Westside Gunn has rapidly established himself as one of the flyest innovators in hip-hop, rising from a purveyor of grimy Buffalo bars to one of the most well-connected artists in the entire rap game. And in a brilliant turn, he didn't even have to sacrifice the former to become the latter, a testament to his visionary integrity. Now, with his upcoming album Pray For Paris set to arrive on April 17th, Gunn has taken to Instagram to unveil the hauntingly beautiful album artwork from Virgil Abloh.
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"PRAY FOR PARIS 4/17 Cover ART designed by head of Louis Vuitton @virgilabloh," captions Gunn, alongside the majestic piece of art. "Dont ever compare Me to Anybody!!!!!!" Collaborator Royce Da 5'9", who worked with Westside on his own "Overcomer" track, chimed in with some heartfelt words of respectful admiration. "You think on an elevated level of ghetto sophistication," writes Nickel. "It’s fun to watch you quality control."
On that note, it looks like Gunn has pulled out all the stops on Pray For Paris, bringing in features from Freddie Gibbs, Wale, Roc Marciano, Conway, Benny The Butcher, Tyler, The Creator, and more. Check out the full tracklist here, and bask in the glory of the Virgil Abloh-designed cover art below. It's not quite brick written on a brick, but it's almost surely the next best thing.
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