Westside Gunn Denies Rumors About Jay-Z's Advice Causing Griselda Rift

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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Westside Gunn Denies Rumors Jay Z Offer Griselda Rift
Nov 27, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Rapper Westside Gunn takes in the game between the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Recent verses from Benny The Butcher and Conway The Machine, plus Mal's Jay-Z and Griselda claims, have put Westside Gunn under scrutiny.

Ever since Griselda blew up, there have always been rumors about internal rifts and issues that its members have dismissed overall. But Mal recently claimed Jay-Z allegedly advised Westside Gunn about how to give Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher equity in the label. As such, these questions are popping back up again.

On the New Rory & Mal podcast, the latter claimed Hov told Gunn to give Conway and Benny a ten percent equity (five percent each) in Griselda Records, which Westside allegedly refused. This supposedly caused a rift between the group, and recent verses from Benny and Conway (specifically his "Make Them Pay" freestyle) seemed to allegedly reference this tension.

However, Westside Gunn denied this on Twitter. "Everybody wanna go viral so bad s**t disgusting," he wrote. "I’m honestly surprised this is a thing. Going viral is never in my thoughts. I spoke to Con and Benny today," Mal responded to Gunn. They also had an Instagram exchange that reciprocated the same energy.

Still, it's unclear whether Westside is calling cap on the rift itself or the claims about the equity offer. Maybe they will all address this soon, but it seems like fans are already picking sides.

Westside Gunn's Response To Mal

Another important factor to consider is how Griselda is still releasing music together, even if they all have their own rosters and groups to handle right now. Of course, this doesn't automatically indicate the best of good will, but it's definitely a promising indication that things remain cool between its three biggest artists.

Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher's dynamic has always been under scrutiny, but they have dismissed many previous rumors about there being a conflict. Disagreements and personal motives will always get in the way, but as long as respect is there, they can celebrate each other's separate growths.

Perhaps Jay-Z will step in to clarify this one day, or Mal will come through with more information. Either way, fans are hoping Gunn, Conway, and Benny can explain this themselves. In any case, we doubt we won't hear collaborations between them in the near and distant future.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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