And Then You Pray for Me  – Westside Gunn ★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2023	And Then You Pray for Me	Westside Gunn	★★	49	Hip-Hop

With an artist as prolific at Westside Gunn and the rest of Griselda, you should expect some variance in quality from release to release. It’s a slight miracle that the 12 records and mixtapes Westside’s released form 2019-2023 have been so consistently enjoyable, thought provoking and sonically honed in. Most are 10-13 tracks long, with similar cold, grimy and artsy beats and a frequent set of guest collaborators that form a smooth, concise 35-45 minute package. 

Westside’s 2022 mixtape 10 was probably my favorite of his records, because it strived to reach a little higher than the rest. The guest list was a little more star studded, the beats a little deeper and his energy as fun as ever. 

2023’s And Then You Pray for Me — which will allegedly be his final studio album — however, is one of my least favorite of Griselda’s extensive catalog. Westside still proves he’s one of the most captivating emcees in the game, and there are some huge moments here that rival some of his best. But, at 21 tracks and an hour and 15 minutes, it’s by far his longest record, and you quickly notice more bloat compared to the concise, precise albums he’s known for. And, with more than a dozen producers working on the record, his signature sound — underground, ghostly piano melodies and these menacing, old school street drums and bass — gets lost.  

When those beats are present the tracks mostly work, because when Westside is going and is able to float on a beat and everything clicks, it’s a great feeling. He sounds good on “Momas PrimeTime,” a classic Westside track with the always-captivating JID. The two Conductor Williams tracks — “Suicide in Selfridges” and “The Revenge Of Flips Leg” — obviously work. He sounds at home on  “Flygod 2x” and “Babylon Bis.” 

He’s also great alongside Denzel Curry and Boldy James, and his Griselda brethren. The album’s best track, “Kotas,” features the Griselda triple threat, with Benny the Butcher delivering one of the best verses on the album over a booming Tay Keith beat that’s uncharacteristic for the trio but just works. 

Overall though, Westside’s personality doesn’t feel as present as it usually does. His ad libs aren’t as noticeable or intentional. Stove God Cooks — who’s almost always a standout on these records even if he’s a bit one dimensional — feels underwhelming and awkward singing melodically over the warmer, kind of uplifting sounding tracks, instead of being utilized as a hype man and spot-up shooter. 

Some of the denser, more commercial trap beats might be fine for his feature artists like Rick Ross, Giggs, Jeezy, EST Gee, Peezy and Ty Dolla $ign, but Westside doesn’t sound in his element. And having all those different songs and voices present makes the album choppy, lessening the impact that having maybe one or two of these tracks could have made.  

And Then You Pray for Me has good songs and some explosive moments, but it’s another example of a record that I’d probably like a lot more at 12 songs instead of 20+. I’m sure there’s a good 35-40 minute album to be found here, but as presented as a complete package, it didn’t work for me.