Conway the Machine

Matching gritty bars with a methodical, menacing delivery and unmistakable ad-libs, Buffalo's Conway the Machine is acclaimed for his restless output of albums, mixtapes, and collaborations. Focusing on music after suffering a near-fatal shooting in 2012, the MC co-founded Griselda Records alongside brother and fellow rapper Westside Gunn, and became a key component of the resurgence of grimy New York rap. He issued his debut album, From King to a God, in 2020, then released the widely praised God Don't Make Mistakes through Eminem's Shady Records in early 2022. He left both Griselda and Shady in order to focus on his own label, Drumwork, and continued his prolific release schedule with the 2023 full-length Won't He Do It and collaborations like Conductor Machine (with Conductor Williams).

Conway (born Demond Price) began recording at the age of 15, working initially with local producers under the names Loose Cannon and Killa Angel before committing to Conway. His hip-hop ambitions were cut short in 2012 when he became the victim of a near-fatal shooting, with doctors suggesting neck-down paralysis as the most likely outcome. Surviving instead with Bell's palsy (a form of facial paralysis), Conway developed a permanent slur; rather than hide this, he embraced it, adopting a more ominous delivery and eerier production to complement his slower flow. He released his 2015 debut album, The Devil's Reject, on Griselda. Seeing the success of Gunn's frequent Hitler Wears Hermes series, Conway upped his work ethic, releasing his sophomore album, Reject 2, and the collaborative project Hall & Nash (with Westside Gunn) in the latter half of 2015. Over grimy instrumentals produced by close collaborator Daringer, Conway used wordplay to relate his struggles with violence and street life, while also replicating the mafioso stylings of New York forefathers Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G.

Working closely with local contemporaries from Roc Marciano to Skyzoo, the MC released a rapid-fire string of four albums across 2016 and 2017, building Griselda's profile up enough to land a deal with Eminem's Shady Records. The following year, in addition to issuing his fourth solo album, Blakk Tape, Conway began his Everybody Is F.O.O.D. album series, releasing the first two projects in August and December. The third volume appeared in April 2019 and was followed by Conway's first single with Eminem, "Bang," which appeared in 2020 on his debut studio album, From King to a God. He paired with Method Man for the track "Lemon" later that year, and in 2021 he released the mixtape La Maquina.

Conway began 2022 with "John Woo Flick," featuring Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn, and "Stressed" with Wallo267, the first two singles from his second album, God Don't Make Mistakes. One of his most well-received projects, the album was announced as his final release with both Griselda and Shady, as he planned to concentrate on his own Drumwork imprint. What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed, with Big Ghost Ltd., was released later in the year. In 2023, he issued the Jae Skeese collaboration Pain Provided Profit and the full-length Won't He Do It. He then released label showcase Drumwork the Album and collaborations with 38 Spesh (Speshal Machinery) and Conductor Williams (Conductor Machine). ~ David Crone, Rovi