Review: Westside Gunn — Still Praying

Westside Gunn
Still Praying
Griselda Records
Street: 11.01
Westside Gunn = Stove God Cooks x Joey BadA$$ / Season 2, Episode 20 of Regular Show “Really Real Wrestling”

Are the genres of rap and hip-hop completely outside of what is en vogue? Have we reached a point in the musical zeitgeist where jazz and trap essentialist artists are no longer being paid attention to? Did we fall off? If you know me personally, you can attest to my dedicated adoration for rap music. However, lately I’ve been growing tired of anticipating new releases from my favorite rappers and ultimately being disappointed (I’m looking at you, Tyler). The latest Westside Gunn and DJ Drama record, Still Praying, is no exception to this ongoing chain of letdowns. The album is the third installment in a thematic trilogy written by Gunn, following Pray for Paris (2020) and And Then You Pray For Me (2023). Unfortunately, everybody knows that sequels are never as good and the rule of threes can only take you so far. 

To give credit where it’s due, Westside Gunn is a very busy man. His schedule must be jam-packed with studio sessions and curation conferences because he releases new music like he’s running out of time. Since this project has come out, the record label owner already has a new single, “The Hurt Syndicate” with M V P and Smoke DZA, ready for the public. Maybe it’s a “quantity over quality” situation or that Gunn is spreading his resources thin—not physical resources, though, as you can tell he’s holding his finances down by the lyrics on Still Praying. Still, I am left a bit concerned about Gunn’s wellbeing as he is working like a dog. Praying for him, even. What’s better than three ropes? Four ropes. Westside Gunn called his wrestling company “Fourth Rope” as an homage to his 2019 studio album. Gunn held an event called Heels Have Eyes III on November 2, where the night was filled with artistic performances and wrestling matches. The amount of planning it took to create both the event and the wrestling-themed albums is impressively dramatic.

If there’s anything Gunn loves, it’s a motif or two. Still Praying has many moments where the given vocalist praises “Flygod” as an awesome god. The second track is named after and features Justin Roberts, the ring announcer for All Elite Wrestling. The fourth and fifth tracks, “Max Caster” and “Dr. Britt Baker,” are references to the professional wrestlers signed to the same company. Gunn’s daughter Westside Pootie proudly sings “the heels have eyes” at the beginning of her callout verse on “Underground King.” The album cover is the most explicit wrestling allusion: Sid Eudy scowling in the ring before presumably beating some poor sap’s ass. Sticking to his Gunns, Westside is one to play to his own themes. With every vocal trill mimicking gunfire, the artist shoots himself in the foot with self-characterization.

Honestly, my main complaint about Still Praying is that no part of it employs Gunn’s ingenuity. The production could be a bit tighter but it borders on whimsical. The swanky sonic experience is a classic atmosphere that harkens the image of a glass coffee table in a Best Western lobby. This is ironic considering how often the lyrics boast opulence and luxury. You can find this notion in a nutshell in “I Know Verdy” with the lyrics, “Ten-car garage, had to back every whip it / Said his eight-ball was three-point-three and I chipped him / Bullets started whistlin’, one shell chipped him / Rick Owens your door in with a chicken / Rotisserie you can’t get with me / Lyrically, spiritually, Valentino Campbell on my infantry.” Gunn likes to play jump-rope with his lines; stand-out examples include a shout-out to the re-elected president giving out stimulus checks during the height of Covid-19: “Know n****s got a free comma from Trump,” on “Max Caster.” The abrasive, evasive edgelord themes don’t stop, as the outro of “Beef Bar” brings up Fortnite and Diddy: “Last week, I threw Max out the Battle Royale / Caught him slippin’ ’cause of all the baby oil.” The target audience must be 14-year-old sigma libertarians. 

The unsatisfying arc of hardcore drug-inspired rap is much like an addictive substance itself. What was once a high-yielding subject breeding the most prolific verses of all time has become lackluster to the boom-bap junkie. The question remains: Why pay gratitude to God for money you made from selling cocaine? I guess His reason is behind everything, especially intoxication. With the modern-day music scene being rich in feminine inspiration, it’s no surprise that Gunn’s old tricks are failing in efficacy. Not only does Westside Gunn have to rival the flow and skills of Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla and Doechii, he also has to submit to their indisputable desirability. My ladies have yet to let me down. Westside Gunn, on the other hand, is staring down the barrel of excessive production and lack of innovation. –Marzia Thomas

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