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Westside Gunn Says He Is No Longer Signed To Shady Records And Labels Himself A ‘Free Agent’

The Buffalo rapper called himself a free agent, a move that occurred just a month after he delivered his ‘Who Made The Sunshine’ debut. …

Westside Gunn has had an absolute monster year in 2020. The Buffalo rapper has released not one, not two, but three albums in 2020 thanks to his Pray For Paris, Flygod Is An Awesome God II, and Who Made The Sunshine drops. Despite the success he’s had this year, Gunn may enter 2021 as a “free agent” as the rapper revealed he is no longer signed to Shady Records on Saturday.

The news came during an appearance on the Joe Budden Podcast where he simply said, “I’m off Shady,” when he was asked about his label situation. He added, “I’m actually a free agent.”

The announcement came after Gunn laughed off Eminem’s poor promotion of his Who Made The Sunshine album. After a fan noticed that Eminem posted The Alchemist’s The Food Villain project — which is not a Shady release — to Instagram without doing the same for Westside’s album, the fan said, “No post of @westsidegunn album that’s in your own label? Lol wtf.” The Buffalo rapper caught wind of the comment and replied with a series of laughing and shushing emojis.

After revealing the news, the hosts on the Joe Budden Podcast asked the rapper if he felt like the label fell short of their goal for him, but he opted to stay tight-lipped on the details. “I’m not no pillow talking type of n****,” Westside said. “That’s how I move. … It’s like saying me and [Benny The Butcher] or Conway or Conway or Benny or whoever, we may have a disagreement the world will never know about it. It’s just going to be brothers and cousins. It’s the same way with business.”

You can watch the full Joe Budden Podcast episode with Westside Gunn above.

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Elevator Operator Urges Us to Tune Inward with Soulful New Single “Listen”

Elevator Operator

“Listen” (Elevator Operator) is a refreshing and much-needed pause in the new album by Elevator Operator. The song is now available to stream on Spotify and is a delicately wrought meditation on the fact that sometimes the only voice that truly matters is the one inside our own heads.

“Listen’s” descriptions are simply chill, practically weightless, with softly layered textures, light instrumentation, and an instant calm that feels like a gentle breeze. Don’t get too comfortable; Elevator Operator has also ensured this track will evolve. As the song climbs, it takes flight with an uplifting, soaring, cathartic, invigorating chorus. The dynamic surprises you to the best extent, inviting a no-holds-barred emotional response.

The episode’s core is an inward journey; “Listen” is about looking in. It’s a musical nudge to slow down, filter out the external static, and reacquaint ourselves with that easily ignored inner voice. Elevator Operator doesn’t scream its message at you; it leads you to it gently, laying along the way through lyrics and a performance that feels profoundly intimate, even while being profoundly of the world.

The power is subtle in how the song builds musically and emotionally. The verses fall like murmuring reveries, while the chorus explodes into the kind of epiphany you never knew you were looking for. This feeling of being an elevator operator masterfully mediates the sound as though needing to have the listener hear, feel, and be empowered.

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Production-wise, “Listen” also has a crisp and natural sound. Earley meticulously places each layer, from the mellow opening notes to the whirling chorus, making this a soundscape that feels immersive without ever being enveloping. It’s clear that Elevator Operator has a keen ear for dynamics, allowing every instant to breathe precisely the way that it needs to.

At a time when external distractions may be louder than ever, “Listen” comes as balm, and a call to action. More than just a great song, Elevator Operator has just given us an experience, one that stays with you well past the last notes.

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ANSW333R Turns Pain into Poetry on New Single “Atrophy”

ANSW333R

New single “Atrophy” simmers in all the right places. With “Atrophy,” ANSW333R brings listeners into a raw place where pain is embraced. From its first haunting notes, the track blooms like a wound, beckoning you into a place that’s as personal as it is universal. ANSW333R provides no easy answers, just an opening for vulnerability, a space to have the hurt and let it become ugly and beautiful.

The song progresses with a kind of slow burn, every beat feeling deliberate and laden with intention. It’s apparent that the feelings behind “Atrophy” are not only layered within the lyrics but interwoven within the sound of the music. Every second of the track sounds like a confession, a relinquishing of pain’s truths without rushing to resolution or cliche uplift.

What makes “Atrophy” especially resonant is how wide-eyed ANSW333R captures pain rather than drowning in it. The song observes. It takes up its position amid heartbreak and implosion and allows the silence between the lines to get some of the talking done. The rest of the production follows suit, stripped back just enough to let ANSW333R’s fragile voice take the lead, opening the door to a territory most of us work so hard to skirt around: the gentle, soft collapse within.

There are no easy answers in “Atrophy” by ANSWER333R, just honesty. And sometimes, that’s the only answer we need. “Atrophy” reminds us that pain is not something to get over but something to move through, try to understand, and make art out of. Currently, ANSW333R is granting us permission to sit with ours.

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