside Gunn battled coronavirus, and he talked about his experience, saying, “I’m feeling good now, these short breaths, this sh*t was like a tornado through my chest.” His Griselda mate Benny The Butcher recently sat down with VladTV to talk about his friend’s recent struggles, admitting that he didn’t speak with Gunn much while he was sick to give him space to recover.

“I remember speaking to him and he was telling me he was sick and I was thinking, yo, you probably f*cked up,” Benny said. “He had it… That sh*t is nothing to play with. Rest in peace Fred The Godson. I got asthma. I got bad asthma, and me and Fred, we shared that. So, seeing him go, it’s just a f*cked up wake-up call. A wake-up call that I didn’t want and it’s sad that he left us so early from this unexpected virus that just came out of nowhere. A tragedy. Real sh*t.”

Benny went on to sing Fred’s praises as he spoke fondly about the times he worked with the late rapper. “It’s a lot of people in Buffalo[, New York] who died from that sh*t. It’s a lot of people,” he continued. Benny said his girl has her own wig and hair extensions company, and she sold a woman some items one day and not long after, saw on social media that the customer passed away from COVID-19. “People are really here today and gone tomorrow off of that sh*t so, I just want everybody to be careful. And I’m not going anywhere near Buffalo right now.” Watch Benny The Butcher below.

It’s already May, and the Griselda trifecta has wasted little time in establishing their presence in 2020. In March, Conway The Machine delivered his Lulu EP, produced entirely by The Alchemist. A little later, Westside Gunn dropped off his absolutely stacked album Pray For Paris. Now, Benny The Butcher is getting ready to drop off some new music of his own, confirming to Complex that he’s got a project with Hit-Boy and another with Harry Fraud on the horizon — though neither are given a date, he affirms that the year will be his before long.

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As for his listening habits, Benny reveals that his playlist has been consisting of music from Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Jay Electronica‘s A Written Testimony, and a re-listen of Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt. As for his watching habits, The Butcher admits to watch ESPN reruns, putting forth an interesting theory. “Men, we addicted to sports,” he laughs. “They still showing games from 96, 88. I’m still watching those. My daughter watching All-American so I might come in the room and watch it a bit. I might stay for an episode or two.”

The Butcher also issues a challenge to any PS4 gamers who think they stand a chance against him. “Anybody out there who think they can get with The Butcher,” he boasts. “I’m playing UFC 3, I’m playing Madden 20, I’m playing 2K20. If you think you can get with the Butcher, my tag line is Tana_Talk_4.” 

Be sure to keep an eye out for another big year from The Butcher, and should you feel up to the challenge, load up the PlayStation and see how it plays out. Keep your heady up, Benny — the quarantine won’t last forever. 

It’s Conway’s time to reign over the game. Having already established himself as one of the best lyricists, he’s about to plant his flag even deeper into the soil.  Today, The Machine has officially unveiled the album artwork and release date for his upcoming album with producer Big Ghost LTD, taking to Instagram to lift the curtain and reveal his second release of the year — so far.

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In his own announcement post, Big Ghost LTD penned some major praise for his collaborator — and justifiably so. “Been cookin up something on the low,” he begins. “Little secret project witta certain top of the food chain artist/upper echelon lyricist thats been a major part of a movement that not only took over the entire underground hip hop scene but got the attention of the majors n has been influencing the culture in the most organic n uncompromising ways possible ever since.”

He continues, making it clear that anyone ever caught sleeping on the Griselda movement isn’t immune to an I-told-you-so. “Every snoozy ass media entity n music journalist who slept on em is now a day one supporter. Your kids most likely listen to em. Your parents might listen to em. The brand is expanding into other markets n demographics.”

While the pair have yet to unveil the tracklist, Conway previously provided a screenshot of some unreleased files, with song titles like “Family Secrets,” “Dead Flowers,” “Icon,” “Sicarios,” and “S.D.I.N,” and four more blocked-out additions. Look for the upcoming album to land on May 15th (more details are set to come this week), paving the way for Conway’s highly-anticipated Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes. 

Westside Gunn’s vision as a curator has been widely regarded as second-to-none. It’s part of the reason why Griselda has somehow managed to blur the lines between midnight street violence and high-fashion luxury. Few have built such an impeccable brand. Simply put, it’s become increasingly easy for a wide variety of demographics to like the idea of Westside Gunn. An underdog story manifested with tangible results, the most recent milestone being an inspirational front-row seat at Paris Fashion Week.

Even though his brand of rap has become relatively niche in the contemporary soundscape, Gunn has managed to make it feel particularly wavy — though it often seems like the music itself is seldom thoroughly analyzed, given how appealing he is as an orchestrator. While it doesn’t ultimately matter why one might gravitate toward Westside Gunn, examining Pray For Paris on the basis of its musical merit alone reveals an artist at the height of his craft, exuding confidence, character, and creativity. And that’s not even shining a spotlight on the ad-libs, arguably Gunn’s most recognizable vocalistic component.

Pray For Paris features Westside Gunn’s most inspired rhyming to date. He’s previously suggested that Conway and Benny’s pedigree outweighs his own, though it would be unwise to underestimate Westside’s ability on the mic. His biggest strength lies in his ability to bring his world to life through use of slang and strategic non-sequiturs. His lyrics often rattle off in stream-of-consciousness fashion, tethering the layman to his reality through one or two recognizable images. “Rest in peace Vino, rest in peace Kino, the Spiegel, the seagulls, April fresh ego,” he raps on the DJ Muggs-produced “No Vacancy.” “Slam you on your neck like Bruno Sammartino.” The themes of luxurious violence unfold like red wine slowly seeping through a white carpet. “Welcome home Tito, you proud and sippin’ pinot,” he concludes. “My shooter shot five n****s in a row, we yell ‘bingo.’”

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Though he laments the idea of being pigeonholed as a rapper, it would be a shame to overlook Gunn’s effortless dominance as an emcee. Moreso than ever before he’s taking stylistic risks, exhibiting a newfound dexterity in his delivery. On “George Bondo,” produced by the in-house tandem of Beat Butcha and Daringer, Westside rhymes ably alongside Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher, two rappers who easily tower over the average modern-day lyricist. Even amidst such company Gunn never falters, as he effortlessly weaves violent short stories into his stanzas. “You ever sold a hundred then spent it all in the same weekend?” he asks, firing off syllables in one of the album’s quicker schemes. “Razors leave your face leakin’ / Chill, let the Wraith creep, and the brick broke in eight pieces.” A writer with less imagination might have pulled back on the specificity; we can almost hear the skull cracking as the clay scatters atop the pavement. 

At this point, it almost feels redundant to praise Gunn’s curatorial abilities. He’s been murderous in that department for years — only now, following a slew of widely-publicized co-signs from Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Virgil Abloh (signer of bricks), the volume of curious eyes has multiplied. But Pray For Paris would not be the success that it is on the strength of vision alone. Only a gifted emcee possesses the potential to maximize the masterful production from Alchemist, Daringer, DJ Premier, Beat Butcha, and DJ Muggs. If the instrumentals are the paint itself, Gunn’s is the practiced hand guiding the paintbrush. His ability to go bar for bar with elite emcees is all too often treated as an afterthought. Yet he does so time and time again, whether alongside his own Griselda compatriots on two standout cuts, the Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano assisted “$500 Ounces,” and the smooth posse cut “327” with Tyler, The Creator and Joey Bada$$.

Stylistically cut from the same cloth as Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef, Gunn’s approach to cocaine rap and violent retribution is seldom pretty, a stark juxtaposition against his affinity for haute couture and high-priced memorabilia. His ability to simultaneously — and credibly — operate within two seemingly disparate planes of existence makes him a unique sort of narrator. One that enjoys the nature of the opulent flex but never allows it to tarnish his dedication to crafting raw hip-hop. Pray For Paris is very much a love letter to the craft, penned and signed entirely on a brick. The rare sort of art that a sincere knowledge of history can only enhance. 

In a recent interview, Conway The Machine professed a desire to be revered as one of the greatest of all time. As such, he’s been steadily honing his craft and working on new music, promising a slew of projects to come in 2020 — including his long-awaited Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes, an album said to encapsulate the pinnacle of modern hip-hop. In the meantime, however, The Machine has been steadily building his resume, taking to Instagram to raise the curtain on yet another body of work.

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This one is tentatively titled the Big Ghost Tape, currently made up of nine tracks produced entirely by Big Ghost LTD. For those who have been following the Griselda movement for a minute now, you might recognize Big Ghost LTD from his work on Conway and Westside Gunn’s Griselda Ghost project in 2015. This time around, it seems that Conway is flying solo, continuing his 2020 tradition of rocking with a singular producer for the duration of an album.

Though we have yet to land a release date for this one, look for the Big Ghost Tape to arrive at some point in the imminent future. Machine has never been one to sit on music for long, a fact that benefits us all. Check out the full tracklist below, Conway’s latest Instagram post.

They've reunited and it's expected to sound so good. Benny The Butcher has been a busy bee lately. The Griselda rapper has been dishing out new hits consistently over the past year along with other members of his camp. He made yet another set of impressive appearances on Westside Gunn's newly released (today) project Pray for Paris and has been continuing to hype his mysterious collaboration with Drake since February.

When it comes to Griselda, there's always more heat in the chamber, and according to a tweet, Benny The Butcher is preparing to unleash some tunes with Harry Fraud. "Damn son @HarryFraud really cooked up 'Plugs I Met' Vol 2 with @BennyBsf," the Twitter user wrote. Benny replied, "Yes he did," without further explanation. Fans went wild in the comments saying that it's about time.

In June 2019, Benny released Plugs I Met, a heavy-hitting record that featured appearances by Black Thought, Jadakiss, Conway, Pusha T, India, RJ Payne, and 38 Spesh. We'll have to wait and see what he and Harry Fraud have in store for Plus I Met Vol. 2, but we're expecting nothing but the best from New York's finest. Let us know if you're looking forward to Plugs I Met Vol. 2 from Benny and Harry Fraud.

Last night marked the release of Westside Gunn's brand new solo album Pray For Paris, the culmination of a long-paved road lined with countless projects. Taking pride in his creative vision above all else, Gunn's desire to create transcendental art has imbued his work, and that of his fellow Griselda rappers, with an unwavering sense of confidence. 

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Determined to intercross the disparate realms of grimy boom-bap and haute couture, West brought out the big guns on his most ambitious release thus far. Cameos ranged from cover designer Virgil Abloh, to Tyler The Creator, Alchemist, DJ Premier and Jay Versace behind the boards. Guest verses from Freddie Gibbs, Wale, Tyler, Benny The Butcher, Conway, and Joey Bada$$ served to entrench the album as a celebration of the culture, one delivered with not only integrity but elite tier skill. 

It's no wonder that, despite being only mere hours old, Pray For Paris has already been earning heavy acclaim from rappers, producers, and fans alike. We took to social media to round up some of the notable reactions and memes surrounding the release of Pray For Paris, a hashtag that admittedly caused alarm to briefly flare up -- given the connotations. In any case, the buzz surrounding Westside's latest continues to build, and will likely do so until he inevitably comes through with the next Griselda effort. After all, these albums are all but chapters in his long-running story. 

As he recently made clear during an Instagram Live stream, Westside Gunn understands the importance of having balance in hip-hop culture. It explains his dedication to preserving the tradition of grimy boom-bap, albeit with a revised coat of paint shiny enough to spark a contemporary wave. Following what may very well be one of the most impressive movements in the game, which is to say the entire Griselda onslaught, Gunn has taken a moment to reflect on his impact before the release of his new album Pray For Paris.

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“Don’t ever call me a Rapper, IM AN ARTIST!!!!!” writes Westside Gunn, alongside the stacked tracklist of his upcoming project. “I’m diff and I always knew I was diff shit be so over ppl heads some think I’m even trash bc they don’t understand it but that’s wat happens with Rare ART, i can’t help that I’m that dope and u can’t understand it, I don’t have to be the most popular but I’m the most respected I’ve already did the unthinkable.”

“I can easily dumb it down and go platinum but the game has NEVER seen a WESTSIDEGUNN before,” he continues. “The way I curate, my ear for production, the way I bring ppl into my world and bring the best out of them TONIGHT is my latest Masterpiece All I ask is that u support real ART.” To do so, be sure to go stream that new Pray For Paris when it drops at midnight, featuring guest appearances from Wale, Tyler, The Creator, Joey Bada$$, Freddie Gibbs and more.