Main Event Ready

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Westside Gunn’s raps. I love Griselda and appreciate what WSG puts together, but I don’t always enjoy his rapping. “12” was great this year, primarily because I’m such a big fan of Stove God Cooks and Estee Nack. “Heels Have Eyes 1” was cool, but it wasn’t something I expected a sequel to. That said, I genuinely think this is some of the best rapping from Westside Gunn that I can remember, fitting my tastes well.

This project is almost four times longer than the original “Heels Have Eyes,” and I think that’s a good thing. With the original, things moved too quickly, packing five songs into just ten minutes. In contrast, this has twelve songs over almost forty minutes, which feels more balanced. WSG’s style sinks in better for me with a bit more wiggle room. Generally, I’d say Westside was on a sharper flow for more of these tracks compared to the original “Heels Have Eyes,” which I appreciate.

Some of my favorite songs here are solo WSG tracks, which isn’t always the case for me. Tracks like “HEEL CENA,” “MANDELA,” and “GLOWREALAH” stood out. There’s nothing particularly new lyrically, but that’s alright. It’s less about the content and more about the confidence and swagger, which are never lacking. When that confidence is paired with sharp rhyming, that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

As I mentioned, this is probably one of my favorite WSG-heavy projects in a while. It’s a noticeably big step up from “Heels Have Eyes” for me. I know a few people who hold this project in high regard already, and I’ll let the super fans debate its placement and how it compares to others. As a side note, there are talks of some AI involvement, mainly with the intro track. I don’t have the ear to identify what to listen for just yet, so I won’t dwell on it too much, but it’s not what I like to hear rumblings about, to be honest.

Standout Tracks: HEEL CENA, MANDELA, GLOWREALAH

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (8/10)