GRIP Is Everything You Could Ask For In a Rapper: Interview
With the one year anniversary of Snubnose approaching, Atlanta’s rapper Grip drops a short ep that’ll probably make you question your favorite rapper.
Proboscidea has an abundance of witty lines and intricate flows. Grip’s distinctive delivery and Tu’s punching drums mesh together perfectly. Proboscidea feels like a short film shot during the 90’s.
“Art for Pennies'' is probably the reason why Proboscidea is not available on streaming platforms but only Bandcamp. Its a necessary fuck you to DSP’s. DSP’s have continued to spit in the faces of what should be considered business partners in the industry. Bandcamp has always been for artists and it’s beautiful to see more artists utilizing the platform.
“Grip", occupying the second slot on the tape feels like a public service announcement. On this track , unleashes his thoughts on how he has gain the upper hand despite the triumphs he had to over come to get here.
“I’m still in my bag from last fall”
The fourth track featuring Kenny Mason and JID, Grip shows that he can hold his own in any room. This has been a collaboration that many hip hop fans on twitter dreamed for and it was a great surprise to hear the trio exchange verses provoking the feel of a high speed chase. Hearing all these new Atlanta artists on one track was refreshing and needed. There’s never a point where one outshines the other , there’s a balance and energy they provide to one another.
My favorite track on the project is the monologue at the end of the EP, titled “Smoove Speaks.” GRIP takes a moment away from himself and allows his friend Smoove, who was murdered a few months back to unpack his consciousness without the often glamorous production provided by TU. It felt like a moment of zen or clarity in a film. You know, the character that’s usually going with the flow, but then has a moment where they have to use their voice for a bigger purpose? That’s what it felt like.
Grip is everything you could ask for in a rapper. Right before dropping his second EP of the year, I had a chance to chop it with him about music, life, and the waves of admiration the game provides.
Our conversation, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows below.
How’s the pandemic treating you?
I'm used to it now, but I'm not comfortable with it. I'm just in here perfecting my craft.
Are you finding yourself working harder on the music because of the free time?
It comes in waves.
What’s your recording process like?
A lot of the time, I write on the move. So either in the car or just out and about. I have a studio in my basement and sometimes I spend the whole day down there recording ideas. Once I have a bunch of ideas, I bring them to the main studio because I’d rather have solid songs rather than making something out of thin air.
With this project, what did you do differently?
I made these fairly quick, like a week and some change of just writing, minimal hooks. These are pick up games.
How do you go about choosing beats?
Well for the EP’s, it's the same producer, TU. I’ll have him send me some samples, he’ll chop up the ones I like and I’ll write to them. It's really simple, choosing beats for albums is more complex.
Do you prefer EPs or albums? And why?
I enjoy making albums because you can dive in more. EP’s are pretty easy… well, the ones I make. I don’t have to over exert my thought process with EP’s.
What was your thought process during the creation of Porch?
Porch was the first project Tu and I made together. I just wanted to build a world and tell a story from three sides. He produced every track except one. We would link up, he'd start playing beats and we would get to creating. It was a totally different experience for me as an artist.
Porch feels like the admiration of the streets while Snubnose feels like the embrace, was that intentional?
I think there's levels to this shit, man. I dropped Porch when I was 27 and I’m 31 now. There’s an advantage to being older because the coast in front of you is a bit wider and most of the things you already faced have been defined. When I was working on Snubnose, I had many intentions. I wanted to blow Porch out of the water and my growth was definitely there.
Do you feel like you’re still on the porch, in regards to music?
I’m kinda off the porch. I ain't out the yard yet (laughs) but, I'm off the porch, def almost there.
What inspired the concept of Subnose?
Initially, I had this idea of telling the story from three different perspectives. Growing up, my uncle had a gun and it was always this ominous thing. I had a release party for Porch and I was caught slipping that night in my car. The dude came out of nowhere, had the strap in my face and said run everything. So, I empty my pockets and I’m like “aye, I don’t even see you, take what you need and get the fuck on.” I could care less about the $80 in my pockets. There are six shots in a revolver, and I believe there’s six evolutions and cycles black people go through.
But, it had to be first lick because he was so tense and I was just going with the flow, trying to make it back home. I had a shorty in the car and I have kids at home. He ends up not taking nothing and running off. That moment influenced the concept even more, showing the perspective of the one in front of the gun and the one behind the gun.
It feels like the gun is the protagonist. Why the title Proboscidea?
With Halo, I wanted the project to feel like God flows, just bars. A halo goes on your head and I felt the flows were going to go over a lot of people's heads. I was playing with the idea of sacrilege. Heaven, hell and earth. Proboscidea is a plant, but also anything with horns, like an elephant. There’s a plant with the nickname devil horns, so it was another example of it going over heads. If we complete the trilogy, the next project would be Crown. Probidsida is a bit more gritty.
I gotta ask, why does Bbymutha have you blocked?
Apparently, the day before she had retired and I mentioned working with her to my manager but, I had no idea that she retired. Don’t get me wrong, I understand where she is coming from as an artist. It gets rough for everyone. As a fan, it feels like a slap in the face but I get it. Long story short, my manager and I got blocked right after randomly.
I end all my interviews with this question, what were the last three albums you listened to?
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Music To Be Murdered By - Eminem
A Written Testimony - Jay Electronica
