by Eric Foreman (@ericforemanDPT)
Street rap superstars Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Conway the Machine have developed a sound intersecting the cold, grimy realities of their respective Buffalo upbringings and the silk laced high art symbolic of elite society. This juxtaposition is occasionally jarring but almost always well executed. It is the longing of the street dreamer, that their means be justified at the end – when or if they can get there. However, swinging between surreal luxury and menacing threats may leave little room for an inward look at how this quest for better can chip away at one’s psyche. While he has always been the most introspective of the three, on his new record, God Don’t Make Mistakes, Conway the Machine weaves his iron clad bars within tracks exploring the depths of his trauma and insecurity on the way to the top.
In judging the first two singles, “Piano Love” and “John Woo Flick” – it would be apparent that Conway is sticking to his guns. Both tracks land firmly within his comfort zone, the former a crawling beat by Alchemist laced with a dusty piano detailing. The latter a fantastic posse cut that finds the three members of Griselda as comfortable as ever tag-teaming bars over classic Daringer production. However, this comfort zone isn’t a rapper settling into stagnation as it is a base for which Conway can use to branch out on the record’s deep cuts. On “Guilty” he describes the shooting incident that left him with Bell’s Palsy, a form of partial facial paralysis. Looking back, he is candid about his concern for its effect on his career, “Sometimes I wonder, if this Bells Palsy didn’t paralyze my grill/would there still be murals of my face on side of buildings?”. On “Wild Chapters” he laments his past bad decision making and speaks on the death of one of his sons. Often the tragedy in this record is not meant to provoke sympathy but instead Conway reflects on how his previous pains have pushed him forward. Centerpiece “Stressed” is a soliloquy on mental health, familial death, and Conway’s admitted alcoholism. For the amount his previous strife, he has solid perspective on how to turn losses into lessons. Moreover, Conway lyrically delivers some of his most compelling, emotionally honest lines – even with years of captivating storytelling in his back pocket.
Fans of the Conway’s previous work will find a lot to love in the record’s production. “Lock Load” features Daringer and Beat Butcha orchestrating a mixture of strings and synths over top of head nodding drums. The Alchemist continues his prodigious run with beats for the aforementioned first single and the hard-hitting title track. The familiar faces behind the boards on the majority of these tracks create a recognizable sonic palette allowing for Conway to flip flows and bust bars at his most comfortable.
God Don’t Make Mistakes listens like a late night conversation with a close friend who is intent on freeing their past demons. The Griselda mark is all over this project but it always feels centered on Conway. The last moments of the record see Conway’s mother reckoning with his being shot and pleading for his life. It’s a moment that is all humanity, devoid of pretentiousness or posturing. On his new record, Conway provides a peak into his ordeals past and present with the knowledge that what happens to us does not define us but instead gives us another chance to learn and to grow.