Within today’s Hip-Hop ecosystem, the fine art of raw, bar-for-bar lyricism has not only lost its luster but its overall allure. The heralded tradition of cultivating one’s own rhymes and spitting fierce, noteworthy bars is slowly fading away from contemporary rap milieu. Nowadays, there are a handful of artists keeping tradition alive, let alone, three-member troops doing it. Hailing from the disenfranchised quarters of Buffalo, NY and consisting of three Hip-Hop heavyweights in their own right: Benny the Butcher, Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn, Griselda is at the forefront of this movement.
Despite rapping for many years before finding themselves at the top of the rap game in recent years, Griselda is undoubtedly one of the few vestiges still focused on producing gritty, uncut, street-influenced music today. They’re keeping this beloved tradition nourished and flourishing. In many ways, their existence has been vital in the survival of this art form. In an effort to give them their flowers, which some would say are way overdue, we’ve coalesced a few, carefully throughout reasons for how Griselda is keeping the spirit of raw lyricism alive in today’s era. Let’s get into it.
Their Rapping Ability
Regardless of who you favor most, one irrefutable fact about the beloved collective is that every member can hold their own when it comes to lyrical execution. Hailing from the school of hard knock, no-frills rap, their bars are best described as witty, incisive and undeniably gritty. While they work well as a cohesive unit, each individual has their own idiosyncrasies they bring to the table. Whether it’s the razor-sharp, poignant bars of Benny The Butcher, the rhythmic, distinct flow of Westside Gunn or the grizzly feel of Conway The Machine, every verse is strikingly palpable. For Hip-Hop purists who yearn for the days when possessing masterful wordplay and a noteworthy lyrical prowess wasn’t merely an option, Griselda easily satiates their hunger and plugs the void that’s become increasingly present in recent time.
Their Hustle
Before ascending to the upper echelons of Hip-Hop’s contemporary rap scene, “street rap” was nearly on the verge of semi-extinction. As an immediate outcome of their emergence, they’ve not only rejuvenated the genre but they’ve reignited respect and veneration for it. However, their impact was far from swift and immediate. It required some major grind and quite a bit of hustle for them to reach their current apex. Before starting their careers in rap, they were purveyors of illicit street activity.
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Moreover, their passion for music motivated them to pursue careers in rap amid the early 10s. After founding their flagship label: “Griselda Records” back in 2012, they dropped a sprawling collection of mixtapes, which consisted of 18 different bodies of work over a six-year span. During this time, they developed a cult-like following from the ground up and garnered some major buzz, catching the attention of Hip-Hop icon Eminem. In 2017, Eminem signed them to his label: Shady Records. A couple years later, members Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn landed management deals with Roc Nation. On November 12th of this year, Benny The Butcher signed to a new record deal with iconic Hip-Hop powerhouse: Def Jam Recordings. Despite undergoing hardships and being under-recognized for many years, they never gave up. Through a combination of sheer willpower and strategy, the trio ultimately prevailed. If this isn’t emblematic of true “Hip-Hop,” then what is.
Their Production
Whenever you hear a “Griselda” – esque beat, its characteristics are so distinctive that you know it without having to inquire or think twice. Typically, it’s rugged, abrasive and unabashedly boom bap. Stemming from their penchant for the “classic era” of Hip-Hop, which harbored the DJ Premier’s, J-Dilla’s and Pete Rock’s of the world, they’ve developed a formula for how to emulate this sound packaged with unadulterated, street-ridden rhetoric. For the newer generations, their sound functions as a vessel for exposure while it pays tribute to the nostalgia many of the older heads retain from it. With the chief assistance of their in-house producer Daringer, their sonic allure hits just as hard as their raps and flows. Without a doubt, Griselda is one of the last bastions who fittingly reenact and honor that vintage, 90s sound and ambiance of Hip-Hop.
