Both Westside Gunn and Conway, the duo that makes up Griselda Records, are among the most underrated emcees in the country. They easily rank among the best in New York -- the state, that is -- as they both hail from Buffalo, a place that's apparently as deadly as it is freezing. Shout-out to REVOLT for its recent documentary on the two "Buffalo Soldiers" and their bleak but inspiring surroundings. The pair's new record, "Frankie Lymon," is named for one of the first Black teenage pop stars, who lost his life to a heroin overdose at age 25. It's produced by Daringer, whose style brings to mind the New York sampling greats of the 90s.
How many rappers could make such a ruthless sounding record over an instrumental that sounds like it was taken from a thriller movie from Frankie Lymon's era? It must be a Buffalo trade. No one's making music like this, yet there's nothing that sounds more suited for the New York winter that lies ahead.
Do yourself a favor and spent a few hours on Griselda's SoundCloud.
Quotable Lyrics
I'm not impressed with other n*ggas, Even XXL know
They can't have The Machine around them Freshman Cover n*ggas
Fuck your top list, fuck your blog, fuck your podcast, fuck your all, n*gga
Fuck your magazine and your radio show
You know I dump the magazine if you play wit me though
- Conway