Search - Grip Grand :: Welcome to Broakland

Overview of CD

Bomb Hip-Hop | San Francisco, CA United States | 11/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded on a bedroom four-track deep in the heart of Broakland, Grip Grand's debut LP showcases this California-bred MC/beat-boosters' low-budget sound and tongue-in-cheek rhyme style. Like a cross between Thirstin Howl and De La Soul, Grip Grand maintains hip-hop's integrity while taking fidelity to an all-new low. No singing girls, no keyboard beats, no cross-genre collabos, no guest stars, no ghostwriters, no dubs, no ice, no .... A college-degree MC making minimum wage, clerking by day, rebuilding mics at night in his clandestine undersea soundlab, Grip Grand makes rap for raps sake, music for the broke and the broke at heart. Welcome to Broakland bounces from pointed parody and humorous tough-talk to heartfelt love-raps (still hard enough to listen to with the homies). When your whole studio fits in a brown paper bag, the music had better have a message, and Grip Grand delivers. Catchy without being commercial, Grip Grand's cleverly-worded wit and dirty little melodies are highlighted on tracks like Broakland II and Broakland III. These songs paint an (ever-so-slightly) exaggerated picture of life below the poverty line, "Low budget/And payin' my bills is a sore subject/Deducted/My pocket's on E like a club kid!" Classic walkman material, both of these tunes feature Grip's comedic foil and alter-ego, Gab Wino (for those who love that old back-and-forth rhyme style). Check the technique as they give a loving nod to NWA's Dopeman on Broakland part III. The last installment in the Broakland saga, Broakland IV (Clubland) is an answer to the cut-for-the-club cliche. Complete with shouting-DJ intro and soulfully crooned chorus (courtesy of Grip Grand himself), Clubland takes it to the disco dancefloor, turning a tired formula into a funny, funky song. Other highlights include Stupidrapper, which lets off a couple for the fake thugs and simpleminded MCs ("Listened to rap too much, heard the world was ignorant and ugly/I learned to dumb it down and now the party people love me!"). B-Day Document '99 is a love letter in a rap, perfect for a special evening with that certain someone ("She's down/It's kinda rare/She doesn't wanna buy tickets for Lilith Fair/Or only like a rapper that's a millionaire"). Welcome to Broakland is a soundtrack for bus stops, laundromats, dumpsters and dog tracks. Listen to it while clipping coupons, while washing your bike, while renting videos at the library. Middle-class lifestyle on a mac n' cheese budget? Broakland understands. Welcome to Broakland has something for everybody - come get yours."