Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine, or simply Conway, is an American rapper and co-founder of the hip hop label Griselda Records, alongside his paternal half-brother
Westside Gunn and cousin Benny the Butcher. Acclaimed for his 1990s inspired, dark and gritty lyricism, he rose to prominence following his mixtape Reject 2 (2015) and debut studio album From King to a God (2020).
Origins & Early Formation
Conway was born Demond Price on February 16, 1982. Throughout his 20s, Conway was in and out of jail. During this time, he reflected on what he wanted out of life and began to concentrate on music. In 2012, Conway was shot in the head, neck, and shoulder. Originally, doctors believed that he would be paralyzed from the neck down; however, today the only permanent injury is his face being partially paralyzed, giving him his signature slur.
First Steps into Public Life
In 2014, Westside Gunn founded Griselda Records, through which Conway and Westside Gunn would self-release their own projects and the works of artists such as Benny the Butcher and Mach-Hommy. In 2015, Conway released his first two official mixtape projects through Griselda Records, The Devil's Reject and Reject 2. Conway and Westside Gunn also released two collaborative EPs through London-based record label Daupe!, the first of which was 2015's Hall & Nash, followed by 2016's Griselda Ghost.
Rise & Turning Points
On March 3, 2017, Griselda Records signed a deal with Eminem's Shady Records. Following Griselda's deal with Shady Records, Conway's first official release was G.O.A.T. on December 21, 2017, which included production from Griselda's in-house producer Daringer and The Alchemist, and featured Royce Da 5'9", Raekwon, Prodigy, Styles P, and Lloyd Banks.
Power, Institutions & Influence in Practice
Conway announced his departure from Shady and Griselda Records in February 2022, and has since founded his own label, Drumwork. He has since continued his collaborations with Gunn, as well as their cousin Benny the Butcher. God Don't Make Mistakes was ultimately released on February 25, 2022, as Conway's second studio album. It was followed by his third studio album, Won't He Do It, released on May 5, 2023.
