BUFFALO, N.Y. — "Let them know that we're here. We are here to stay! Buffalo got something to say too," Conway the Machine said.
Buffalo hasn't been the most popular city in the states, but it is one that's now on the map.
The Bills are on fire after finishing the regular season as AFC East champions for the first time since 1995 and advancing to the AFC championship game.
To add to their success, some Buffalo kids, aka Griselda, have the rap game on lock. Griselda is made up of Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn, who are all family members born in Buffalo.
"To see the city musically with us, Griselda, and the success of the Bills right now, it should be motivational," Conway said. "It should be inspiring people and put that battery in their back. It's our time now, and let's put it in cement."
Conway the Machine, born and bred in 716, dreamed of being his favorite Bills players like many others.
"I wanted to be Thurman (Thomas). When I played streetball. I would like I'm Thurman Thomas. That's my favorite memory," he said.
From dreaming about that '91 MVP season to attending a Bills playoff game 29 years later. Life is good. But just like the Bills rise to fame, the same goes for Conway.
He started at age 12, hopping in cyphers and battling around the city just to gain notoriety.
"The marathon continues. Rest in peace Nipsey Hussle. You got to keep at it and find a way to navigate through. You can't let nothing get in your way," Conway said.
Something Buffalo has never let stop them.
A city that once had a sticky stigma…
"I never understand or grasp that. Buffalo is a beautiful city. It's a lot here that comes from here. There's a lot of history, great athletes, artists and players. Rick James comes from here. It's just we don't get a shot.
It's that chip on Buffalo's shoulder that's pushed them to where they are today, not just as a team but a city.
"Being a Bills fan we selling out them games, tailgating at 8, 9 in the morning, we out there in frigid weather, through losing season after losing season. And we're still diehard Bills Mafia. It feels good to see the success the team is having now, it's real gratifying," he said..
A full circle moment of hard work and dedication and with success doesn't mean you leave.
Home is where the heart is.
"I want to stay hungry. I don't want to lose that edge that chip on my shoulder and that drive. I don't want to be in Hollywood in a fancy studio. I can't get the best out of me that way," he said.
Conway the Machine's debut album, "God Don't Make Mistakes," on Shady Records will drop this February. Some features include Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and more.