Peace "Fly" God

The first release of 2022 from the Buffalo rap phenom is, one could argue, only nominally a Westside Gunn mixtape. In fact, it’s something like a showcase for two of his up-and-coming Griselda affiliates, Estee Nack and Stove God Cooks, to whom Gunn cedes the spotlight on nearly every track. It’s Gunn’s most off-the-cuff release to date, recorded in a spontaneous two-day studio session upon returning from Paris Fashion Week. Still, *Peace “Fly” God* is unmistakably the work of the gruff but sophisticated MC pushing 40 and thriving, with its impeccably dusty beat selection (best of all from Madlib, who holds down three tracks) and bars that bridge the gap between getting laid at a halfway house to rocking Margiela at the Guggenheim.

The latest from the Buffalo rapper is a lean, mean project cut in just two days, eschewing his usual attention to detail for a more ramshackle approach.