In an era where some listeners lament a perceived decline in lyrical sharpness among New York–bred rappers, Conway the Machine has consistently proven himself the exception.
Staying true to his moniker, the Buffalo-bred emcee has operated with relentless precision, flooding both the streets and streaming platforms with his unmistakable brand of raw, uncompromising Hip-hop.
His work ethic alone has been staggering: in 2024, Conway released Special Machinery: The Ghronic Edition, linked with Ransom and V Don for Chaos Is My Ladder 2, and delivered the critically acclaimed Slant Face Killah.
Preezy Brown
Now, he returns with You Can’t Kill God With Bullets, a title that feels equal parts cryptic and spiritual, underscoring his perseverance and long-earned staying power. Spanning 18 tracks, the album finds Conway firmly rooted in the gruff, street-driven fare that has kept him atop rap’s rank of elite spitters, while subtly introducing new wrinkles that reflect his continued growth as both a curator and songwriter.
Conway the Machine sat down with VIBE and spoke on his favorite collaborations from You Can’t Kill God With Bullets, random run-ins with world-famous pop stars, and plans to diversify his portfolio
VIBE: What inspired the title of your new album You Can’t Kill God With Bullets?
Conway the Machine: How I came up with the title for You Can’t Kill God With Bullets is just pretty much self-explanatory. I got shot in the head twice and once in the shoulder. Barely made it out of that, but I overcame all the struggles and difficulties I had with my accident. To go from that to where I’m sitting [right here], I just think it’s truly amazing. I just kind of wanted to word it in a fly way.
All of my albums are kind of like, I don’t want to say concept albums, but kind of themed. Slant Face Killah is one of my monikers that I got from Beanie Sigel. He named me that. That was just something that I was saying in that state of mind, so it sounded a little darker. There were more features; there was probably a feature on every song. I was just on that bag. It was just spooky.
But with this one, I wanted it to sound more revolutionary, more introspective, but still have that bar work that my fans love. I added more instrumentation, and just fly hardcore sh*t, you know what I mean?
You’ve got The Alchemist on this album again. What’s something about Al’s process or energy that brings out a different side of you as an MC?
Al [is] just the greatest, man. Al is the G.O.A.T. You get around him, and it’s just a different energy. You feel the love. He’s really hands-on when he’s facilitating his beats, like it’s really an idea that’s tailored [and] custom to each artist. I can assume that’s how it is. With me working with him more early on, I appreciate the advice and everything. He’s really tapped in like that, like “Nah, try it like this. That’s ill.” He pushed me like, “Nah, come on, great mind, that’s fire.” So, shout out to Alchemist, man. I love working with Al. I don’t like doing a project, and Al’s not a part of it, for sure.
Conductor Williams‘ production has become central to your sound. Speak on the chemistry that the two of you have built.
Conductor’s from Kansas City, I want to say, but he just got that dust. He got that sound that I love, that I like, you feel me? It’s dusty, it’s dark, it feels like he’s a mad scientist. Conductor Williams [is] like a chemist in there, like Walter White on Breaking Bad or something like that, I can imagine. I’ve never been in a studio with him, but I’ve never gotten a bad batch of beats out of him. You see why he’s on so many of my albums, ’cause he’s just fire, he’s crazy like that, man. Shout out Conductor Williams.
Daringer has been there since the beginning. Would you consider him the RZA of Griselda?
Daringer is the RZA of Griselda. Daringer is the nucleus. We made all that stuff in his living room that people grew and [have] known to love. Now everybody has just expanded and is doing a lot of their own things and other business ventures.
Wes [Westside Gunn] got the wrestling sh*t going on and Benny’s [Benny The Butcher] touring and doing his thing and sh*t like that, so we don’t really connect. Daringer is doing his own thing, too. He’s been on TV with Action Bronson and Alchemist, and he’s doing a bunch of projects. He did a project with Rome Streetz.
Daringer has motion and stuff out here, too, man. We ain’t really had the time to really sit down and just all cook together, but 100%, nothing or nobody would change that. Daringer is the nucleus of Griselda’s sound. Facts.
“Diamonds” with Roc Marciano feels like a meeting of two elite stylists. How did that collaboration come together?
One of the first big-name features I ever got when I came through the door in this sh*t was with Roc Marci on Reject 2. How this came together with me and Roc Marci for this “Diamonds” record was I felt it was time to go full circle. It’s been 10 years since that Reject 2 thing. I just felt like it was time to cook back up with Marci. And when I heard that beat, I knew that we would go crazy on that perfectly.
G Herbo appears on “Nu Devils.” How did that song come about?
Me and Herbo been kind of cool and locked in for a minute now. We’ve done a record or two. We did music together in the past. I was on, I want to say, his last album. G Herbo is incredible, an incredible artist and a good friend of mine. How we connected for the “Nu Devils” record was pretty much I already had that record done, and I was just riding. I just bought this G-Wagon, and I’m riding, listening to it.
I told my brother Fredo, “Yo, I should send this joint to Herbo,” you know what I mean? That’s Fredo’s favorite artist, too, right now. Even over me, I don’t f**k with you for that, Fredo. But yeah, he was like, “No, that’ll be crazy.” And I just called him like, “Yo, I got what I’m about to send you.” He’s like, “Send me that joint.” And he had it done in the next week or something.
You shout out Dua Lipa on the song “Parisian Nights.” How did the two of you meet?
“Louis sneaker in the corner/ They said I blew the streets up”…I met Dua Lipa through my friend Clovis [Ochin] out in Paris. When I heard that beat, I could just think about [Paris]. There’s this market in Paris, and they got like mad different restaurants and different [shops]. It’s The Butcher of Paris.
Shout out to The Butcher of Paris. Beautiful restaurant, beautiful steaks and lamb, and things like that. Anyway, that’s how I met her. She was there, and that really happened in the joint. I was on the streets of Paris, smoking my newest reefer. Quarter mill wrist, a good Louis sneaker. Dua Lipa was in the corner, she said, “Yo, you blew the streets up.” So, that’s where that came from.
Was she aware of who you were?
I’m not sure if she was, but if I’m a betting man, I’m sure she was ’cause [of] Clovis. That’s like my brother. He’s excited, he’s like, “Yo, you’ve got to hear. This is Conway.” And he was introducing me with emphasis, like excitement, like, “Yo, you’ve met Conway?!” So, you know, shout out my brother Clovis, man. Shout out [to] Dua Lipa. I want the streams, the sales, and all of the Grammys, but I love my people more than that accolade, you hear me.
One standout song on your album is “The Undying.” What inspired that track?
I just wanted to try and do something I’ve never done on any album before, like tap into my spoken word, my poetry side. It was like a poem to me, you know what I mean? When I actually heard that, when Elijah sent that through, it was just the music playing with the skit at the end. The Black Panther skit. It was another one [I thought of] just riding in the G-Wagon. I’m just listening, and I’m like, “Let me try something.” I just went to the studio, tried it, and it came out crazy. And you know, that’s one of my favorites on the whole album, “The Undying.”
What’s next for Conway the Machine?
Obviously, we’re going to hit the road. We’re going to be on tour with it. And I’m going to start airing some episodes of my podcast, Talking Sideways, on the Conway the Machine Network. We’re going to start airing that. That’s going to pop like January, too. I’m just working on that, getting that together, and stuff.
After that, I’m going to do some directing and some acting, you know what I mean? I wrote a short film, and I was in the movie that Alchemist and Hit-Boy put out, the Goldfish movie. I was in another movie [that] my man Langston Sessions directed. So yeah, I’m just going to be doing more acting and doing more things with film and television.
Watch Conway the Machine’s interview with VIBE below.
