If you’re a fan of Griselda and follow Conway the Machine on Instagram, you’re surely aware of the reoccurring drum emojis scattered throughout his captions and comments. They represent his very own record label, Drumwork Music Group. When asked about the rather mysterious label and brand in an interview with Forbes, Conway stated: “It’s another branch on the Griselda label tree, like how you have the BSF [Benny The Butcher’s imprint]. I just want to start shedding light on some of the artists that’s coming up on my city, give them an opportunity to get their s*** off.” It makes sense that the commencement of a record label was the next business move for Conway, as the Griselda trio have spent the past several years flooding the industry with constant releases and putting Buffalo on the map. It will allow for Conway, who has already proved his immaculate technical rapping abilities, to use his ear to sniff out some of the greatest underground talent, especially from the streets of Buffalo, who he can take under his (and Drumwork’s) wings.
On Jan. 28, it was officially announced that fellow Buffalo rapper Jae Skeese is the first artist Conway has signed to Drumwork Music Group and taken under his wings. If you followed Griselda’s 2020 run, this name probably rings a bell to you, as he appeared on two of the five deluxe tracks on Conway’s From King to a GOD. On “Crack In the Nineties,” Jae delivers his impressive guest verse directly following Conway’s, which is a tough act to follow. But the poetic rapper holds his own and shines nonetheless, with evident confidence. While sounding similar to Joey Bada$$ through his delivery, his lyricism is shown through bars like “the playin’ field will never be level ‘cause we are not aligned / I seen things on the East side that left me traumatized / my stories authentic, you gotta honour mine.” Just like Conway, he's able to paint pictures of his surroundings through his lyrics. On “Stefon Diggs,” a shoutout to the Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver, Conway and Jae show off their obvious chemistry yet again. These two stellar performances from Jae Skeese and his small solo discography act as proof that the Buffalo rap scene runs way deeper than just the Griselda trio; there are many talented and hungry rappers waiting for their moment to shine. Luckily, Jae Skeese now has his. Conway’s deep belief in Jae and Jae’s ability to take advantage of his two biggest moments to shine yet show that the two could very well be the best mentor/protégé duo in the rap game in 2021. Jae Skeese also dropped his second full-length album, Asphalt Calligraphy in 2020, on which he raps with hunger, confidence and deep poetics. You should check out this album (and one of its standouts below) as an introduction to him and his lyrical abilities before Conway helps raise him to the heights that he deserves beginning this year.
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