The title is a year, and for Conway the Machine that year means everything.
"2012" reunites Conway with German producer Wun Two for a heat rock that looks back at the moment his world seemed like it was about to end. In 2012 Conway survived a near-fatal shooting that left lasting physical effects. What could have been the end became the beginning. He turned fully to music, co-founded Griselda with his brother Westside Gunn, and built one of the most respected catalogs in modern rap from that point forward. The joao.art.theme-directed video takes that story and puts it on screen. God is good.
The pairing with Wun Two is a return to proven chemistry. The two connected on the Mind Tricks EP and the full-length Palermo back in 2023, and Wun Two's dusty, warm, sample-driven production has always been a natural fit for Conway's methodical, menacing delivery. Wun Two is one of the most respected beatmakers in the international lo-fi and boom bap scene, and his work strips everything back to the essentials, which is exactly what a reflective record like "2012" needs. No clutter, just the loop and the memory.
Conway has been everywhere on widontplay this year. The I Heard You Paint Houses mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid, the "Chains & Whips" freestyle, "The Long Kiss" video, and You Can't Kill God with Bullets which dropped last December. The output stays relentless, but "2012" hits different because of what the number represents. This is Conway looking back at the lowest point and recognizing it as the foundation for everything that came after.
Buffalo. Drumwork. Still standing. Watch the video below.
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