WWCD (an acronym for What Would ChineGun Do) is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group Griselda, composed of Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, and Westside Gunn. It was released on November 29, 2019, through Griselda, Shady, and Interscope. It features guest appearances from 50 Cent, Eminem, and Raekwon, among others, and production is handled by Daringer and Beat Butcha.
Background WWCD is an acronym for What Would ChineGun Do. It is a reference to Chine Gun Black, Benny the Butcher's late brother.
WWCD's lead single was "Dr. Bird's", released on October 18, 2019. On January 8 of the following year, a music video was released, directed by Hype Williams. On January 23, Griselda performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the debut on the show for all members. In a 2023 retrospective, Thomas Hobbs of Okayplayer named the song as the breakout song for its producer, Daringer.
The second single, "Chef Dreds", released on November 8, 2019.
In an interview on October 20, 2023, Westside Gunn said a sequel to WWCD was in the making.
Cover The cover of the album shows Clara "Claire" Gomez, a homeless woman who lived in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo News reported she was killed on the night of May 23, 2023, aged 58, after being hit by a car. On May 25, Westside Gunn donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe set up by her family to cover the costs of her funeral.
Contents Writing for Pitchfork, Evan Rytlewski compares WWCD's production to hip-hop from the 1990s broadly. The album was produced by Griselda in-house producers Daringer and Beat Butcha, who did not use samples for the album.
The lyrics of WWCD cover criminal stories from each Griselda member, primarily cocaine dealing. On the song "Kennedy", an interlude, Westside Gunn repats the lyric "blow your fucking face off" while ad-libbing gun sounds. The opening song, "Marchello Intro", features spoken word from Raekwon.
Reception WWCD received positive reviews from critics. Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork rated it a 7.7/10, complimenting the group's synergy, while criticizing the repetitive production. Hip Hop Golden Age rated it 79/10, calling it a "great but a just slightly (frustratingly and unnecessary [sic]) flawed project". Writing for Earmilk, Margaritë "Magi" Camaj rated it 5/5 stars, calling it "an impeccable album". Riley Wallace of HipHopDX rated it 4.5/5.
Track listing
Accolades Publication List Rank Ambrosia For Heads Top 15 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2019 List Complex Best Albums of 2019 HipHopDX The Best Rap & Hip Hop Albums Of 2019
Charts Chart (2019) Peak position
See also 2019 in hip hop music
References