With 2019 having been a huge bag of Ws for Griselda — and in particular the imprint’s mastermind Westside Gunn — it looks as though fans will get to ring in 2020 with a rare opportunity to experience an origin story of sorts.
In an Instagram post by Gunn on Thursday (December 26), he teased fans with the New Year’s Day release of his first (pre-Griselda) mixtape, Flyest Nig@@ In Charge — roughly 14 years after he originally scrapped it.
“I had to go on the run and the tape never came out until now … before I take u where we’re going I have to start from the beginning,” he noted via Instagram caption.
The project was recorded in the two year period between 2003-2005, during which he explains that he was balancing hustling, raising his children and chasing his dream of being a rapper.
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“This project was When ChineGun was living, this was when BENNY was Real Young, Conway was Kannon and my Bro Kutt was still rapping,” he says. “We just young hungry EastSide BUFFALO KIDS trynna to make it.”
Gunn ended his announcement with a shout out to Spoonz, whose Buffalo-based Death Valley Studio was the birthplace of Street Entertainment (the first iteration of Griselda), as well as obvious excitement to finally share the late ChineGun with his new fanbase.
”S/O my Homie Spoonz a Buffalo Legend who opened the 1st doors AND NOW YOUR FINALLYGONNA HEAR CHINEGUN, ” he says.
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The starting line-up of Griselda released their highly anticipated Shady Records debut WWCD on November 29. The group album (an acronym for What Would ChineGun Do) ranked among the top releases of 2019.
The 25-song Flyest Nig@@ In Charge mixtape by Westside Gunn, which features production from Thugzman, $.Billz — and even a joint credited to Kannon (Conway) — drops January 1.
