Buffalo native Conway The Machine is respected as one of the most unmatched lyricists in Hip-Hop. He has dropped several projects in the past few years, which include Lulu, From King to a God, and La Maquina. Despite all the quality albums, fans have been anticipating the release of his Shady Records debut, God Don’t Make Mistakes (GDMM) after the Griselda MC signed to Eminem’s label in 2017. Conway has been teasing the album for years, but the album was finally brought to the light in 2022.
Ever since his verse in the classic track, “The Cow,” Conway has proved to be the most vulnerable in his lyrics. That vulnerability is on full display on this album. The Beat Brothers and Bink!-produced track “Guilty” vividly describes the 2012 shooting that left him with Bell’s Palsy and the motivation the incident gave him. Conway turns up his vulnerability a notch on the track “Stressed” which features a motivational speech from Million Dollars’ Worth of Game co-host, Wallo. The emotional track describes very personal experiences including losing family members, losing a child at birth, and even being abused as a child. He describes how holding in all these traumatic events took an emotional toll on him.
“Babas”, featuring poetry from Griselda-staple Keisha Plum, gives a deeper look into the environment Conway came up in and how it shaped his motivation. Conway has always been one to mention the chip he has on his shoulder and how it continues to grow. On the album’s title track, “God Don’t Make Mistakes” he describes the paranoia he felt from the lifestyle he lives and the mystery of how his life might have gone had he not been shot, with continued bars on its impact. The track ends with an emotional message from his mother that simulated her experience at the hospital by his bedside after being shot. Conway’s decision to make personal music of this magnitude continues to make him one of the most unique MC’s around.
Lyrically, Conway continues his run as one of the sharpest in the game. His wordplay is in a class of its own and seems to only be improving. On tracks like “Lock Load”, “Tear Gas”, and “Piano Love”, he simply flaunts this coveted lyrical ability to cement his place as a top lyricist. Some of the rhymes also feature his signature dark and nihilistic bars which are on full display in “Piano Love”.
“We don’t play fair, drive-bys right in front of the daycare.
We spray hairpin triggers, that FN on the waist here.”
The same approach was seen on the intro, “Lock Load”.
“I get to trippin’, get the blick and this AR in my hand.
Every bullet in the cartridges land.
The stick look like a guitar in my hands, drummin’ like I’m part of a band.”
The production credits on GDMM feature some familiar names including Daringer, Beat Butcha, and Alchemist. It also features other notable producers such as Hit-Boy, Bink!, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. The beat selection is tailor-fitted to the emotional and dark lyrics that Conway laces them with.
The features on God Don’t Make Mistakes include several legendary rappers such as T.I., Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross. One of the most surprising features is from legendary Roc-A-Fella MC, Beanie Sigel. While their styles match up, Beanie has remained relatively quiet in hip-hop. The raspy voice he uses on the track (obviously not by choice) is disheartening to hear quite honestly, but as fans we are always excited to hear what Beanie has to offer.
One of the singles for GDMM, “John Woo Flick”, features the classic staple to every Griselda project—a track featuring all three of Griselda’s flagship artists, Conway The Machine, Benny Butcher, and Westside Gunn. The track perfectly portrays the feeling that they brought to the game using gritty rhymes over a Daringer beat with superb chemistry. The album also features Drumwork Music Group artists, Jae Skeese and 7xvethegenius.
Perhaps the most unique feature came on his track, “Chanel Pearls”, which features legendary R&B singer, Jill Scott. Her verse is an excellent display of spoken word poetry, perfectly blending R&B elements with Hip-Hop elements. Conway’s ear for this unique of a verse showcases his ability to add diversity to his music.
Overall, God Don’t Make Mistakes is a project that features Conway doing what he does best — rhyming at a level that not many rappers can reach. While the album is not necessarily experimental, Conway has mastered what makes him great. His bravery to make such honest and vulnerable music continues to put him in a different class and is a formula that will continue to elevate him as an MC.
STAND OUT TRACKS: “Guilty“, “Stressed“ (Feat. Wallo267), “Chanel Pearls“ (Feat. Jill Scott)
RATING: 8/10
Check out the full project right here. Also, be sure to follow Conway The Machine at his official Instagram and Twitter page to see what he’s up to next.