Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Westside Gunn
American rapper (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Alvin Lamar Worthy (born July 27, 1982), known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper and fashion designer. He co-founded the hip-hop record label Griselda Records in 2014 with his half-brother Conway the Machine, and their cousin, Benny the Butcher.
Since 2005, he has released five studio albums, in addition to a wide catalog of mixtapes and extended plays. Gunn was affiliated with Shady Records from 2017 to 2020, but has since returned to independent work.
Remove ads
Early life
Gunn was born on July 27, 1982, in the impoverished East Side, Buffalo, New York.[1] His parental half-brother is Conway the Machine and his younger cousin is Benny the Butcher; both would go on to join him in hip-hop.[2] He moved frequently during his childhood, including to the richer west end of Buffalo.[1] He showed interest in fashion as a child and, according to his marketer Derrick Jackson, wore gold chains in elementary school.[1] He also created comic books with his friends while in elementary.[3]
Remove ads
Music career
Summarize
Perspective
2005–2016: early career and founding Griselda Records
Besides a mixtape in 2005, Gunn did not release his own music until 2012, instead managing Conway. In 2012, when Conway was involved in a shooting which disfigured his face, Gunn began releasing music, beginning with Hitler Wears Hermes. A play on The Devil Wears Prada,[4] it spawned a mixtape series noted for its controversy over its reference to Adolf Hitler.[1]
In 2014, Gunn co-founded the Griselda Records record label with Conway the Machine and Mach-Hommy. His official studio album debut was Flygod, released on March 11, 2016.[1]
2017–2020: continued growth and record deals
On March 3, 2017, Griselda Records signed a deal with Eminem's Shady Records, making Westside Gunn and Conway the first rappers from Buffalo to sign with a major label.[5] After signing with Shady, Gunn played at Coachella, Firefly and the Governors Ball.[6] On October 2, 2020, Westside Gunn released his Shady Records debut, Who Made the Sunshine, his only solo project with Shady Records.[7]
Shortly after signing with Shady Records, Gunn released Flygod Is Good... All the Time, as a collaborative EP with producer Mr. Green.[8] In 2018, Gunn released Supreme Blientele.[9] He also signed with Roc Nation alongside label mate Benny the Butcher on August 6, 2019, under a management deal.[10]
On April 17, 2020, Gunn released his third studio album, Pray for Paris. The album features Tyler, the Creator, Wale, Joey Badass and Freddie Gibbs, among others.[11] On July 3, Westside Gunn released his tenth mixtape Flygod Is an Awesome God II, the sequel to his July 2019 mixtape Flygod Is an Awesome God. The album features guest appearances by frequent collaborators Benny The Butcher, Keisha Plum, Boldy James, and Daringer.[12]
On November 14, 2020, in an interview with Joe Budden, Gunn announced he had fulfilled his contractual obligations to Shady Records and had become an independent artist.[13]
2021–present: independent career
In 2021, Gunn starred in the film Conflicted, alongside Benny the Butcher, Michael Rapaport, and J. Holiday.[14] Also in 2021, he released two songs titled "TV Boy" and "Julia Lang"; the latter was titled after fashion entrepreneur Julia Lang.[15] Both songs would eventually be included in his mixtape Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B, released later that year. In 2022, Westside Gunn stated on Twitter that he would be retiring from hip-hop at the end of 2023, stating he 'had nothing else to prove'.[16]
On October 13, 2023, Westside Gunn released his fifth studio album And Then You Pray For Me. The album is a sequel to Pray for Paris, with both album's covers created by fashion designer Virgil Abloh. Gunn stated that it was his last album, and that he would continue releasing music.[17]
In 2024, Gunn created 4th Rope, which was a wrestling promotion combined with his Heels Have Eyes concert tour, for his mixtape Still Praying, which released in 2024.[18]
On January 24, 2025, he announced his involvement in a new hardcore punk band called Dissension and posted a preview of a new song "Black Hole".[19] On April 18, he released Heels Have Eyes. It contained the song "Egypt", which was later remixed to feature Doechii.[20]
Remove ads
Fashion career
In 2012, Gunn founded Fashion Rebels, his clothing brand.[2] He has sat in the front row at New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, and owns clothes from Comme des Garçons and Dapper Dan's collaboration with Gucci. He was a frequent collaborator with the late Virgil Abloh, with Abloh designing some of Gunn's album covers.[3]
Artistry
Gunn is noted for his sample-heavy choices for production, which often incorporates phonographic sampling to create a "lo-fi feel", as described by Greek hip-hop artist Stereo Mike. Vocally, he 'close mikes', which better captures his voice.[22] He juxtaposes his lyrics about crime with high art and fashion.[23]
Personal life
Gunn is a devoted fan of wrestling, with him saying he attends SummerSlam and WrestleMania annually.[24]
On the September 7, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, Gunn escorted wrestler, close friend and fellow Buffalo native Daniel Garcia to the ring to face Wheeler Yuta in an ROH Pure Championship match, which Garcia won.[25] He later accompanied Swerve Strickland during his AEW World Championship defense at AEW All In 2024, alongside Bun B, DJ Whoo Kid and Flash Garments, where Strickland lost to Bryan Danielson.[26]
Gunn owns about a $1,000,000 collection of drawings, paintings and toys; between 50 and 100 paintings in his collection were created solely for him.[3] In 2017, he formed a business relationship with painter Isaac Pelayo after offering to purchase a painting of his, with Pelayo going on to create album covers for Gunn and Griselda rapper Armani Caesar.[27]
Remove ads
Discography
Studio albums
With Griselda
- Don't Get Scared Now (2016)
- WWCD (2019)
EPs
Mixtapes
Collaborative mixtapes
- Hall & Nash (with Conway the Machine) (2015)
- Griselda Ghost (with Conway the Machine and Big Ghost LTD) (2015)
- Roses are Red... So Is Blood (with The Purist) (2016)
- Hitler on Steroids (with DJ Green Lantern) (2017)
- Hall & Nash 2: The Original Version (with Conway the Machine & The Alchemist) (2023)
- Still Praying (with DJ Drama) (2024)
Charted songs
Guest appearances
 |
Music videos
Remove ads
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads