Conway The Machine - God Don’t Make Mistakes
Genre: Hip Hop
Score: 9/10
This is the 2nd studio album from Griselda Records heavyweight champion Conway The Machine. What to Expect: :
Griselda Records is the biggest rap label in hip hop right now. It has the sharpest pen, the most prolific output, and the grimiest voices. Conway stands out as one of my personal favorite rappers within the ever growing roster because of his more introspective verses. However, every member of Griselda is worth diving into and exploring equally. They are one of the boldest collectives in both the underground and mainstream hip hop landscape.
Overall: I love this record. It is one of Conway’s best releases and a very concise project. The production is great and the performances and writing are excellent. Conway wrote incredibly thoughtful lyrics and he rapped very skillfully. There is not a clear flow to the record, but it has a great collection of tracks worth repeating.
Play by Play:
Lock Load - This beat is very icy and menacing. Conway and Beanie both go completely in. The song is a hard hitting intro with a great chorus.
Tear Gas (feat Rick Ross and Lil Wayne) - The beat is very soulful and clean. I love the warm bass and the pitched vocals. Conway gives menacing bars about trapping, dealing and brotherhood. His imagery in his verse is really vivid. Tunechi slides onto the beat and delivers the iconic mural painting flow that we all love him for. Rick Ross comes in to tell us another wonderfully written episode of the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous again. At this point, I cannot think of another rapper both literally and figuratively in their bag than Rick Ross.
Piano Love - This loop is menacing. When I say “This bumps in the Whip”, I mean a song that goes this hard in your car. Turn this all the way up. That griselda flow takes command once again. Conway sounds absolutely monstrous over this song. Westside Gunn peppers his legendary adlib in the background. This song is one of the most menacing gangsta rap songs I’ve heard in years.
Drumwork - I like the dissonant chords. They remind me of RZA’s production on early Wu Tang projects. It’s a great posse cut. Everyone absolutely ate their verses. It reminds me of the posse cuts that DOOM dropped on his earlier records. The beat is a great piano loop.
Wild Chapters - Oh, boy, Hit Boy produced it. His chops and drums are so great. He is definitely one of the best producers in Hip Hop. Novel has an odd ring to his voice but his feature was well performed. Conway has a great verse about his hardships and the losses he had to overcome. TI also has a pretty thoughtful verse. Overall it is a great track.
Guilty - The beat is very soulful. He’s addressing his haters, as he should. People always love talking about successful people cynically. He sounds convincing.
John Woo Flick (feat Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn) - Ok, Mask Down. We’re in a ‘79 El Camino with the Butcher, Westside Gunn, and the Machine. Benny got the chainsaw in the trunk and the rocket launcher loaded. Westside Gunn’s on your six, Uzis in both hands, protecting the rear and left flank. Conway riding shotgun, cleaning out the shotgun and counting clips. You’re driving. Turn the headlights off.
Stressed - The beat is very calm and pretty despite going so hard. The drumming is great. Conway waxes poetic about stressful situations. It’s relatable how vulnerable he sounds about it. His hook sounds great. Conway can lowkey sing. I really appreciate his vulnerability on this track. Definitely a highlight on this track. I hope he is taking care of himself.
So Much More - Loving the production all over this record. Each beat is so well produced and catchy. It reminds me of some of Just Blaze’s beats. Conway is correct: There is a lot more to him and to any rapper that creates art. I cannot really articulate it much better than he can. Rappers, listen to his advice. The outro is really nice
Chanel Pearls - Miss Jill Scott? Rapping? She raps a lot like Lil Kim. This is a wonderful change of pace. More of this, please.
Babas - This song reminds me of one of Ghostface Killah’s later era songs like Twelve Reasons to Die. The synth and drum beat sounds very retro and cartoonish. That ring shifting modulation effect sounds super cool on his voice. Few are currently touching Conway lyrically right now.
God Don’t Make Mistakes (ft. Annette Price) - This sounds like a beat off of Section 80. I enjoy it quite a bit. It also reminds me of J Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only outro. Conway sounds incredibly introspective and reflective. Overall, Conway made a great case for himself and his success and paints it perfectly on this album. Overall, this album is great, wrapped up with a heartfelt prayer from mom and a heartbeat monitor.
Score: 9/10
Favorite Track in Bold
Just my opinion