Westside Gunn is no stranger to complementing great music with extraordinary art. Whether he's making statements through his clothing or within his music, The Fly God always puts the art at the forefront. Albeit, the Buffalo native plans to retire next year, he still has one last hoorah for the fans. Currently, the Griselda co-founder is working on the follow-up to his wildly acclaimed tape Pray for Paris. Not only that, but he also revealed on Twitter that he was putting out another project called & Then U Pray For Me. Both tapes are set to drop soon. Pray for Paris 2 releasing Friday during Fashion Week and & Then U Pray For Me dropping on June 23rd.
Furthermore, in an interview, Westside Gunn attributes his artistic journey to his relationship with close friend cultural architect Virgil Abloh. The renowned designer passed away on November 28, 2021, proceeding to a private battle with cancer. "Virgil changed my life. He was the turning point for me. I’m going to be honest, and for many reasons," Westside Gunn told AllHipHop.com. It was Virgil who invited the rapper to Paris. Gunn was hesitant to go overseas due to his history as a hustler. He thought that once he applied for a passport, his checkered past would surface, landing him in prison. "He was like, ‘Yo, come to Paris with me.’ And I was like, I don’t know about all that, man," The Fly God explained.
Westside Gunn Announces "Pray For Paris 2"
Nevertheless, Virgil got Westside Gunn out to Paris and helped him get a passport. Despite only communicating via text, the two met face-to-face for the first time in the City of Light. Later, after their meeting, Abloh went on to design Gunn's album cover for Pray for Paris using Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath. Once they got to the topic of the sequel the Griselda rhymer gave a few extra details.
"What people don’t know is, quiet as it’s kept, that Virgil was so ahead of his time that he had already designed s### for two to three years ahead of time," Gunn explained. The Fly God also noted that before the cultural icon left us, he already had collections of stuff already designed. "What people don’t know about me, and Virgil, is he already designed four album covers for me," detailed the Buffalo native. Additionally, he said, "Pray for Paris was the first one. There’s still more that we got coming.” Westside Gunn's Pray for Paris 2 is releasing during Fashion Week with one of Virgil's most iconic designs. Let us know if you're ready for some new music from The Fly God below!
