Westside Gunn

Alvin Lamar Worthy (born July 27, 1982), known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper.

He is a co-founder of independent hip-hop label Griselda Records.

He is the brother of rapper Conway the Machine and cousin of rapper Benny the Butcher, both of whom he frequently collaborates with.

Westside Gunn has released five studio albums in addition to an extensive catalog of mixtapes.

Westside Gunn released his first mixtape in 2005, however his career was derailed by run-ins with the law.

Before it was a record label, Griselda by Fashion Rebels was a clothing company created by Gunn in 2005.

His pieces are often seen as collectibles to Griselda superfans due to their limited supply.

He does not re-release or restock any of this merch.

As a fashion designer, he considers himself a student of the game who looks up to pioneers in the field of fashion and design, many of whom he has become closely acquainted with.

He has expressed interest in expanding his clothing line so that fewer things are as limited, and he can add more variation and experimentation to the clothes he makes.

Gunn did not release any music from 2006 to 2011.

Gunn was inspired to revitalize his career by the shooting of his brother Conway that same year, which left him with permanent disabilities, as well as by the 2006 murder of his cousin Machine Gun Black.

Gunn's first project for Griselda was the mixtape Hitler Wears Hermes. While the name attracted controversy for its reference to Adolf Hitler, Gunn explained that the name is a play on The Devil Wears Prada.

Over the next few years, Gunn released a steady stream of mixtapes and EPs, including multiple sequels to Hitler Wears Hermes, on the Griselda label.

In 2012, Westside Gunn co-founded the Griselda Records label with his paternal half-brother Conway the Machine and Mach-Hommy.

Gunn's official studio album debut was Flygod, released on March 11, 2016.

Gunn was affiliated with Shady Records from 2017 to 2020, but has since returned to independent status.

On March 3, 2017, Griselda Records signed a deal with Eminem's Shady Records, making Westside Gunn and Conway the first rappers from Buffalo to sign with a major label.

After signing with Shady, Gunn played at Coachella, Firefly and Governors Ball.

Ambrosia For Heads named 2018's Supreme Blientele one of the best albums of 2018.

He also signed with Roc Nation alongside label mate Benny the Butcher on August 6, 2019, under a management deal.

On October 2, 2020, Westside Gunn released his Shady Records debut, Who Made the Sunshine, his only solo project with Shady Records.

Shortly after signing with Shady Records, Westside released Flygod Is Good... All the Time, as a collaborative EP with producer Mr. Green.

On April 17, 2020, he released his third studio album, Pray for Paris.

The album has features from artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Wale, Joey Badass and Freddie Gibbs.

On July 3, 2020, Westside Gunn released his tenth mixtape Flygod Is an Awesome God II, the sequel to his July 2019 mixtape Flygod Is an Awesome God.

The album features guest appearances by frequent collaborators Benny the Butcher, Keisha Plum, Boldy James, and Daringer.

On November 14, 2020, in an interview with Joe Budden, Gunn announced he had fulfilled his contractual obligations to Shady Records and had become an independent artist.

In 2021, he released two songs titled "TV Boy" and "Julia Lang".

The track "Julia Lang" was titled after fashion entrepreneur Julia Lang.

Westside Gunn was interested in fashion and design as early as nine years old, and it has remained an integral part of his brand and art ever since.

He designed clothes of all kinds and was regularly screen printing t-shirts for his friends and family by middle school.

His fashion journey continued through high school.

Gunn started making jean suits and sweatsuits and would compete with his friends to see who could do the best dye job on their Wallabee Clarks.

He also began frequenting cities like Atlanta to buy from brands unavailable in Buffalo, both for his collection and to resell.

He had prospects of attending fashion school but did not have the time or money to invest in college, as he had two kids by 19.

Westside Gunn still embodies his love of fashion in his music, regularly referencing it in album titles, album art, lyrics, and song names.

He often can be seen wearing designer garments on his album covers and takes great pride in his taste in fashion.

His obsession with fashion is why he took on the title, alter ego, and nickname, FLYGOD, after which some of his albums are named.

Gunn has a clothing line, Griselda by Fashion Rebels, through which he does highly limited clothing drops, often in association with his music releases.