How Griselda are effortlessly dominating 2020

Hemma Daddral on 19 November 2020

Instantly recognisable for their bravado and famed ad-libs, the Buffalo trio navigate stardom through heavy, luxurious beats and some of their best lyricism to date. Hemma Daddral tracks their 2020 releases.

Pray for Paris.

Opening with a sample drawn from the auction of Leonardo DaVinci’s Salvatore Mundi, Westside Gunn lets his audience know the atmosphere of the album from the outset. Decadence rings throughout the sound that Gunn harnesses, his presence undeniable as he boasts his Gatsby-esque lifestyle.

This is Gunn at his most confident, lyrics such as “Clothes from Fifth Ave, broke it, I got rich fast” layered on top of opulent Conductor Williams’ beat on ‘Euro Step’ establish Westside Gunn’s self-assurance in his flair. The impressive guestlist of respectable artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Wale, Freddie Gibbs and his Griselda counterparts fit perfectly into the 13-track album, giving each guest the spotlight whilst maintaining his own flair throughout.

Burden of Proof.

Produced entirely by the famed and respected Hit-Boy, Benny the Butcher’s solo project proves his rightful spot alongside Conway and Gunn in Griselda. Reflecting on his beginnings as a drug dealer juxtaposed with the lavish fruition of fame creates an immersive insight for the listener into the world of the Buffalo collective.

On ‘Where Would I Go’, Benny boasts “It’s on my wrist and as well as my hip, it’s cold metal” – a single line that exemplifies the lifestyle that we briefly become privy to when listening to Burden of Proof. Once again, Benny is joined by his Griselda counterparts on ‘War Paint’ and other familiar faces Rick Ross and Freddie Gibbs contribute throughout, respectively.

With the help of Hit-Boy, Burden of Proof sees Benny at his most experimental lyrically, creating a sonically immersive body of work.

From King to a God.

Known for his slurred yet sharp voice as a result of his Bell’s Palsy, Conway the Machine delivers hard-hitting, gritty tales from the streets of Buffalo on his latest album. Conway’s bravado steals the show on the LP, occupying an undeniable presence with the backdrop of star-studded production: notably the Alchemist and Mobb Deep’s Havoc. Conway shared with Pitchfork that he “wanted to showcase versatility and show people that [he’s] not a one trick pony”. From King to a God sees an undeniable shift in Conway’s style, moving away from 90’s, New York influenced sound and seeking validation from a larger audience.

Despite this, Conway bags a heavy Method Man verse on ‘Lemon’, as Meth is ever confident: “Gave you permission to speak? To learn, you listen. Learn to listen to a different MC, you’ll learn the difference”. Though Conway wishes to evolve from his classic, gritty style, he still emulates the influence of those who built him thus far. ‘Spurs 3’ is a shining moment on the album as he, Cousin Benny the Butcher and brother Westside Gunn transport back to the early days of Griselda, giving fans a sense of nostalgia.

These three standout projects exemplify the consistency of quality that the trio are able to achieve. With 8 years of experience as a collective, Griselda’s musical contribution to 2020 has been nothing less than an uphill climb, proving their legacy in the genre.

Molchat Doma’s Monument: A gothic snyth-pop dance party

Benjamin Forrest on 19 November 2020

Belarus trio Molchat Doma’s 2018 album ‘Этажи’ was deeply ahead of its time, signified by the fact that it has only recent started gaining traction in the UK (yes thanks, in part, to Tik Tok – but let’s not go there). Nevertheless, the album solidified the band as one of the greatest current post-punk outfits on the planet and, as I see it, ‘Monument’ only goes to further that claim.

Whilst I adore the band’s previous work, I would have liked to see more evolution in sound between their last album and ‘Monument’, it follows very similar themes and sounds – which is positive given how great their signagture sound is, however I feel as though, if they continue down this path for multiple future albums, the sound is in danger of becoming somewhat stale. For now, though, Molchat Doma still sound incredible, and refreshingly different in comparison to the vast majority of other popular ‘post-punk’ acts at the moment (a lot of whom are beginning to sound identical to each other, leading me to worry that post-punk will become the next ‘indie rock’, but that is a story for another day).

The album kicks off with Cold War style nightclub banger ‘Utonut’ and doesn’t really lift off after that point, continuing the 80’s style synth, reminiscent of New Order, early Depeche Mode, or Telex, on tracks such as ‘Discoteque’ and ‘Ne Smeshno’. The standout track, for me, would have to be ‘Otveta Net’. The dark, booming voice of vocalist Egor Shkutko compliments the retro drum beat and Roman Komogortsev’s whining guitar tones beautifully to create what, I think, will come to be one of Molchat Doma’s defining tracks when all is said and done.

Written entirely in quarantine, Monument embraces the darkness and despair, but doesn’t wallow in the sadness like so many others. Instead, the album is a kind of gothic snyth-pop dance party, which fits the mood of lockdown pretty well honestly. It is perhaps one of the few albums that would work equally well at a house party, or a 2:00am bout of deep melancholy. As Shukuto claims in the lyrics to ‘Discoteque’: “I will continue to dance”, that lyric, in my eyes, is a fitting signifier for the entire album: continuing to dance through the darkness and misery of life in 2020. Truthfully, this album could not have come out at a better time, deep into the second period of lockdown everybody is feeling helpless and tired, we all need the moody tones of three Belarusian men to help us forget about our troubles and cry-dance alone in our bedrooms to industrial, cold wave, post-punk synths.

Aaron Philip: Uniting the Industry

Carmen Ghazi on 19 November 2020

Earlier this year, Moschino announced the face of their Fall/Winter 2020 campaign as Aaron Philip.

For Philip, a black transgender and disabled model, this is her first high fashion modelling campaign. For the disabled, black and LGBTQ+ communities, this is a momentous campaign signalling a change in the fashion and beauty industry.

But this is not Aaron’s only major industry-breaking first. In 2018, she became the first black, disabled and transgender model to sign with a major modelling agency, Elite Management.

Having landed her first magazine cover in June 2019 for Paper magazine, in which she was interviewed by none other than Naomi Campbell, she has quickly become a name to remember in the modelling world. That year, Philip also featured in Miley Cyrus’ music video for ‘Mother’s Daughter’.

Even before her modelling career, Philip was outspoken about her experiences growing up in the Bronx as a teenager diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy; she published an autobiography ‘This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability (Not Disability)’ at just 14 years old.

Aaron has continued to actively champion disabled and trans representation and rights among her large social media following. In a NowThis Entertainment interview, she said ‘I want to get signed to a modelling agency…because there’s such little representation for disabled bodies, people with disabilities, and black, trans women and femmes, and non-binary people in general. And somehow, I’m at the intersection of all of that and not once have I seen myself properly represented.’

Philip is spearheading the fight for increased representation for often marginalised communities and forcing the fashion industry to confront its prejudices about what is considered “beautiful”. In the black and white images for the campaign, Aaron stares strikingly at the viewer, forcing them to directly address their own prejudices – all whilst channelling a ‘sexy, alien Marie Antoinette’.

Her partnership with Moschino is a significant milestone in a journey for redefining mainstream fashion, both within the everyday, as well as in high fashion houses. Aaron gives those who are often underrepresented in many areas of society- not just fashion- a voice through which they can be heard. She holds the door open for millions of others who are marginalised, paving the way for more opportunities. In a world marred by division and prejudice, Aaron Philip brings unity, hope and couture.