Westside Gunn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Westside Gunn
Gunn in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Alvin Lamar Worthy
Also known as	Flygod Super Flygod Hall W.S.G. Gunn
Born	(1982-07-27) July 27, 1982 (age 43) East Side, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip hop boom bap alternative hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter record producer fashion designer
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Daupe! Griselda Roc Nation Shady
Signature

Alvin Lamar Worthy (born July 27, 1982), known as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper and fashion designer. He helped start the hip-hop record label Griselda Records in 2012. He founded it with his half-brother Conway the Machine and their cousin Benny the Butcher.

Since 2005, Westside Gunn has released five studio albums. He also has many mixtapes and EPs. He worked with Shady Records from 2017 to 2020. After that, he went back to working independently.

Early Life

Westside Gunn was born on July 27, 1982. He grew up in East Side, Buffalo, New York. His half-brother is Conway the Machine. His younger cousin is Benny the Butcher. Both of them also became hip-hop artists. He moved around a lot when he was a kid. He even lived in a richer part of Buffalo. He liked fashion from a young age. His marketer, Derrick Jackson, said he wore gold chains in elementary school.

Music Career

Starting Out and Griselda Records

Westside Gunn released a mixtape in 2005. After that, he didn't release music for a while. Instead, he managed Conway the Machine. In 2012, Conway was in a shooting accident. After this, Gunn started releasing music again. His first release was a mixtape series called ... Wears Hermes. This name was a play on the movie The Devil Wears Prada. The series became well-known and was talked about a lot.

In 2014, Gunn co-founded Griselda Records. He started it with Conway the Machine and Mach-Hommy. His first official studio album was Flygod. It came out on March 11, 2016.

Growing Popularity and Record Deals

On March 3, 2017, Griselda Records signed a deal with Eminem's Shady Records. This was a big moment. Westside Gunn and Conway were the first rappers from Buffalo to sign with a major record label. After joining Shady, Gunn performed at big music festivals. These included Coachella and Governors Ball. On October 2, 2020, Westside Gunn released Who Made the Sunshine. This was his only solo album with Shady Records.

Soon after signing with Shady Records, Gunn released Flygod Is Good... All the Time. This was an EP with producer Mr. Green. In 2018, Gunn released Supreme Blientele. He also signed a management deal with Roc Nation. This happened on August 6, 2019, alongside Benny the Butcher.

On April 17, 2020, Gunn released his third studio album, Pray for Paris. Famous artists like Tyler, the Creator and Wale were on the album. On July 3, he released his tenth mixtape. It was called Flygod Is an Awesome God II. This was a follow-up to his 2019 mixtape.

On November 14, 2020, Gunn announced something important. He said he had finished his contract with Shady Records. He was now an independent artist again.

Independent Career

In 2021, Westside Gunn acted in the movie Conflicted. He was in it with Benny the Butcher and Michael Rapaport. Also in 2021, he released two songs. They were called "TV Boy" and "Julia Lang". The second song was named after fashion person Julia Lang. Both songs were later on his mixtape ... Wears Hermes 8: Side B. In 2022, Westside Gunn said on X that he would stop making hip-hop music by the end of 2023. He felt he had achieved everything he wanted.

On October 13, 2023, Westside Gunn released his fifth studio album. It was called And Then You Pray For Me. This album was a sequel to Pray for Paris. Both album covers were designed by fashion designer Virgil Abloh. Gunn said this was his last album, but he would still release music.

On January 24, 2025, he shared news about a new band. It's a hardcore punk band called Dissension. He also showed a preview of their song "Black Hole". On April 18, 2025, he released Heels Have Eyes. This included the song "Egypt". Later, "Egypt" was remixed and featured Doechii.

Fashion Career

In 2012, Gunn started his own clothing brand. He called it Fashion Rebels. In 2025, he launched a new pair of shoes. He designed them with the brand Saucony.

Personal Life

Westside Gunn is a big fan of wrestling. He says he goes to major wrestling events every year. These include SummerSlam and WrestleMania.

On September 7, 2022, Gunn walked with wrestler Daniel Garcia to the ring. Garcia is a close friend and also from Buffalo. This was for a match on AEW Dynamite. Garcia won the match. Gunn also went with Swerve Strickland at AEW All In 2024. Strickland was defending his championship.

Discography

Studio Albums

With Griselda

• Don't Get Scared Now (2016)
• WWCD (2019)

EPs

• There's God and There's Flygod, Praise Both (2016)
• Riots on Fashion Avenue (with Mil Beats) (2017)
• WestSide Doom (with MF Doom) (2017)
• Flygod Is Good... All the Time (with Mr. Green) (2018)
• 11 (2024)
• Heels Have Eyes (2025)

Mixtapes

Collaborative Mixtapes

• Hall & Nash (with Conway the Machine) (2015)
• Griselda Ghost (with Conway the Machine and Big Ghost LTD) (2015)
• Roses are Red... So Is Blood (with The Purist) (2016)
• ... on Steroids (with DJ Green Lantern) (2017)
• Hall & Nash 2: The Original Version (with Conway the Machine & The Alchemist) (2023)
• Still Praying (with DJ Drama) (2024)

Charted Songs