Grip Grand is a rapper, producer and songwriter best known for his rapping, producing, and songwriting (URB Magazine Next 100, East Bay Express Best Rapper). He has been compared to everyone from Andre to Kanye, from the mighty Mos Def to the metal-faced Doom. Favoring a melodic and musical production style, he’s also plenty nice with the synthy keys and squarey cubes (the latter being a T.I. reference that no one understands, maybe not even T.I.). In short, they don’t call him Mr. Versatility for nothing. And by him, I mean me. I hate it when people write their own bios in the third person. I wrote this first-personally. So I guess it’s an autobio, strictly speaking. Let me preface this whole thing by saying that I feel like a total a-hole talking about myself in any tense. But the fearsome publicity machine demands that I sacrifice my self-effacing nature and humble dignity on its bloody altar, and therefore I am prepared to throw myself boldly into the gaping maw.
My life has been a lot like Marco Polo’s, insofar as if I told you all the places I’ve lived and the dates that I lived there, you’d be bored to tears by the end. I’ve read online that I hail from places as far afield as Britain and Brooklyn. Interesting as that might make me, it isn’t true. Let’s just say that I’ve had a lot of phone numbers, but most of them had a California prefix.
I was born in San Francisco (the actual city, not some outlying province), where I spent my first decade. My second decade passed me by in sunny Los Angeles (again, the actual city, not, like, Pasadena). I headed to Portland, Oregon long enough to get a degree from intellectual hotbed Reed College (school motto: Communism, Atheism, Free Love). Unsurprisingly, I am a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction from all over the world (in translation). I enjoy philosophy, fantasy, theology, and comic books (not necessarily in that order). I would like to visit Amsterdam someday, and not for the prostitutes. I watch a lot of comedies. I rarely watch sports. I have a BA in Russian and German Literature. I speak neither language.
After my years in Oregon, I headed back to Cali, eventually landing once more in the Bay, where I teamed up with the Rec-League All-Stars, Bomb Hip-Hop Records, and eventually DJ Design’s Look Records. I started putting out my own music in 1999; my first album, Welcome to Broakland, came out in 2002; my second long-player, Brokelore—featuring such hip-hop luminaries as Percee P and A.G.—dropped in 2008. My full(ish) discography can be found below.
My work has appeared in well-known publications such as XLR8R, XXL, and Hype Hair. Well, not that last one. As previously mentioned, I was featured on URB Magazine’s prestigious Next 100 list in 2005, and the East Bay Express named me Best Rapper in their 2007 Best Of…issue. In addition to these honors, regular people totally like my music. Not all of them, you know, but some, for sure. They write me and say so themselves. I don’t think they have any reason to lie about it. However, despite all of the above, you’ve probably never heard of me. It’s OK. I forgive you. Jay-Z used to just be Jaz-O’s friend, and you probably weren’t checking for him then, either. But he did alright in the end.
What I’m saying is, the train is leaving the station, and maybe you should get in on the ground floor. ‘Cuz this elevator is headed straight for the moon, baby. And while I may go there alone, the view from the top will still be just as sweet. Nonetheless, I hope you’ll join me. To be honest, I could really use the company. And don’t forget to bring a jacket. It’s cold out here.
Transmitting live from tomorrow,
Grip Grand
Grip Grand on iTunes
Grip Grand On Myspace.com
Grip Grand On Allmusic.com
Brokelore Review at Access Hip Hop
Brokelore Review at RapReviews.com
Brokelore Review at XLR8R.com
Grip Grand On Blogarythms @ Okayplayer.com
Grip Grand On IGN.com
Grip Grand Interview at Rap4Fame
Discography:
“Boner Jams ‘03 Mixtape” CD (Unknown Manufacturer 2008) Japanese Import
Featuring Richie Cunning, Aditional vocals by Rob Rush & Q’m
“Brokelore” CD & LP (Look Records, 2008)
Featuring A.G., Percee P, Darondo, and Richie Cunning.
Produced by Grip Grand. Additional Production by DJ Design, DJ Flip & Freezemaster Slick, Richie Cunning, and MF Shalem
“A Penny” (DJ Flip’s Mix) 12” Single (All City Records, 2007)
*Released as O’Liffey Family feat. Grip Grand & Richie Cunning
B/W Rock the Spot—O’Liffey Cousins feat. Craig G., Mondo, Punch, & Words
Produced by DJ Flip & Freezemaster Slick
“Poppin’ Pockets” 12” Single (Look Records, 2005)
Featuring A.G., Produced by Grip Grand & DJ Design
“Welcome to Broakland” CD (Bomb Hip-Hop Records, 2002)
Produced by Grip Grand
“Pro-Gress” Vinyl EP (Self-Pressed, 1999)
Produced by Grip Grand, Additional Production by DJ Abstract
Appearances:
DJ Flip & Freezemaster Slick—“Crossroads” 12” Single (Upcoming)
- Zion, Grip Grand, & One Be Lo—Crossroads/Produced by DJ Flip & Freezemaster Slick
DJ Design—“Jetlag“CD & LP (Look Records 2008)
- Grip Grand & Phat Kat—Wild Ones
- Grip Grand—Wave of the Future
- Grip Grand—B-Side Too/All Produced by DJ Design
Various Artists—“Look Records Sampler” 2008 CD(Look Records 2008) Promo Only
- Grip Grand—Hip-Hop Classic/Produced by Grip Grand
- Grip Grand—96 Tears (MF Shalem’s Talk About It Mix)/Produced by MF Shalem
- DJ Design—Wild Ones feat. Grip Grand & Phat Kat/Produced by DJ Design
Rob Rush—”Childhood Hero” CD (Rec-League Records, 2006)
- This N’ That feat. Grip Grand, Cumulus, & Proe/Produced by Proe
Various Artists/DJ Ransom—“Behind the Beat” Mix CD (Gingko Press, 2006) Promo Only
*with the book Behind the Beat: Hip Hop Home Studios
- Grip Grand—Poppin’ Pockets Remix feat. A.G./Produced by Grip Grand & DJ Design
Richie Cunning—“Grizzly Man Mixtape” CD (Grad School Music, 2006)
- Richie Cunning & Grip Grand—The Recwilder
- Grip Grand—A Penny feat. Richie Cunning/Produced by DJ Flip & Freezemaster Slick
Cumulus—“Dreamswork Mixtape” CD (Rec-League Records, 2006)
- Get Retarded feat. Grip Grand
Various Artists—“Look Records Sampler” 2005 CD (Look Records, 2005) Promo Only
- Grip Grand—Paper Cups (edit)/Produced by Grip Grand
- Grip Grand—But Anyway/Produced by Grip Grand
Various Artists—“Preemptive Hype 5.5″ CD (Hiphopsite.com Records, 2005) Promo Only
- Grip Grand—Poppin’ Pockets Remix feat. A.G./Produced by Grip Grand & DJ Design
Rec-League All-Stars—“Rec-League Mixtape Vol. 2″ CD (Rec-League Records, 2005)
- Rob Rush, Proe, Richie Cunning, & Grip Grand—You’re Gonna Rec Me
- Grip Grand—Don’t Say Shit To Grip
- Grip Grand & Richie Cunning—The Recwilder
- Grip Grand—You Don’t Know My Grip
- Grip Grand & Richie Cunning—Rec It Like It’s Hot
- Rec-League All-Stars—The Symphony
Various Artists—“Rec-League Records Season One” CD (Rec-League Records, 2005)
- Division 3 (Cumulus, Matty Eye, Grip Grand)—Maybe I’m Too Young/Produced by Grip Grand
Various Artists—“Season’s Cretins” 2004 CD (Scotty the K Records, 2004) Promo Only
- Grip Grand—St. Nick’s Conversion/Produced by Grip Grand
Rec-League All-Stars—“Rec-League Records Mix Tape Vol. 1″ CD (Rec-League Records, 2003)
- Rob Rush & Grip Grand—The Makeover/Like Whoa
- Grip Grand—50 Grand
- Grip Grand—Horror, Baby
- Division 3 (Cumulus, Matty Eye, Grip Grand)—D3 Arena
Cumulus & Rob Rush—“Please Go Back: Operation Free Flow” CD & Vinyl EP (Rec-League Records, 2003)
- Diggin’ In Your Head feat. Grip Grand/Produced by P-Soup