The gap-tooth rapper is back! Rhymesayers’ prodigal Pacific Northwesterner Grieves rounds out his run as Crave’s Artist of The Month today with a fiery performance of “Kidding Me”.
Grieves’ fourth album Winter & The Wolves blossoms widely beyond his poetically lush 2011 Rhymesayers debut Together/Apart, sidestepping the tired trope of arrogance & conquest to convey relatable struggles through poetically lush & vivid lyrical narratives. Melancholic rhymes over deliciously minimalist slow-drip production combine for an atmospheric weight that conveys the lyrics’ hardships and heartbreaks, but isn’t mired in negativity and gloom.
We’ve watched Grieves’ onstage evolution of “Scar Gardens,” we’ve laughed our asses off at a very special “Whoa Is Me” performance and we’ve seen him tear up “Shreds” during his run as Crave’s Artist of The Month. We sat down last week with Grieves to talk honesty in music, the Rhymesayers ecosystem and more – and now we bring you the final installment of Mr. Laub’s run as our Artist of The Month for June: a searing take on “Kidding Me,” a biting track from Winter & The Wolves, exclusively on CraveOnline:
Check it out! Crave’s Band of The Month Sessions Archive
Years of relentless touring and dedication to the craft have yielded a strong balance of sound and a promising new chapter in the career of the man born as Benjamin Laub. The self-proclaimed love-song rapper’s alt-soul lyrical acrobatics hopscotch the web of life, love and loss through a romantic’s lens on his latest offering, and we can’t wait to see where he heads next.
Keep up with Grieves at his official site, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Special thanks to Swing House studios!
Photo: Johnny Firecloud