New Music – Praise Both

It feels like Griselda at this point is the major label imprint for hip-hop and while a collective, are on the same path of musical conquest with consistent drops and even more consistent quality.

Looking more specifically rapper Conway The Machine who in 2021 and 2020 was an unstoppable object of approachable tracks under the Griselda label. After signing a deal with Shady Records, the debut record on the label comes in the form of God Don’t Make Mistakes.

Prolific as a continuation of that instantly recognizable soundscape, Conway The Machine is more relatable to a Conan The Barbarian figure that rummages through the wastes taking the heads of enemies and pillaging their towns.

Instead of horseback, Conway rides Ghosts and alongside some valuable features like Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Benny The Butcher, Westside Gunn, and Beanie Sigel, there is enough star power to orchestrate a petrifying notion of hip-hop royalty.

Opening with “Lock Load,” nearly every Griselda record in existence makes a standing impact with their introductory tracks, God Don’t Make Mistakes is no different, and “Lock Load” makes a generation gap in age seem less apparent when the rhyming starts.

Conway is almost always locked in with Daringer or the Beat Butcha as some of his main underbosses for production. With “Lock Load,” the duo of MPCs are able to create warping and almost hypnotizing uses of boom-bap percussion while synths spin the audience’s eyes with ease.

As Conway begins his vocalization, his narration becomes second nature with allusions to Bathing Ape, international travel, guns, and federal prison. Typical topics for Griselda at this point, but one thing that Conway continues to do differently with each release creates a moral standing ground where the emotion becomes the entire segueing piece.

He illustrates, “You can go and ask them other niggas, they’ll tell you what’s up. I already been through there and hit one of them niggas up. Momma start thinkin’ I’m crazy, baby mama think I’m nuts, ever since them niggas shot me, I just stopped givin’ a fuck.”

Methods of rhyming continue as if they were passed down through generational warfare. The track “Drumwork” in particular features 7xvethegenius and Jae Skeese are a trifecta of Griselda notation. A banging instrumental that combines the creep of 4 A.M. alongside the deadliness of a Mac-10; narration that could be incriminating, and finally an emotional display of relation to a cold-blooded killer with undertones of criminal master mindedness.

Jae Skeese actually holds the crown on this track as his delivery becomes the most engaging through the control of flow. One of the personal favorite lines that sticks out follows as, “Look, I’m at the top, that’s where I had to take it. DrumWork piece, see these diamonds is flawless. I’m grinding regardless, my reputation’s highly regarded.”

Later, “So Much More” becomes the Madison Square Garden anthem where the Knicks even appear to be at a standing ovation. Trying to be the most convincing, Conway describes on the chorus, “Yeah it’s so much more, it’s so much more. Don’t let ‘em put me in no box cause I’m so much more… Don’t confuse me as just another rapper, I’m so much more than that.” As the verse continues on, the sampled vocals resemble the choir where Conway can confess and orientate a gorgeous verse.

As the piano introduces itself near the track’s end, “So Much More” finishes the verse out by Conway saying, “They goin’ on these podcasts talkin’ bout what you owe ’em for, that 360 attractive to most these rappers. Modern-day slave, them crackers own all the masters. Facts, my nigga used to fill my glass up, the Henny pourin’. Jay got D’USSÉ, why my people still buyin’ Henny for?”

In terms of ownership and entrepreneur spirit, Griselda almost always comes directly into the mind as the hip-hop prowess of extensions beyond power. God Don’t Make Mistakes is personal and like a child to Conway, one that shows nurture but ultimately is powerful on its own legs after time to grow.

Listen To God Don’t Make Mistakes Here!!! – Spotify/iTunes