Wayback Machine: Griselda Records
Chronicling five years of the new Golden Age of New York hip-hop.
As a young white kid from regional Australia, the dark and grimy world of ghetto rap and hip-hop hustle couldn’t be any further removed from the life I grew up with. Sure, I listened to Eminem, just like every other teenager who grew up in the 00s. But it wasn’t until adulthood that I moved on from reciting corny lyrics and edgy themes to truly appreciating the smooth production style of Dr Dre and collaborations with street legends like Nate Dogg, DMX, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Xzibit, and many others.
In the 2010s, alongside the careers of trailblazers like Freddie Gibbs and Denzel Curry, Griselda Records established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in American hip-hop. With a dark, thugged-out aesthetic juxtaposed against high-end fashion and a nerdy fascination for 90s wrestling stars, three distinct voices took Griselda from the cold, windy streets of Buffalo to worldwide domination, setting in motion the new Golden Age of New York rap.
Here’s a chronicle of the last five years of Griselda Records, with the best projects, crisp beats, choice cuts, and hardest bars.
Westside Gunn – FLYGOD (2016)
“Sell coke for a Cavalli coat/
Residue on the black Pusha T’s for steppin’ on the dope.
No Malice said pray for me/
I got some little n****s that'll come spray him for me.”
Westside Gunn & MF Doom – Westside Doom (2017)
“Anti Social Social Club wit' the snub, yo/
Gave the Tec a lil’ love bro.
Grand wizard, Patek band, lizard, hand-kissin’/
Miami Beach, geigers on Biscayne.
My shooter sent his PO and piss came/
Thank God for my wrist game.”
Benny The Butcher – A Friend of Ours (2018)
“My ho's be in Gucci fashion/
I like my ho's bougie ratchet.
With me where my uzi packin'/
But she be in movies actin’.”
Westside Gunn – Supreme Blientele (2018)
“Uh-huh, it’s crazy, we came up from doing all this evil/
Sold dope with so much cut that it clogged they needles.
And being real, for this long, gon’ be hard to equal/
This for the hustlers who got on and fed all they peoples.”
Benny The Butcher – Tana Talk 3 (2018)
“I’m on my Biggie, ‘Who Shot Ya?,’ this for my partners still in lockup/
Who only call back home to tell us in a box up.
They killed Eric Garner just ‘cause his posture/
But you get life if you hit a cop up?
How could we feel like that's not us?
Our skin ‘plexion the same, n****, please don’t be obnoxious.
I played with more keys than a locksmith/
It's like I'm good at everything, I got this.”
Benny The Butcher – The Plugs I Met (2019)
“We don’t do no price talk ‘cause I already know they numbers/
Plus me and your old connect was tighter than them Dolce runners.
First time I ever cooked a deuce, I got a four-way from it/
Stabbed it in the pot so many times they think OJ done it.”
Griselda – WWCD (2019)
“My weakest scent cost more than your mama need for rent/
That’s just one zip, the drum rip, leave you rinsed.
Hide the body for a week and it’s gon’ leave a stench/
Rappers come to my city, they gon’ need consent/
‘Cause we already know you pussy, n****, we convinced.”
Conway the Machine – From a King to A GOD (2020)
“Bro, you know you won’t leave/
You know we on go, bro, you know we don't freeze.
Kutter hangin’ out the car and he throwin’ light breeze/
Know we both sold raw and you know we sold Ps/
Got the .44 Colt like a Rodeo.
Homie gon’ bleed, put the hole in both knees/
Gotta suck it if your pussy on bleed, let that bitch breathe.”
Benny The Butcher – Burden of Proof (2020)
“And I don’t want nuthin’ for free, they ain’t know me then, bet they checkin’ now/
The best player gettin’ drafted in the seventh round.
I lеarned rules from the streets and wrotе them lessons down/
I know a hundred fifty-five thousand weigh like seven pounds.”
Benny The Butcher – The Plugs I Met 2 (2021)
“You hear sounds of the pot scrapin’/
Me, I only hear music.
Co-sign, I don’t need one/
I was a shooter, now I feed one.
Hundred bands in the fridge/
Next to a stick of butter and Caprisuns.”
Stream the full playlist below: