If there was ever a better combination in hip hop right now, it’s Buffalo rap outfit Griselda and legendary producer The Alchemist. Having already created a slew of cuts together over the last few years, it was only a matter of time before fans got one complete project from the union. That project — Conway The Machine and The Alchemist’s LULU — arrives today, complete with seven gritty tracks and additional appearances from ScHoolboy Q and longtime rap veteran Cormega, who hasn’t delivered a body of work since 2018’s Mega.
One of the standouts, “Calvin,” also gets a matching dark visual courtesy of Jason Goldwatch, which sees Conway adopting the Migos-style flow in order to tell his tale:
“I’m the big homie, I just make a call, don’t gotta lift up a finger at all/
When it’s a issue, I hit up my dawg, bigger the gun, the harder they fall/
I know some n***as that’s behind the wall, did like a dime and leave with a scar/
N***as that’s still gettin’ money in prison, rock Cartier glasses, spinnin’ the yard/
Ain’t no drive-bys, we in your bushes, we jumpin’ out while you was parkin’ your car/
Shootin’ their yard, s*** leave you scattered all over the grass, like leaves in the fall…/”
Speaking to Complex, The Alchemist explains how the project came together:
“Any excuse to work with Conway is a good reason for me. He’s the type of rapper, when you give him a beat, you get back what you want. So this was just an excuse for us to do what we do. It’s like layups really, because he’s got plenty of plates on the way. We all got so much work, this was just a day off. Let’s s*** on everyone real quick.”
Added to the new music is an accompanying capsule collection that’s being released in partnership with Patta — you can head to their official website for more information.
Press play on LULU — and the music video for “Calvin” — below, available on all major streaming platforms.