Atlanta Rapper Grip Speaks On His Southern Influences.
Atlanta Rapper Grip Speaks On His Southern Influences, Touring Europe with JID, Finding Balance in His Music, Postponement of the Fuck The World Tour with Brent Faiyaz, His new EP HALO And More.
Photo cred: Instagram/@Grip
As a passionate music lover and avid listener, I always love the moment when I come across a new artist. It allows me to dissect their sound and see how it compares to the modern era of music or how it relates to the old rap that I love. I’m entertained by punchlines, aggressive bars, versatile flows, and the ability to construct a song in rap form. When a close friend of mine introduced me to Grip, an Atlanta-based rapper, she told me he’s the sort of artist that I would enjoy listening to. She wasn’t lying.
From Porch, his 2017 EP to his latest effort, HALO, Grip demonstrates the ability to tell stories that relate to the music industry, black culture, and the impoverished neighborhoods we've grown up inside. "I wanted to talk about cycles because a .38 is a revolver, and I think that goes hand and hand with the revolving nature of the hood…," Grip says as he explains the analogy behind his 2019 EP, Snubnose. "It was speaking on the cycles that we endure as blacks being from the hood. A few of those cycles may be self-inflicted, and some passed down through oppression and shit."
Check out the full interview below where we discussed Grip’s southern influences, touring with JID, being able to find the balance in his music, his biggest takeaways from touring overseas, postponement of a tour with Brent Faiyaz due to COVID-19 and his new EP, Halo.
1 - We know some of the most influential rappers in Atlanta who might’ve inspired you like Jeezy, OutKast, Ludacris, Goodie Mob and so on. But, you said that T.I. has been your biggest influence from the city. Why so?
I think it’s from an age standpoint. T.I. was one of the first cool lyricists in the trap scene during a very influential time in my life. This was probably around middle school. It was just the timing and the role he played for me in my life.
2 - You also stated that Tip’s album, Trap Muzik, is what motivated you to start rapping. What was it about that album that stood out to you and helped spark that rap confidence in you?
It wasn’t really that album that made me start rapping. I was always bumping OutKast back in the day. The T.I. thing was just a timing thing for me. At that particular time being from the south and still having lyrics is really why I respected that. OutKast’s “Da Art of Storytellin” is really what made me want to rap. That was like ‘98 or something like that I believe.
Photo cred: Instagram/@Pop.105
3 - When I listened to Porch the first thing I said to myself is “this guy is a great mix of JID and Kendrick Lamar,” especially when I listen to songs like the self-titled track and “These Eyes.” But, when I get to songs like “Maintainin’” I instantly got Boyz-n-the-Hood vibes. So, it shows you’re versatile. Was this rap style something you came in with or did it develop overtime through experiences?
Me and JID actually went to high school together. We’re from the same hood and shit. I been rapping for a minute so I don’t know, bro. It’s like a dude that consistently plays basketball. You just learn to do certain moves like a behind-the-back pass over time. I just picked up different styles and pulled from different influences throughout the years. I honestly don’t mind the comparisons. If I’m being compared to people who are my peers it’s kind of like it is what it is. I’ve been rapping since 2007. This was back when people never really heard of Kendrick Lamar. Of course Kendrick has done things that have influenced us. He’s one of the greatest of all time. But, I don’t really borrow from the peers of this generation. I’m pretty much the same age as those dudes. They probably got just a few years on me but we’re all in the same age range. I borrow a lot of my influence from back in the days.
4 - Fast forward to 2019 - you dropped your second album, Snubnose and you joined JID for his Catch Me If You Can Tour in Europe. What was life like for you just 7 months ago?
That was an exciting time, man. I’ve had dudes talk to me and tell me they wanted to bring me on tour but I’m a believer in knowing something isn’t real until it’s right in front of you. I didn’t put too much energy into it until I saw that that shit was really about to happen. It was a go when I found out it was confirmed. Snubnose dropped in October and it was a different type of anticipation than we had for Porch. It was super dope and we felt the anticipation. We released it during A3C in Atlanta. I had a listening session that turned out really well. Everything was dope, man. That was a good time because I was able to release that project and then tour shortly after. That was my first time overseas. Going to Europe was a whole different animal, man.
5 - What was that experience like to tour through Europe with JID? What are some of your biggest takeaways from that month long stretch?
One, you always have to put the work in. JID’s work ethic is impeccable. This man stays on the road and shit. It was one of things that I realized like damn, if I can do some shit like that overseas and stay on the road, it’s definitely a good way to build your career and stack your bread. I highly doubt that we would ever have some shit like this that goes down in the states without people actually knowing who you are. It was dope. Also, I’m looking forward to doing some shit like that again. It was fun.
6 - Your second album Snubnose demonstrates a completely different sound from Porch. Songs like “Swiss Cheese” and “Menace … Nigganomics” tells me that. It’s a lot more hardcore, punchline rapping on there. Where did you want to take your fans with this project? Also, what sort of transition were you looking to create coming from Porch to Snubnose?
I always want to go for a different sound when I start to create but this time I kind of wanted to give a different concept. But, I spoke on a lot of the same things - the black community, the idle guys that we worship, and how if rap music lands in the wrong hands, whether we want to believe it or not, can affect how people move and think. I just wanted to do it in a context of a gun throughout some of it. That gun is a .38. I wanted to talk about cycles because a .38 is a revolver and I think that goes hand and hand with the revolving nature of the hood. It was speaking on the cycles that we endure as blacks being from the hood. A few of those cycles may be self inflicted and some passed down through oppression and shit. I wanted to make sure I spoke on that.
7 - Let’s talk more currently. You were set to embark on the Fuck The World Tour with Brent Faiyaz but due to the unfortunate circumstances with COVID-19 that tour is now postponed. What headspace are you in now dealing with this entire situation?
Right now I’m just trying to focus on getting better in other aspects. I’m trying to do other things to get my mind off of the situation. I been fucking with the piano lately. I just been trying to prepare myself for whatever comes. I want to stay ready so when it’s actually time to get ready I don’t have to spend much time getting ready if that makes sense. I just dropped Halo. I made that shit in a week. I’ve also been making other music that’s not even rap. Doing whatever I can to keep myself busy.
8 - Did the postponement of the tour fuel you to create your project, Halo?
Nah, if coronavirus never happened I would’ve been on tour right now and this project wouldn’t have come out.
9 - Halo, to me, is a compiled project of six well done songs with a strong message. This project was also produced by Tu. In a recent interview you said there was no concept behind this project. You just wanted to break that stigma that you’re a great storyteller. Do you feel like you were able to accomplish that within these 6 songs? If so, why?
Um, yeah. I didn’t necessarily have a goal in mind. I just wanted to rap, man. I literally just wanted to rap. There’s no story this time. I just wanted to rap these dudes heads off type shit. That’s all it really was. It was nothing crazy. I didn’t set out to do this project to try and prove people wrong or anything like that. Shit, what else can I do right now? That’s all I wanted to do and I feel I put those songs together well.
10 - What are some of your favorite records from this project and why?
I’d say “Randy Watson” is one of my favorites right now just because of the Coming to America sample and the bars and shit. The Rondo/Michael Jordan line in that song was pretty clever to me. “House” because I wasn’t taking myself too seriously, I was just doing some different type of shit. “Memories Is Forever” is another one for me simply because of the message in it.
11 - Outside of recording, what else have you been doing to keep your creative juices flowing?
Other than what I mentioned before I haven’t been doing too much. I’ve been playing a little ball here and there but that’s regular shit. I’ve been doing that. I haven’t been doing anything else honestly.
12 - It’s safe to assume that once this quarantine is over you’ll be on tour with Brent and promoting this project but what else can we expect from you post-quarantine?
Right now I’m going to be preparing myself for this tour. Once this quarantine is over we’re definitely hitting the road. I’ll probably put out something else cause I don’t know how long this quarantine shit is going to last. You may get a little bit more music before this shit over.
Make sure to check out Grip’s newest EP, Halo. It’s now available on all streaming platforms.