Conway the Machine

Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine (or simply Conway or The Machine), is an American rapper from Buffalo, New York. Alongside his brother Westside Gunn and their cousin Benny the Butcher, he is part of Griselda Records.

Conway the Machine
Birth nameDemond Price
Also known as
  • Conway
  • Reject
  • Nash
  • The Machine
Born (1982-02-16) February 16, 1982
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2012–present
Labels
Associated acts

History

2012–2019: Early mixtapes and G.O.A.T.

At age 23, Conway spent some time in jail, which he has cited as a motivation for weaning from a gangster lifestyle to focus on his career in music.[1]

In 2012, Conway was shot in the back of the head and neck,[2] an incident that left him with Bell's palsy (Bell's palsy refers to an idiopathic CNVII palsy, if there's a known etiology it's not Bell's palsy), which paralyzed the right half of his face. His facial paralysis contributed to what Consequence of Sound described as "a mush-mouthed, yet visceral flow reflecting the sheer force of will needed to overcome the incident that could have easily ended his career".[3][4] The violence of the grittiest Buffalo streets worked its way into Conway's art, lending a biting verisimilitude to his raps, an element underscored by the dark, stark and grainy minimalism that is a hallmark of the production values represented on all Griselda Records offerings.[5]

In 2014, Westside Gunn founded Griselda Records, through which Conway and Westside Gunn would self-release their own projects and the works of artists such as Benny the Butcher and Tha God Fahim. In 2015, Conway released his first two official mixtape projects through Griselda Records, The Devil's Reject and Reject 2. Conway and Westside Gunn also released two collaborative EPs through London-based record label Daupe!,[6] the first of which was 2015's Hall & Nash, followed by 2016's Griselda Ghost. In April 2016, during Mobb Deep and Smif-N-Wessun's "Hell On Earth" tour, Conway was introduced to Prodigy of Mobb Deep, who would become one of his earliest notable collaborators and supporters.[1]

On March 3, 2017, Griselda Records signed a deal with Eminem's Shady Records, a subsidiary of Interscope.[7][8] On October 10, 2017, Conway contributed an a cappella rap verse to the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards Shady cypher.[9] The same year, Complex included Westside Gunn and Conway in their list of "15 Best Unofficial Rap Duos in the Game",[10] as well as two of the "17 Artists to Watch in 2017".[11]

Following Griselda's deal with Shady Records, Conway's first official release was G.O.A.T. on December 21, 2017, which included production from Griselda's in-house producer Daringer and The Alchemist, and featured Royce Da 5'9", Raekwon, Prodigy, Styles P and Lloyd Banks. Earlier in 2017, he released a collaborative mixtape with DJ Green Lantern titled More Steroids.

Much like Lil' Wayne and 50 Cent before him,[12][13] Conway has made a name releasing frequent and well received mixtapes online, often for free. His mixtape collaborations for his Everybody Is F.O.O.D. series has included Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock, The Alchemist, Nottz, and Statik Selektah.[14] He has also made countless collaborations and features with other underground hip hop artists alike such as Nems, Pounds, Your Old Droog, Leaf Dog, Daringer, The Alchemist, DJ Muggs and DJ Premier.

2019–present: God Don't Make Mistakes and Look What I Became

On May 16, 2019, Conway, Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn released their first single with DJ Premier titled "Headlines".[15]

Conway released "Bang", the first single from his debut studio album, God Don't Make Mistakes, alongside Eminem on July 19, 2019.[16][17] During an interview on VladTV on August 21, 2019, Conway confirmed that Schoolboy Q, Rapsody, and 50 Cent will feature on God Don't Make Mistakes, and there would be a lead up project before it called Look What I Became.

On September 7, 2019, Conway had officially revealed the release date of Look What I Became on Instagram[18] and, it was released on September 13, 2019, with features from Dave East and more.

Speaking on Conway's 2019 work, Dan-O of Freemusicempire said "Conway went beyond skill this year, into himself, with rewarding results."[19]

In September 2020, Conway released his third project of the year, From King to a GOD. The album was well received by critics.[20]

Discography

Studio albums

Collaboration albums
  • Organized Grime (released in collaboration with Trillmatic Goods) (2019)
  • Lulu (with The Alchemist) (2020)
  • No One Mourns The Wicked (with Big Ghost) (2020)
  • If It Bleed It Can Be Killed (with Big Ghost) (2021)

Mixtapes
  • The Devil's Reject (2015)
  • Reject 2 (2015)
  • G.O.A.T. (2017)
  • Blakk Tape (2018)
  • Everybody Is F.O.O.D (2018)
  • EIF 2: Eat What U Kill (2018)
  • Everybody Is F.O.O.D 3 (2019)
  • Look What I Became (2019)

Collaboration mixtapes

With Griselda

References
  1. "Artist of the Month Conway on Repping Buffalo, Second Chances, and Being the Grimiest of All Time". Consequence of Sound. November 16, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  2. "4 wounded in 3 separate shootings". The Buffalo News. March 18, 2012.
  3. "Prepare Yourself For Conway's Bleak, Dusty, Evocative Street-Rap". Stereogum. January 11, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  4. "Conway: G.O.A.T." Pitchfork. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  5. "Watch now: Rapper Conway the Machine gives back to Buffalo". The Buffalo News. May 14, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  6. "Daupe!". Discogs. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  7. "Shady X Griselda Ink Deal For Westside Gunn and Conway". Shady Records. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  8. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/789690521
  9. Mojica, Nick. "Conway, Boogie and More Spit in Shady 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher – XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  10. "The 15 Best Unofficial Rap Duos in the Game Right Now". Complex. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  11. "17 Artists to Watch in 2017". Complex. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  12. "10 Best Lil Wayne Mixtapes". Red Bull. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  13. "How 50 Cent Used Mixtapes To Market His Brand – Stop The Breaks | Independent Music Grind". Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  14. Sanchez, The Lesson w/ DJ (April 8, 2018). "Conway The Machine Releases New Project "Blakk Tape"". The Source. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  15. Chesman, Donna-Claire. "DJ Premier & Griselda Interview: Making "Headlines"". DJBooth. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  16. "Conway The Machine – "Bang" (Feat. Eminem)". Stereogum. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  17. "Listen to Eminem's Guest Verse on Conway the Machine's "Bang"". Spin. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  18. ""Look What I Became..."September 13th". Instagram. September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  19. http://freemusicempire.com/2019/12/24/2019-fme-mvp-griselda
  20. "Conway The Machine shares new album 'From King To A GOD'". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
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