For the better part of a decade, Grieves has been putting pen to paper as an emcee for Rhymesayers Entertainment. You too can live large like he does if you abide by his steps on, as he says, “becoming a broke-ass rapper.”
Buy a Wu-Tang Record
“That’s step number one, followed closely by step # 2: understand that you are not Wu-Tang. [laughs] Imitation is flattery, but hip-hop is this bravado, machismo thing. Most of the time, when you hear someone’s first rap song, they’re rapping about how dope they are. Like, look I get it, you got a Wu-Tang record. You’re just replicating what you heard. Wu-Tang did that awesome, you on the other hand, do not.”
Find Yourself
“People have trouble finding the authentic them, and who they are as an artist. It goes beyond just being a rapper, just any art. Because you taught yourself how to rap every line of “C.R.E.A.M.” does not make you Method Man. Learning strokes doesn’t make you Salvador Dali — but it doesn’t hurt to have that skill. Humility and being humble will help you find that part of you a lot of people will fall in love with, it will be the more creative part of you.”
Get Inspired
“When I sit down to write lyrics, it always happens with music. I never have been able to … I never really have sat down and say ,‘One of these days the beat’s gonna come to it and it’ll work out’ — it’s all drawn from that exact moment. To me, that’s where the authentic me comes out. When I sit at home and premeditate something, it falls short. But when it happens because it’s happening, I always hit my mark.”
“It’s an artists market, we’re in charge right now.” – Grieves
Prove Yourself
“I don’t want to listen to you because you’re a hot dude and 16-year-old girls follow you on Instagram because you take a photo with the V-line going down to your crotch. When we were coming up, you had to prove your chops to be dope. We’re all ugly motherfuckers man, that’s why we’re making music. It’s a different hustle now though. You can have a SoundCloud song build your whole career. I don’t understand it, I busted my ass just to get my 40,000 followers and I’m in my mid-30s!”
“If I had to be honest with it: spend time on your craft, make dope shit, be humble and move forward and make the right moves. But if you’re a good looking dude, who’s got the V-line, fuck it, use it to your advantage too I guess.” – Grieves
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Sep 04 Constellation Room Santa Ana, CA
Sep 05 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
Sep 06 Club Red Mesa, AZ
Sep 08 In The Venue Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 09 Bluebird Theatre Denver, CO
Sep 10 Bluebird Theatre Denver, CO
Sep 11 Animas City Theatre Durango, CO
Sep 12 Launchpad Albuquerque, NM
Sep 13 Tricky Falls Theater El Paso, TX
Sep 14 Antone's Austin, TX
Sep 15 Club Dada Dallas, TX
Sep 16 The Bronze Peacock at House of Blues Houston Houston, TX
Sep 18 House of Blues New Orleans New Orleans, LA
Sep 19 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Sep 20 Kings-NC Raleigh, NC
Sep 21 DC9 Nightclub Washington, DC
Sep 22 Boot and Saddle Philadelphia, PA
Sep 23 Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY
Sep 25 Brighton Music Hall Allston, MA
Sep 26 La Sala Rossa Montreal, Canada
Sep 27 Velvet Underground Toronto, Canada
Sep 28 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI
Sep 29 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL
Oct 04 Pub Station Billings, MT
Oct 06 The Bartlett Spokane, WA
Oct 07 The Bartlett Spokane, WA
Nov 03 Crocodile Cafe Seattle, WA
Nov 08 The Reef Boise, ID
Nov 09 Jub Jub's Reno, NV
Nov 10 The Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA
Nov 11 Mystic Theatre Petaluma, CA
Nov 12 Strummer's Fresno, CA
Nov 14 Velvet Jones Santa Barbara, CA
Nov 15 Backstage Bar & Billiards Las Vegas, NV
Nov 16 The Green Room Flagstaff, AZ
Nov 20 The Waiting Room Papillion, NE
Nov 21 The Firebird St Louis, MO
Nov 22 The Hi-Fi Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
Nov 24 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
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