If there is one criticism about the Griselda family, it is that their beats are TOO grimey. Beats that are “all produced by Daringer,” or beats that “sound too evil.” “These beats will keep them underground,” people cry. On Conway the Machine’ latest album, that all changes. An Avengers team of some of the top producers of the last decade assembles for the creation of La Maquina.
Conway the Machine is back with another shining example of his rap mastery. Under a year removed from his critically acclaimed From King to A God, Conway released this 50-minute masterpiece. The intro, Bruiser Brody, is a classic Griselda cut for Conway to violently reintroduce himself to the rap world. And then something switches. The horns come in and crash on the infamous “Bangladesh” tag to what feels like the real intro to this album, over a game-day type beat. On 6:30 Tip Off, Conway takes his time to flaunt his wealth and let everyone know that “Machine is the silliest with the bars.”
The lead single from La Maquina is Blood Roses, a prototypical Conway song where he proudly announces the “King Back!” But I thought he went from King to God? Which is it Conway?? This song is produced by a team of Cardiak and Maneesh, a frequent Drake collaborator. Does this mean I am one step closer to achieving my goal of a Drake x Griselda collab??
Don Cannon has two production credits on La Maquina, which affirms the fact that this time around, Conway opted for more mainstream, (some would say) legendary producers than his normal in-house options (sorry, Daringer). The first Cannon song, Clarity, is the type that will come to define the mainstream takeover of Griselda and in this case, Conway the Machine. This is songwriting at its best, a coming-of-age track for Conway, who “lives on the charts now, this is [his] humble abode.” It has been a meteoric rise for the boys from Buffalo and with all this new fame, Conway reflects beautifully on this song about his relationships, fame, and accomplishments. This one is by far my favorite song on the album.
If Clarity seems like the closing statement for the first half of the album, KD is surely a flashy second opening. In the spirit of Kodak Black and “Bodak Yellow” era Cardi B, Conway shows that he isn’t too underground to link with mainstream producers with radio friendly flows. He bounces over Murda Beatz production with his best southern rapper impression. I’ve got to say, it reminds me of “Lemon,” which isn’t a bad thing.
Loyalty is everything to the Griselda crew. It infects how they do business, make music, and live life, so it isn’t surprising that they are always putting on new artists and producers. While Griselda accomplices Boldy James and Stove God Cooks have created an independent following, some of the less notable adjacencies never catch on and continue a cycle of being featured on an albums worst song. On this album, though, it’s all different. Conway’s new label, Drumwork, has signed two new artists, both of which are featured on this album. The guest verses are surprisingly wonderful. Jae Skeese appears on three songs and kills each one. 7xvethegenius spazzes out on Sister Abigail with bar after bar. If you haven’t heard this one, check it out, she kills it. And, of course, the back-to-back end of verse with Conway busting through the door with “Still in the kitchen of course, bro, Christian Dior coat.” Is there a more Griselda line?
It couldn’t be a La Maquina review without mentioning two of its most talked about songs. 200 Pies sounds about as Maybach Music as it gets, so I was a bit salty to find out it was a 2 Chainz feature instead of Ross. 2 Chainz did kill it though, I think he knows a thing of two about the most-expensivest things. The elegance of this beat is some Alchemist produced yacht music; the wild juxtaposition of the flowing vocals and the violent bars is magic. Scatter Brain is getting all the press, when in my opinion, it should be Clarity. Even as such, Scatter Brain is such a unique song, the second with Don Cannon production. The album was becoming more mainstream and upbeat, but this song just threw that back into the closet. JID impresses with his ability to tip toe around a beat with syllables in a way that is truly special. This is their second collaboration in a few months and I really enjoy their styles together. An unearthed Ludacris tries his best at being a gangster, and I’ve got all the love for Ludacris, but in this court, he shouldn’t have the ball.
Writing this, I am still in shock about the perfect song placement of Griselda albums. Whether Westside, the resident artistic genius, has his brush in all of these projects or their new Shady Records A&Rs have that ear, it is insane. The song order is cohesive both musically and emotionally, but it is the ending that really wows me. EVERY SINGLE Griselda outro is so emotional. Some albums are a braggadocious Griselda posse cut. Pray For Paris ended with an orchestral tap dancing show that I still think about. Burden of Proof saw Benny claiming legend status. La Maquina ends with a wailing rustic electric guitar. It is more nostalgic than grimy, more heartwarming than sinister. It is the kind of track that plays in your head, stuck to your bones. It is Conway and friends bidding farewell to a sold-out arena show with mic drops. Conway and Daringer collect all 3 Griselda boys for a no-chorus posse cut with each of the verses highlighting the unique personality of each rapper. Conway taunts rappers who lie about their wealth and street cred. Westside rhymes about being the enforcer and creative visionary of Griselda. And Benny asserts that rappers call him “Mr. Make You Change Your Verse.” If that isn’t true…... 7.7/10