Opinion Piece: God Don't Make Mistakes x Conway the Machine.
- Jas
- Mar 24, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 10, 2022
OP-ED: Jas.
"Probably won't get my flowers while I can smell 'em/
It's gon' take my untimely demise 'fore they realize I was a legend"
Conway the Machine. “Tear Gas”.
This is exactly why I wanted to highlight this album. He’s one of the BEST out when it comes to high level rap, that’s undeniable
and also underplayed.
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La Maquina at his 40th birthday party.
Photo by @geemedia_ on Instagram
Part of this album feels like La Maquina took a page out of his personal journal, let us get a closer glimpse into some of the Wild Chapters of his life story and put it over some well crafted beats.
I respect what I heard!
On God Don't Make Mistakes, the namesake record of the album, he gave us a glimpse into the mental playback & recollection of his gun wound incident that paralyzed him,
Everything happens for a reason, but I'm just sayin' what if /
What if I never got shot in the head? /
I couldn't get sleep that night, might drop a tear in that hospital bed /
Thinkin' it’s over with for rockin' the mic/
They told me I'd be paralyzed neck down, what if the doctor was right? /
Conway the Machine. “God Don't Make Mistakes”.
He also helped us feel the burden that comes with being on top. Coming from people with their hand out in his own life, on Stressed he touched on the fact that when you’re the one everybody leans on, often people don’t give you time and space to lean on someone else.
I guess everybody want me to save 'em
I guess niggas think ten million, what Shady paid him
I tell 'em, "No", they talk down on me and try to play it
Guess they forgot about all the other shit that I gave 'em.
Conway the Machine. “Stressed”.
It might not be the song that gets played in the club or racks up radio requests, but sometimes artists just gotta get some shit off their chest and put it on a record. And share it with the world so people might see them for who they really are. I would dare say that’s a hierarchical need for artists.
I respect him for finding the time and strength to sort through his feelings, put the pen to paper to get it out and share it with the world. We should normalize that! Artists of any medium want & NEED to create from the HEART. That’s real and that’s okay!
Of course he came with the chest poked out-rich nigga, gritty, gutta tales we know & love him for.
Bucket low like Ace Boogie, I re-up two hundred cash /
Richest nigga in the city, got my neck on, Rick the Ruler /
Press box at all the games, sittin' next to the Pegulas /
Came up with them brick sellers, and them hundred pound movers /
I just made another play and bought a FN for my shooters, nigga, yeah /
Conway the Machine. “Piano Love”.
EVEN through being Stressed, he titled this project God Don’t Make Mistakes. To me, this felt like Conway trying to convey the mesage that sometimes you just gotta take shit on the chin and keep going, knowing that God has a purpose for everything and everything will be okay in the end.
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Features:
On Drumwork, synonymously titled with his record label, he gave some shine to his own artists 7xvethegenius and Jae Skeese, both from Buffalo. If you’re not familiar with these two get acquainted. To help you with your homework, here is 7xthegenius Bars on i95 Freestyle. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=27J6hjmxRi4.
I love to see leaders champion their own artists!! To quote Rick Ross (featured on Tear Gas), “OG is one who standing on his own feet. A boss is one who guarantee WE gon eat!”
La Maquina featuring Jill Scott speaks to the reason I love him & his breadth of consideration for musical components.
Plus, the girls love a good "Bonnie to your Clyde" tale and sis gave it 🥰😭
We fill the Buffalo night skies with our minds and sativa /
I was your lady, your confidant, your sugar thighs, your sole believer /
Jill Scott. “Chanel Pearls”.
Feature List:
Beanie Sigel on Lock Load
Rick Ross, Lil Wayne on Tear Gas
7xvethegenius, Jae Skeese on Drumwork
T.I., Novel on Wild Chapters
Benny The Butcher, Westside Gunn (what we were waiting for) on the lead single John Woo Flick
Wallo276 on Stressed
Jill Scott on Chanel Pearls
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Superlatives
Favorite Song: Wild Chapters
Favorite Beat: Guilty
Favorite Feature: Jill Scott on Chanel Pearls
"Sometimes artist's just gotta get some shit off their chest." As a long time artist, I felt that more than anything. Conway is definitely a machine and this was a beautiful write up for this project!