Westside Gunn - WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE (Review)
Westside Gunn - WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE (Review)
10/20/20
Going into this review, it was honestly hard to find a list of words to write that could fit this album. Though, if I had to find a few, they would include: amazing, refreshing, and beautiful. Perhaps it's just a sheer love for this style of hip hop, but throughout its time with me, this album proved its worth as more than good just because of its good style. The beats, verses, hooks, and overall performances deliver almost every time in every place of this album. The lyrics can go awhile without getting too deep, but that works perfectly for this style, hence MF DOOM; my personal favorite rapper of all time. Due to the consistent themes and vibes of each song, the album flows together really well. In turn, it feels like more of a mixtape than a commercial debut album, but it's still great nonetheless. There's a lot to unpack here, so let's not waste anymore time.
The first thing here that is completely abundant from the start is the huge amount of features in this album. I'm always one for features in albums because it gives us a break from the artists voice and style for a minute; especially with Westside Gunn's very unique voice. The people used for features are sometimes repeated, but there are nineteen total features in this eleven-track album. Most of the feature verses and hooks manage to be at least interesting, but some fail to deliver. The second, and arguably final, slightly negative thing here is the mixtape feel. Personally, I absolutely adore this sort of feel, especially with this style of rap, but for a project to be special amongst Westside Gunn's lengthy and quickly-releasing discography. Nothing really makes this project stand out from his others, despite the fact that most of this project is simply perfect.
Now, to praise the album relentlessly for a paragraph and a half; this album is amazing. The first thing here is the production; every beat here is stunning. I can confidently say that, in my opinion, this production is more finished, beautiful, and lush than 98 percent of hip hop production from this decade. There is not a single beat that misses at all, except for the beats being so strict in a style. Though, the style's amazing, so I won't complain. Next, Westside Gunn's performance himself is actually one of the best parts of this album. Weirdly enough, his strange vocal performance works wonders over every one of these beats; honestly, better than most of his feature verses. I wouldn't complain if this entire album was just Gunn himself rapping and doing his Mac Miller-like faux singing. While the beats may get somewhat repetitive sometimes, the dynamics of them range beautifully. There are tracks raging from the chill and smooth singing in "Liz Loves Lugar" to the anger and passion in such from "98 Sabres". Overall, I think this album never really misses if you look into each track individually.
To some people, it may seem like I'm somewhat torn on my review score for this album, seeing as I have the same amount of negative things to say as I do good. This is completely false. I say the negative things I do to try to counter too many good thoughts on certain albums, and to highlight points that stray away from the general greatness of this album. My thoughts best summed up in a sentence would say that Westside Gunn's "WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE" is nothing short of a masterpiece within the bounds of its style. My favorite track might be "The Butcher and The Blade", but it's honestly hard to choose. Every track is amazing, but they hardly range from one solid rating. My least favorite track might have to be "Liz Loves Lugar", but again, I think my least favorite and favorite tracks here are very close to on par with each other. Giving this album a 1-10 rating using half numbers, I give this album an 8.5/10 with a five-word description of: "a breath of fresh air".
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