Westside Gunn has released what he’s calling his final studio album, And Then You Pray For Me — stream it below.
The Griselda rapper’s new project arrived on Friday (October 13) and features appearances from Rick Ross, Jeezy, JID, Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, Denzel Curry, Boldy James, DJ Drama, Giggs, Ty Dolla $ign, EST Gee, and more.
Behind the boards, the 21-track offering boasts production from RZA and Tay Keith, as well as familiar names like Daringer, Conductor Williams, Beat Butcha and Mr. Green.
And Then You Pray For Me serves as the spiritual successor to Gunn’s 2020 effort Pray For Paris. Much like that project, this new album features Renaissance-era artwork designed by the late Virgil Abloh.
“At first I said I was going to make a trilogy and the Mona Lisa would represent all of them as 1, and then I was gonna make it 2 parts ‘PRAY FOR PARIS.. AND THEN YOU PRAY FOR ME,'” Gunn explained on Instagram last month.
“And have the Mona Lisa represent both but have the last 2 pieces Front and Back bc I want to be able to give the World the ART as we intended too by keep spreading the knowledge and I’m not sure where I’ll be in life to want to make another album in this series.”
He added: “So in order for me to get our ART in the world the time is NOW!!! VIRGIL is a [goat] and I’m honored to be able to carry on legacy this album is dedicated to Him.”
Westside Gunn announced that And Then You Pray For Me would be his last full-length album during a conversation with Rolling Stone earlier in October.
“[This is] going to be the last album where I take the time to say, ‘This is an album,’” he said. “When I was doing the Hitler Wears Hermes series, I was doing all them projects like mixtapes. I was recording the whole shit in two, three days.
“I’m not saying I won’t come with a five-song EP with Madlib or I won’t do a seven-song EP with Alchemist or I won’t rap. I’ll do all of that, but making a studio album, I’m done with all that.”
He continued: “It’s back to dumping until I don’t want to dump no more. I’m going to have fun now. It’s no more pressure. This album was pressure to me. I’m testing the waters on a few different things, but it’s all me.
“It’s not like I’m going out of the box with it or I’m not being me. I’m still me, it’s just kind of a different sound. But at the same time, I don’t know how long I want to ride for.”
Westside Gunn is clearly looking to go out with a bang. In addition to assembling a heavyweight supporting cast, the Buffalo, New York native confidently called And Then You Pray For Me “album of the year” ahead of its release.
“It’s the album of the year, first of all, let me say that, y’know what I’m sayin’?” he told TMZ. “I’ma be honest with you, it’s nothing out there. I done heard everybody, y’know what I’m sayin’?
“We already in October, we 10 months in, I heard everybody — it’s not even close … ’cause I got 21 tracks on here. Just the first 10 is better than everybody album of the year.”
Stream And Then You Pray For Me below:
I do not know about the album myself, I mean I do not mind it and might even like it a lot, who knows, but, that does not matter. What does matter is that Miguel the Plug, broke griselda fans hearts today antd it was awesome to see 🙂 Damn people hate on the motherducker hard. I do not care. I like the album the way it is. Brrr
Good album. Played it on my drive to work. Nothing new but this type of rap is comfort food for me.
You know what? I’m gonna take this L. I heard the whole album (i had to skip through some songs) and the shit is terrible.
Wow, Gunn said it will sound different and there will be no skips. Well, the whole album is pretty much all skips with that trash Trap sound that everyone now a days is doing. Only a handful of boom bap songs which could’ve been an EP. Worst Westside Gunn album. A huge let down. And who is that Stove God Cooks? He trash, go back to selling crack or whatever you gotta do to survive, just please stop rapping/talking or whatever it is you think you’re doing on records.
Anytime a below average to average rapper (95 percent of today’s industry) says something about his or her album being this or that just know with 100 percent certainty that it will be the exact opposite of whatever he or she says about it.
Stove God Cooks trash?
Nah.
Trash album. Corny attempt to being a trap artists with a sprinkle of traditional sounding hip hop is more confusing than a Drake album. Tell stove to stick to crack sales and making plug connections.
True, how is this album worst than Drake’s. I didn’t think that would be
LL Bool Gunn? Smh. If cringe was a person it would def be this lame. LL Bool Gunn? Seriously? How does anybody take this cornball seriously.
PLEASE let it be the final album from this goofy clown. One of the worst things to ever happen to Hip-Hop.
U my man fifty grand westside gunn but I think you drop the ball on this one you and trap beats don’t make sense the artist featured on the album you should’ve brought them to ur world Jeezy Rick Ross Denzel and jid would’ve body any of your beats just me as a fan I dissatisfied with the results now only thing can save this is to put stove god album out the griselda traditional version no trap beats at all
Trash!!! I can’t believe the album wasn’t butter!!! Not 1 song that I liked. Trash!!!
Totally disappointing but then again I’ve been feeling this way about Hop-Hop for a while. Will somebody PLEASE fix this $hit. Carry on!!!
Y’all ever click on a comment days after it’s been posted and wonder about leaving a comment, but you don’t cos you figure you’re at the end of the viewer line and there’s nobody left to read it? And the title drops down the news list.
I’m heaps in that mind now, can’t decide to act on it or not
I love it. It’s about as on par + gangster as you can keep it + succeeding, in crossing over. Walk down the catwalk, breaking into top shelf clad wear while throwing up. It has shelf life. I think a chunk of it gave to cross stove god, dude is brilliant. He needs to get off rap and onto choruses in the top 40
Few of the rap beats are eggs that needed more time. Denzel and Boldy features are on point
DENZEL CURRY THOUGH