Flygod
(2016)“The cold, raw blueprint for the Griselda sound”
Flygod is where the Griselda aesthetic came into focus. Daringer produced most of it with loops that barely move, and the rest came from Roc Marciano, Apollo Brown, Statik Selektah, the Alchemist and others. Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher are all over it, and guests from Danny Brown to Action Bronson and Mach-Hommy fit the grimy mood. In 2022 Rolling Stone placed it at No. 176 on its list of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums.
Why it ranks here
Flygod is where the Griselda aesthetic came into focus. Daringer produced most of it with loops that barely move, and the rest came from Roc Marciano, Apollo Brown, Statik Selektah, the Alchemist and others. Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher are all over it, and guests from Danny Brown to Action Bronson and Mach-Hommy fit the grimy mood. In 2022 Rolling Stone placed it at No. 176 on its list of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums.
Context
His debut studio album, released March 11, 2016 on Griselda with distribution through Empire, after a run of Hitler Wears Hermes mixtapes. It was re-released on streaming services in December 2020.
Highlights
- Dunks
- Shower Shoe Lords
- Bodies On Fairfax
- Omar's Coming
- Dudley Boyz
Weak Spots
- Nearly an hour long, with skits and an outro that slow it down
- Uncharted on release, so it took years to find its audience
Production
Daringer · Roc Marciano · Apollo Brown · Statik Selektah · The Alchemist
Influence
Set the template for the sparse, soul-sampled and often drumless sound that Griselda and many underground rappers followed through the late 2010s.
Replay Value
High — the Daringer loops still sound like nothing else from 2016.