DJ Premier Explains How Westside Gunn Can Rap Without Drums On The Beat

Westside Gunn’s penchant for rapping without certain elements caught the attention of one of Hip Hop’s greatest producers in DJ Premier. Thanks to fellow producer Brady Watt, Premo and the Griselda hitter join forces for “The Narcissist,” where Gunn continues Griselda’s tradition of rapping without drums (at least for the first verse) to express his wealth and more.

“This one was more of me listening to Brady’s direction and vision,” Premier said. “I felt like it needed some drums for the DJ’s to blend into their mixes. In typical Westside Gunn fashion, the drums were kept out until the first verse, and hook were laid; so it could build up. I sprinkled in some outro scratches and it was sewn up. Visually, I was amazed at how accurately the video accurately depicts the lyrics.”

Added Watt, “DJ Premier deemed it worthy enough to send to the one and only, Westside Gunn, who is and has been my favorite artist out for a minute now. Preem reached out to Gunn and he laced two verses, and the hook same night. I couldn’t even believe it. At first, I intended it to be a drumless joint (in Griselda fashion), but Preem insisted he put drums on it AND a classic scratch hook using vocals from none other than Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine.”

The collaboration between Gunn and Premier is their third in recent years including 2019’s “Headlines” and “Shawn vs. Flair” from Gunn’s 2020 album Pray 4 Paris.

Stream “The Narcissist” from DJ Premier and Westside Gunn above.