![]() ![]() ![]() More importantly, Conway strikes back at claims that he's changed, or that he’s unprepared for the big time, with undeniable evidence (as extra sharp rhymes) that he's already there. ![]() Like "Quarters," which features far too many great lines. If anything, they serve a role that becomes clearer when you explore the record's standouts and genuine feats. ![]() Still, it's hard to be entirely mad about, these tracks aren't bad in a way that they're to be fully ignored or denigrated. It's a collective moment where Conway seems to swing for the fences with his braggadocio - a moment he's more than earned - but he hooks the ball foul with a lack of innovation and lackluster delivery. It's this "run" of tracks that's in danger of affecting the remaining LP. These two cuts take something like "Kanye" - a potent moment with latent controversy - and drag it down into the underwhelming shallow end. The latter, meanwhile, solidifies this idea that whatever Conway might intend as declarations of much-earned happiness and success ring as over-plotted and forced (Conway's whole first verse is about getting jewelry for a girl, and it drags on). The former has potential - I love the 48 Hours bit/reference and that Sidney Crosby line - but the whole song seems more interested in ego-stroking over consistency and intention. Then there's the one-two punch of "The Chosen" and "Water To Wine." If "Kanye" was the pivot into the overly boisterous, this pair drives home how lost Conway can get in his own ego (or, when he forgets what informs his approach and technique as an MC). He shows us something that’s real, but it's like a gold-plated toothbrush. He wants us to feel what this moment means to him, but it's just a little flat. You can almost excuse the homage (it’s earnest if slightly mistimed) rather its personal revelation for the sake of forced engagement, uninspired lyricism masquerading as humble brags (or is that vice versa?). Conway's verse is lyrically even-keeled, which seems mostly excusable given his meh is better than many rappers’ best days. There's "Kanye," whose least offensive crime is both its title and boisterous homage. The issue, then, is that this record strongly celebrates all that shimmers - but in a way that’s less about big hits and instead robust gestures. The arc of Conway's career has towed this line between fame and the underground, the boisterous kingpin and thoughtful underdog. It’s a celebration that shifts his overall trajectory and thus remains compelling in some vital ways. Yet he’s still far enough removed that his career has been his own, operating with absolute freedom to explore new ideas and approaches. A similar dynamic rests at the heart of his latest, Won’t He Do It.Īfter 2022’s deeply personal God Don’t Make Mistakes, this massive moment of openness and vulnerability, Conway’s giving himself a victory lap of sorts with this fourteen track effort. Over the last decade-plus, Conway has operated close enough to the rap capitol to add to its prestige and bolster its traditions. That fact’s relevant not only when making travel plans but in examining the career of Buffalo’s own Conway the Machine. By Chris Coplan ( New York is 372.5 miles from New York City. ![]()
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