Buffalo native Conway the Machine pairs gritty lyricism with a calculated, ominous cadence and signature ad-libs that set him apart. After a near-fatal shooting in 2012 shifted his priorities toward music, the rapper established Griselda Records with his brother and fellow MC Westside Gunn, emerging as a central force in the gritty revival of New York hip-hop. His first full-length project, From King to a God, arrived in 2020, followed by the widely acclaimed God Don't Make Mistakes on Eminem’s Shady Records in early 2022. Departing both Griselda and Shady to prioritize his own Drumwork imprint, he maintained a steady pace of releases that included the 2023 album Won't He Do It plus joint efforts such as Conductor Machine alongside Conductor Williams.
Born Demond Price, Conway began laying down tracks at fifteen, initially teaming with neighborhood beatmakers under the aliases Loose Cannon and Killa Angel before settling on his current moniker. A near-fatal shooting in 2012 abruptly halted his progress; physicians warned of possible paralysis from the neck down. Instead he recovered with Bell’s palsy, which left him with a lasting slur that he chose to highlight rather than conceal, sharpening an even darker vocal approach and pairing it with more unsettling beats to suit his deliberate tempo. On Griselda he dropped his 2015 debut The Devil’s Reject. Inspired by the momentum of Gunn’s ongoing Hitler Wears Hermes series, Conway intensified his output, issuing the follow-up Reject 2 and the joint Hall & Nash with Westside Gunn during the second half of that year. Over stark productions from longtime associate Daringer, he wove intricate rhymes about street violence and survival while echoing the mafioso narratives of New York predecessors Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G.
Linking with area peers ranging from Roc Marciano to Skyzoo, the MC unleashed four albums in quick succession across 2016 and 2017, elevating Griselda’s visibility enough to secure a partnership with Eminem’s Shady Records. In the next year he added the fourth solo effort Blakk Tape to his catalog and launched the Everybody Is F.O.O.D. series, unveiling its first two installments in August and December. The third volume surfaced in April 2019, setting the stage for Conway’s initial Shady single “Bang,” which landed on his proper studio debut From King to a God in 2020. Later that year he joined Method Man on the track “Lemon,” and in 2021 he issued the mixtape La Maquina.
Opening 2022, Conway unveiled the singles “John Woo Flick” featuring Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn along with “Stressed” alongside Wallo267, both drawn from his second studio album God Don't Make Mistakes. Widely praised upon arrival, the project was positioned as his last release under both Griselda and Shady as he turned focus toward Drumwork. Later that year he teamed with Big Ghost Ltd. for What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed. In 2023 he issued the Jae Skeese collaboration Pain Provided Profit and the standalone full-length Won't He Do It, then followed with the label showcase Drumwork the Album plus joint projects Speshal Machinery with 38 Spesh and Conductor Machine with Conductor Williams.
