Conflicted
1.5.21
Griselda has had themselves quite the year in 2020 when it comes down to the music, and this year they are set to continue that momentum, and then some. On January 15th, Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn will star in a new featured film, Conflicted, directed by AK Reed. In addition to the film, an accompanying soundtrack will be released this Friday, with features you will not want to miss.
The film will be released by Griselda Records, and available on PayPerView streaming services come January 15th. Benny The Butcher is said to be an executive producer of the film, and plays a major role in the film itself. Benny will act as a gangster from Buffalo trying to leave his dirty past behind after coming from prison. Of course, the journey is tough and there will be instances where he will have to make hard decisions, or leaving himself Conflicted, if you will.
In addition to Benny, Westside Gunn will also be featured in the film, along with Michael Rapaport, J Holiday and Deuce King and others. The trailer for the film is currently available to watch on YouTube, which you may access HERE.
Remember when movies had SoundTracks? Those were the good old days. Of course, Griselda Records had to be the dream team to bring this back. One week prior to the premiere of the Conflicted film, we will receive a fifteen track soundtrack for the film. This project will of course include Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn, along with others such as Flee Lord, LLyod Banks, Wale, Smoke Dza, Dave East, Heem, Chase Fetti, Eto, Armani Casaer, YN Billy, Billy V, Rick Hyde, Ransom and Camino. Production was done by Daringer, Camoflauge Monk, DJ Shay, IceRoxx and others.
Westside Gunn calls the movie is a “hood classic”, and is extremely excited to share the soundtrack which we really do not see anymore. He shares that it was executive produced by DJ Shay, whom was working on this project when he passed last summer.
Currently, 3:30 In Houston by Benny the Butcher and The Hurt by Westside Gunn, Wale and Smoke DZA are available to listen. If you follow the lives of Griselda, it will be no surprise to you that Benny talks about his incident in Houston where he was shot outside of a Walmart. However, it has not stopped any of his grind. I was excited to see Wale on the list of features, I think he fits in nicely with the likes of WSG and Smoke DZA.
Most recently, Westside Gunn has shared a Twitter thread of people trolling the Griselda trio. Basically saying they do not do anything for the culture, and that they are old guys looking for attention. He laughed at the comments, but seems to throw it in their face a little, with hours later sharing what they really are doing for the culture. An entire film and soundtrack, about the lives that they have all lived and experienced in one way or another.
The film does not mention to be an autobiography, but surely would take plenty of inspiration from the lives of the actors in the film.
I am super excited for the soundtrack, and will for sure be finding a way to watch the film once it releases. One thing that throws me a little off guard is where Conway is at. The film is being released by Griselda Records, but there has been no mention of Conway in the trailer, nor any of the articles that I have dug up. One article mentioned Conway being on the soundtrack, although I feel like it may have been an incorrect assumption. Westside Gunn did not mention him in his post announcing the artists on the soundtrack, and Benny The Butcher shared a visual of the tracklist with features, none of which included Conway’s name.
Conway just dropped a new track with Ghost LTD titled Toast. Ghost LTD remains anonymous and you kind of have to dig for these projects, but currently is listened on Hot New Hip Hop HERE. It is said that the two will be dropping another joint project together this year. So, it really does not seem like Conway nor WSG will be retiring from hip-hop has they have so previously mentioned. But, I feel like this must be foreshadowing of something if Conway is left out of both of these upcoming projects.