Heels Have Eyes III: West$ide Gunn 4th Rope wrestling league Launch Party in Chicago

Greselda boss, MC, and multidisciplinary creative West$ide Gunn has been extremely active in recent months. Dropping multiple music projects, announcing his new role as Creative Director at Saucony, and most recently announcing his new wrestling league, 4th Rope, he’s proving to be one of hip hop’s most prolific creators. Everything came to a head in Chicago earlier this month for the official launch party of 4th Rope, Heels Have Eyes III.

We arrived at UIC Dorin Forum to a massive line around the block, eventually entering to a bustling merch area where custom commemorative pieces were being sold at huge volume. The crowds then migrated to the main arena, where the wrestling ring awaited a stacked ticket of 4th rope talent. Rome Streetz and Daringer set the night off with a short performance, and then wrestling matches began, giving birth to the league itself, as well as an unforgettable night for hip hop culture.

After the matches, which included AJ Francis vs. Joe Hendry, and many more, a night of legendary performances ensued. The main event was the great DJ Premier vs. equally iconic Pete Rock. The two went tit for tat, back and forth with timeless classics from their respective catalogs, both paying their respects to the late great Prodigy, whose birthday was the same weekend. Other surprise guest performances included Smoke DZA, Boldy James, Statik Selectah, Stovegod Cooks, Dave East and more.

It was a star studded night of hip hop greatness, and a testament to W$G’s status as a true visionary. We’ve been to hundreds of concerts, festivals, and release parties, but we’ve never seen anything quite like this. If another installment of Heels Have Eyes comes to your city, don’t miss it. Check out the photo recaps courtesy of Thought Poet, and Chris Lock below.