Westside Gunns “AYO” in Numbers

If you’re lucky enough to have your stars aligned, you’ve most def have a dope algorithm or dope circle to help put you on to Westside Gunn. If you’re not in the know by now, no judgment, yo. Some are early bloomers and are so fashionably late that by the time they show up, everyone is gone. So, allow me to help introduce. But before we do that, grab a notebook and pen. We’re gonna have a quick lesson in musical alchemy! If you take a copy of SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 (preferably a PS2 copy), your parents’ most expensive piece of jewelry, and written quotes from your favorite gangster movie, drop them in a giant pot, and let it melt. Ladies and gentlemen, the music of Westside Gunn. It’s two words: Dopest Dope.

One of the kings of luxury raps of recent times has the platinum eardrum of a prodigy when it comes to beat selection, while on the flipside has a hustle that makes some of the most successful entrepreneurs look like a preschooler with a lemonade stand. After years of “crabs in a bucket” determination to make it to the top and battling the old fight of ageism in hip-hop, 34 was his lucky number. Now at 42, with 20 years in the game and almost 10 years of a cult following, his sound and camp (Grieselda) are the blueprint for the underground and the motivators for the mainstream. A quintessential “rapper’s favorite rapper” (alongside Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine)

Westside is in the upper echelon of coworker hip-hop. You can call it the good kind. Can’t relate to shit, but god, it sounds lovely.

Like in a healthy relationship, you’ll know your partner in all of their ticks, habits, and knowing what they’re thinking without saying it. Our relationship to music isn’t too far off when it comes to our favorite artists. Many artists have lyrical trademarks and signature musicality. Westside is a good example. Griselda (his group and label) fans when they press play on a new Westside Gunn song. WWE/WWF bars and samples that answer “If DOOM was a wrestling nerd,” so many coke bars that pile up more than the white tower Scarface had on his desk, and lifestyle flexes so lavish that sometimes you have to feel like you have to be in a certain tax bracket just to listen to the lyrics, let alone the beat.

But, we’re skipping a few chapters of the Westside Story. Let’s start on page 1.

Chapter 1: Westside Greetings

Westside’s Vulcan salute and greeting is what helps classify what a Westside appearance is. It’s not a Westside Gunn verse/song without it. “Ayo.” Simple but effective. Not the first rapper to say “Ayo” nor the last, but it feels like he’s wearing the crown. It’s a trademark that feels like it’s in the league of Jadakiss’s signature laugh, Earl always mentioning a spliff, Nicki Minaj calling these girls her sons—I can go on. It’s a hip-hop signature setup that feels like watching Jeff Hardy go to the top rope or Edge going to the corner. A setup to a finisher that lets you know SHIT IS GONNA GET VERY REAL. Unless he throws a curveball and doesn’t say it, then talk about the element of surprise being effective.

“Ayo,” combined with his gunlibs, earned him a spot on hip-hop soundboards, yo. But if it’s something said so often, to where it’s synonymous with him, he must say that shit more than Boomhauer says “man.” Then a bright red light popped over my head, and then I had to flick it cause that’s not the kind of light I wanted at the moment. “Ayo, how often does Westside say, ‘Ayo’?” So, I decided to do the work of Robin Hoodwinked, steal my own time and give it to the people, and get to the bottom of this mystery. Jinkies. I put on my goggles and got my lucky straw to breathe, and scuba-dived into the sea of Westside Gunn’s solo albums, mixtapes, and EPs, and begged my accountant friend to help with the math so I don’t look too stupid. Tracking every “ayo” from the beginning to the most recent. Seeing how often he drops, this might be the first never-ending article. On your MARK, get SET, AYO! [I fully bolded the songs that contain an “ayo”. and starred/* the amount of “ayos” next to it]