Even with a fractured proper tibia and dislocated kneecap forcing him to postpone dates for his Received’t He Do It tour in help of his third studio LP of the identical identify, Conway The Machine put in a number of work in 2023—not that output has ever actually been an issue for the Griselda camp. This 12 months, although, noticed La Maquina make investments an enormous quantity of sweat fairness into his Drumwork Music Group. Examples right here embody his collaborative LP along with his first signee, Jae Skeese (Ache Offered Revenue), and Drumwork: The Album.
Extra intriguingly, he labored on a number of single-producer tasks; his joint effort with 38 Spesh was absolutely co-produced by Spesh and Jimmy Dukes — and later remixed by Large Ghost. Then there’s PALERMO, produced solely by German lo-fi producer Wun Two.
Nonetheless, he’s ending the 12 months on a excessive word, with Conductor Machine, a brand new seven-song platter cooked up solely by acclaimed Griselda affiliate Conductor Williams. The undertaking is simply as a lot of a excessive word for the Kansas Metropolis producer, who most lately discovered himself additional cementing his model thanks to 2 enormous placements with Drake (“8AM in Charlotte” and “Tales About My Brother”).
On this bite-sized affair, the producer offers Conway slightly of every thing; “Noir” appears like “8am In Charlotte,” with its clear keys over a stretched Joe Tex drum loop — giving Con an virtually eerie vibe as he spits anti-monogamous bars to a feminine muse. “I do know you fuck with different n-ggas on the facet, however shit, I don’t thoughts / Heard you was fucking two different rappers / And also you fucking that n-gga from the Raptors / I ain’t mad at you, go forward, simply hit me up after.”
“Imagine Me” is particularly funky, with a chunky bassline that Conway glides over, delivering a double dose of menacing alpha bars, reiterating his disdain for rats and reasserting how—after all of the groundwork—his strikes have grow to be comparatively second nature. He raps, “I don’t care who you shot, your G cross is revoked, you’re only a rat / Pin your diva to the mat like a wrestling match and don’t textual content her again / I solely need prime, don’t hit me up simply to talk / I’m enjoying chess with rap however I’m treating it like a checkers match.”
Like most of his releases, Con all the time offers his artists an opportunity to shine. “Church Fan” is one more instance of how fluidly his programming syncs with that of Jae Skeese’s, virtually symbiotically. Elsewhere on “Flame,” Drumwork’s first woman, 7xvethegenius, reveals off a barrage of dope wordplay (“Pointing at automobiles as they rolled by / Who knew from using buses, we’d be skilled to be so fly”), paired with a pared-down model of Con’s Funkmaster Flex freestyle from this previous summer time.
On the standout “Increased,” which sports activities a slick pattern laced with Conductor’s trademark pitch shifts, Conway goes again to again along with his brother (precise brother, for many who aren’t conscious) Photographs Almigh — who you must dive into, if you happen to haven’t already.
Total, the undertaking isn’t a pivotal second in any method; it doesn’t stand as a heavy AOTY (Album of the 12 months) contender or push anybody concerned into new thrilling territory. On the flip facet, it at no level veers from Conway’s extremely regular trajectory. Whereas on the quick facet, it’s an incredible pay attention that’s greater than hearty sufficient to maintain followers of the Buffalo rapper buzzing.
Good luck getting the vinyl.
