Griselda is the most significant hip-hop collective to emerge from Buffalo, New York — and arguably the most important underground rap movement of the 2010s. Built by half-brothers Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine alongside their cousin Benny the Butcher, Griselda Records transformed Buffalo’s East Side into a creative epicenter for a brand of gritty, sample-heavy boom-bap that rejected the mainstream and built a global following entirely on its own terms. In doing so, they proved that Buffalo — a city long overlooked by the hip-hop establishment — could produce music as authentic and compelling as any borough in New York.
Buffalo’s East Side to Shady Records
Westside Gunn (Alvin Lamar Worthy, born 1982) founded Griselda Records in 2012. Conway the Machine (Demond Price, born 1982) and Benny the Butcher (Jeremie David Pennick, born 1984) formed the label’s core alongside in-house producer Daringer, whose dusty, soul-sample production became the collective’s sonic signature. All three rappers grew up on Buffalo’s East Side, and their music draws directly from the city’s harsh winters, economic hardship, and street culture — delivered with a raw, unfiltered lyricism that harks back to the golden era of East Coast hip-hop while sounding entirely contemporary.
In 2017, Griselda signed with Eminem’s Shady Records — making Westside Gunn and Conway the first rappers from Buffalo to land a major-label deal. Their collective debut, WWCD (What Would ChineGun Do), released in November 2019, featured appearances from Eminem, 50 Cent, and Raekwon, and was produced entirely by Daringer and Beat Butcha. The album was a critical triumph that validated what the underground had known for years: Griselda was the real thing, and Buffalo was a legitimate hip-hop city.
Solo Success and Cultural Impact
Each member has built a formidable solo catalog. Westside Gunn’s Pray for Paris (2020) and the sprawling Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series are considered modern underground classics. Conway’s From King to a God (2020) and God Don’t Make Mistakes (2022) earned widespread critical acclaim and showcased his devastating technical skill. Benny the Butcher broke through nationally with Tana Talk 3 (2018) and Burden of Proof (2020), the latter produced by Hit-Boy and widely praised as one of the best rap albums of the year.
Griselda’s aesthetic — raw lyricism over vintage soul samples, cover art reminiscent of Italian crime cinema, and an unflinching connection to their city — has influenced a generation of rappers and producers. Beyond the music, Westside Gunn has built Griselda into a lifestyle brand encompassing fashion (his Fashion Rebels line), visual art, and even professional wrestling promotion. The collective’s influence extends far beyond Buffalo, but the city remains at the core of everything they do. Buffalo’s voice in hip-hop runs through Griselda, and they made sure the world heard it loud and clear.