Griselda’s Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn united once more to bless fans with the golden-era, East Coast lyricism on their new track “John Woo Flick.”
Leading in both Conway’s upcoming God Don’t Make Mistakes and Benny’s Tana Talk 4 — with each project scheduled to drop later this month — the Griselda trio are as lethal as ever on their latest collaboration, further proving grimy, hardcore street rap is still at the heart and essence of hip-hop’s core soundscape.
Everything about “John Woo Flick” is peak Griselda: from the eerie out-of-tune production by Daringer and Kill, to the relentless stank-face-inducing bars, to the obscure reference in the title to legendary Chinese film director, John Woo — known for directing classic action movies like the one Conway, Benny, and Westside are starring in in real life. The gritty album art depicting a young teenager either buy or selling drugs through a hole in a fence is yet another Griselda staple — displaying fine art at its finest hour.
Everyone came with their best on “John Woo Flick.” Conway opens by letting us know he had to “change the flow up” before launching into two minutes of a crazy double-time flow — dropping eye-popping bars like “Sprayed 80 the baby woke up” and “I’m compared to n****s that’ll stab you in your face with a pair of scissors.”
Conway’s chorus and bridge seamlessly transitions into Benny’s verse, who carefully articulates raw, intricate bars in top form about successfully navigating the streets. Finally, Westside Gunn enters to bat cleanup, wielding his iconic high-pitched vocal and one-of-a-kind ad libs like an instrument of its own to put a bow this instant Griselda classic.
Hip Hop By The Numbers graciously took the time to compile the final stats for “John Woo Flick” — counting up all of the classic Griselda ad libs heard throughout the track.
While very much bonded under the Griselda umbrella, each member is an autonomous star in their own right. Conway is currently gearing up to add the next chapter to the Griselda movie with his new album, God Don’t Make Mistakes — set to drop later this month on Feb. 25.
From what we’ve heard already on “John Woo Flick” and the Alchemist produced “Piano Love” released this past October, Conway is gearing up to drop another classic to follow up his now legendary debut album From a King to a God.
Not to be outdone, Benny the Butcher is preparing for his own release in the highly-anticipated Tana Talk 4 — set to drop on Feb 11. The new project will be the follow-up to Benny’s critically-acclaimed 2020 project, Burden of Proof, exclusively produced by prolific super producer Hit-Boy. Tana Talk 4 will be Benny’s first project since inking a deal with Def Jam Records, thanks to the legacy label’s new direction under Snoop Dogg.
Last but certainly not least, Westside Gunn continues to dip in and out of retirement — last year dropping the eighth installment of the controversially titled Hitler Wears Hermes: Sincerely Adolf. In 2021, Westside also opened his flagship fashion boutique, Buffalo Kids, in Griselda’s hometown of Buffalo, NY.
Overall, “John Woo Flick” is a brilliantly executed joint single by three of the grittiest wordsmiths in the game, and a real treat for Griselda fans. This should be enough to hold us over for a few weeks before Benny and Conway unleash their new projects later this month.
Check out the video for “John Woo Flick” below!
