Mike Tyson got emotional after hearing how Conway the Machine was able to overcome partial facial paralysis after being shot in the neck and head in March, 2012.
The Griselda Records co-founder has Tyson as a guest on an upcoming episode of his podcast series, Rippin’ 2gether. In a preview of the episode, Conway opened up about his story of survival. After the shooting, the prognosis wasn’t initially positive, with doctors fearing that he could be paralyzed from the neck down. Thankfully, he was able to overcome most of his injuries. During his recovery, he said, his state of mind got “dark.”
“After I got shot in the head and the neck, I thought I wouldn’t even be able to rap again,” he told the boxing legend. “I got a little dark in my mind, and then in a fucked up headspace and that shit. Like, not knowing if I wanted to do it anymore. Not knowing if I wanted to keep going and stuff. Then I watch a guy like you who [has] seen both sides of the coin, the ups and the downs, more than probably a lot of us. How’d you navigate through that?”
Tyson, in response, said that he was able to overcome his own moments of self-doubt because he realized he “wanted to be up more than anybody in the world wants me to be down.” After his response, Tyson wiped tears from his eyes. “I’m the monster… that’s my security,” he added.
“I ain’t mean to bring you there,” Conway said.
After recovering from his gunshot injuries, Conway was left with partial paralysis in his face, giving him a slur that he has utilized to set himself apart in the hip-hop world. The 44-year-old rapper, who founded Griselda in 2012 with his brother Westside Gunn and their cousin Benny the Butcher, has since found success as both a solo artist and as part of the wider Griselda collective. He isn’t signed to Griselda anymore, but he’s remained active and continues to find acclaim with his music.
