Grieves is the stage name of one Mr Benjamin Laub, an American rapper hailing from Chicago, Illinois born on the 23rd of February, 1984. In his seven year career he’s released a handful of studio albums, E.Ps and singles.
Grieves may have been born in Chicago but Seattle, Washington has been his hometown for most of his career. He says that the reason it’s such a breeding ground for great music is that it’s “the same thing as London - it's rainy and gloomy and shitty all the time, so you stay in and make music”.
This does explain the influx of Hip Hop coming from the Pacific North-West, a charge led by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, no less. However, what it doesn’t explain is how Grieves’ music that’s so charged, vibrant and utterly full of life, can come from a place so resolutely grey and miserable.
He signed to the label Rhymesayers in 2010 but Grieves had been making music since 2007. He released his first record the same year and in 2008, he struck up a creative partnership with the producer Budo. He produced Grieves’ next album “88 Keys and Counting”, which was the record that got him signed.
The pair returned for 2011’s album “Together/Apart”, Grieves’ first charting effort on the Billboard 200 and topping the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The pair were also rewarded by joining the 2011 Warped Tour for a couple of dates, pushing their profile up all the more.
Since then Budo and Grieves have chosen to amicably seek new musical paths together, and the subsequent album from Grieves went to number 57 on the Billboard 200. Clearly, he is a talent that can speak eloquently and powerfully for himself, and he’s only just getting started.
Jeff Rosenstock
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