Conway The Machine & Conductor Williams End 2023 On A High Note With 'Conductor Machine'

Even with a fractured right tibia and dislocated kneecap forcing him to postpone dates for his Won’t He Do It tour in support of his third studio LP of the same name, Conway The Machine put in a lot of work in 2023—not that output has ever really been a problem for the Griselda camp. This year, though, saw La Maquina invest a huge amount of sweat equity into his Drumwork Music Group. Examples here include his collaborative LP with his first signee, Jae Skeese (Pain Provided Profit), and Drumwork: The Album.

More intriguingly, he worked on several single-producer projects; his joint effort with 38 Spesh was fully co-produced by Spesh and Jimmy Dukes — and later remixed by Big Ghost. Then there’s PALERMO, produced entirely by German lo-fi producer Wun Two.

However, he’s ending the year on a high note, with Conductor Machine, a new seven-song platter cooked up entirely by acclaimed Griselda affiliate Conductor Williams. The project is just as much of a high note for the Kansas City producer, who most recently found himself further cementing his brand thanks to two huge placements with Drake (“8AM in Charlotte” and “Stories About My Brother”).

In this bite-sized affair, the producer gives Conway a little of everything; “Noir” feels like “8am In Charlotte,” with its clean keys over a stretched Joe Tex drum loop — giving Con an almost eerie vibe as he spits anti-monogamous bars to a female muse. “I know you fuck with other n-ggas on the side, but shit, I don’t mind / Heard you was fucking two other rappers / And you fucking that n-gga from the Raptors / I ain’t mad at you, go ahead, just hit me up after.”

“Believe Me” is especially 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 the groundwork—his moves have become relatively second nature. He raps, “I don’t care who you shot, your G pass is revoked, you’re just a rat / Pin your diva to the mat like a wrestling match and don’t text her back / I only want top, don’t hit me up just to chat / I’m playing chess with rap but I’m treating it like a checkers match.”

Like most of his releases, Con always gives his artists a chance to shine. “Church Fan” is yet another example of how fluidly his programming syncs with that of Jae Skeese’s, almost symbiotically. Elsewhere on “Flame,” Drumwork’s first lady, 7xvethegenius, shows off a barrage of dope wordplay (“Pointing at cars as they rolled by / Who knew from riding buses, we’d be trained to be so fly”), paired with a pared-down version of Con’s Funkmaster Flex freestyle from this past summer.

On the standout “Higher,” which sports a slick sample laced with Conductor’s trademark pitch shifts, Conway goes back to back with his brother (actual brother, for those who aren’t aware) Shots Almigh — who you should dive into, if you haven’t already.

Overall, the project isn’t a pivotal moment in any way; it doesn’t stand as a heavy AOTY (Album of the Year) contender or push anyone involved into new exciting territory. On the flip side, it at no point veers from Conway’s incredibly steady trajectory. While on the short side, it’s a great listen that’s more than hearty enough to keep fans of the Buffalo rapper buzzing.

Good luck getting the vinyl.