Buffalo, New York emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, curator & now professional wrestling promoter after forming the 4th Rope independent circuit promotion Westside Gunn continuing the Hitler Wears Hermes series with his 12th mixtape & the 12th installment overall. Proving his legend status & that he’s to be a force to be reckoned with all in nearly a decade whether it be running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele. Last we heard from West was And Then You Pray for Me which as a trap-heavy sequel to Pray for Paris, dropping Hitler Wears Hermes XI on Halloween & in 24 hours’ notice of Still Praying. Initially set to come last month, the 12th chapter is here ahead of joint pay-per-view between 4th Rope & Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) called For the Culture taking place in Las Vegas during WWE’s WrestleMania XLI weekend.
After the “Michelle World” intro, the first song “Boswell” featuring Estee Nack & Stove God Cooks is this 5-minute boom bap opener dropping hardcore lyricism over a sample provided by Denny LaFlare whereas “Adam Page” featuring Stove God named after the former AEW World Champion, AEW World Tag Team Champion & 2-time ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion talks about being crazy rich these days. “Veert” by Estee Nack & Stove hops over a drumless piano instrumental from Daringer to showcase their skills the soulful “055” demands you praise West & Stove.
“Health Science” featuring Brother Tom Sos that the homie Cee Gee slickly laced lets off shots to the head as if it’s personal leading into Brother Tom Sos sticking around for “Gumbo Yaya” having somewhat over a funkier vibe to the beat talking about them living it & having it for a grip. “East Miami” featuring Estee Nack strips the drums again to portray the gangsta lifestyle for 4 & a half minutes just before “Bury Me with a Stove” featuring Estee Nack talks about hustlin’ even in the afterlife.
The only single “Outlander” hits the backend of the 12th installment of the Hitler Wears Hermes saga referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & WCW World Television Champion “Rowdy” Roddy Piper showing some jazzier influences this time around prior to the drumless “Dump World” featuring Stove God Cooks taking shots at those who failed at throwing dirt on their names.
Hitler Wears Hermes XI last Devil’s Night was a huge indication that the infamous series can carry on right when everyone initially thought Hitler Wears Hermes X would be the end of it & if anything, Hitler Wears Hermes XII feels more like a sequel to Peace FLYGOD other than both of Brother Tom Sos’ appearances primarily because of Estee Nack & Stove God Cooks being featured all over it like they were on Peace FLYGOD in addition to the strong production during the 43 & a half minutes.
Score: 7/10
