Wont He Do It

Conway the Machine’s path towards rap stardom never meant hopping on trends or diluting his style in the service of others. His successes, in Griselda and otherwise, rarely translate to the hip-hop mainstream, instead demonstrating growth through authenticity and bars on mixtapes and albums like 2022’s gritty Shady Records bow *God Don’t Make Mistakes*. And while *WON’T HE DO IT* doesn’t deviate from that course, the New York rapper has hardly settled into some midlife artistic complacency. For an artist who has steadfastly refused to take a conventionally commercial route, he nonetheless sounds perfectly at home over glistening J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League productions like “The Chosen” and the introspective motivational “Kanye.” Based on song titles like “Water to Wine,” one might misinterpret *WON’T HE DO IT* as a religious record, though in fairness he’s never concealed his personal Rap God complex. He undeniably sees the face of divine power in the streets, admiring his self-described immaculate run on “Flesh of My Flesh” and dubbing himself The Almighty on the segue “Kill Judas.” Rest assured, Conway hasn’t gone gospel, his presence as profane as ever. The coke rap that endeared him to a certain sector of hip-hop fandom persists on the abruptly launched opener “Quarters” and the ruthless “Brick Fare.” Furthermore, rumors of disharmony among the core Buffalo trio remain unfounded, disproven by Westside Gunn’s extended feature on the atmospheric “Brucifix” and Benny the Butcher’s menacingly mesmeric verse on “Brooklyn Chop House.”

Conway The Machine is on a roll right now. Easily one of the most productive, creatively fluid figures in American rap, his journey – from a near-fatal Conway The Machine's 'WON'T HE DO IT' ranks alongside his best work.