It has already been made very clear that elite lyricism is required to be a member of Griselda Records. Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher's solo discographies have proven this and their recent collaborative effort, What Would Chinegun Do, did too. They deal in grimy street raps and deliver them in intricate detail. Each of the rappers bring a distinct voice to the Buffalo-bred crew. 

Griselda's doors don't open for anyone, but they did for Boldy James. He may hail from Detroit, rather than Buffalo, but he has definitely displayed his masterful bars over the years. His latest release, The Price of Tea in China - a collaborative album with The Alchemist - is being praised as one of the best rap albums of the year so far. It's all the evidence you need to determine that Boldy James is worthy of joining Griselda. 

Back in December, Westside Gunn received criticism after saying in a RapRadar interview that Griselda’s (Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, Conway) output in 2019 went slightly overlooked, even though Dreamville or TDE would have been praised for being as prolific as the Buffalo-bred collective. He clarified that he has deep respect for those labels for anyone who was misinterpreting his initial statement. While Westside Gunn may have eased up on the self-appraisal to avoid offending any fans of those other rap crews, he has now ditched any pretence of humility. He believes Griselda has made some of the most important cultural contributions in hip hop history and he will keep shouting it from the rooftops. 

He posted a collage of Griselda album covers on Instagram and wrote:

“GRISELDA has the best Catalogue in HIP HOP HISTORY!!!!! IDC who u name and I respect EVERYBODY the OGs the Pioneers, the ones who even inspired US but the FAKTS is the FAKTS idk when y’all wanna start giving US our roses but this shit is CULTURE, whoever u name catalog not even this deep and this powerful we can debate all u want but don’t try and name somebody wit 3 strong albums and that’s it YOU must not be seeing the same picture I’m seeing and that’s Why I’m the [goat emoji] it’s not bc I’m the best rapper idgaf about that it’s about what I’m doing for the Culture as a whole FASHION,ART,WRESTLING ontop of Still making Projects that can run with ANYTHING it won’t be ever done again we’re living in modern day History.”

Westside Gunn has teased that he has a project titled Pray For Paris and another project with Madlib lined up for 2020. 

Weeks after releasing their single “Dr. Birds” from WWCD (What Would Chine Do), Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher performed the track on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage. The Griselda Records, Buffalo, New York trio brought their hometown to the main stage as they featured a video clip that showed the inspiration behind the title of the track: a restaurant in Buffalo.

“I’m very excited, it’s dope man,” Conway said of his Tonight Show performance. “I watch the show every time I get a chance, and I enjoy the show, and it’s just dope to be a part of that with my music to get me there and be able to represent Buffalo on that platform.” He added, “We are true to ourselves and we are true to our own sound which is the east side of Buffalo, New York sound.”

Griselda Records is known as one of the most hard-working collectives in hip hop, and their love for their city doesn’t go unnoticed. “They’re very proud of this community, and it’s good to see them reaching success and appearing on Jimmy Fallon,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said. Check out the Griselda and their street-wise style on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below.