This shit is dope. New single from The Grouch & Eligh’s forthcoming album, The Tortoise and The Crow.

After his Berkeley, CA show on August 12, 2010, The Grouch sat down with Under The Bay TV and did a 2 part interview. Check some performance footage and The Grouch talking on who has influenced him, his creative process, his favorite song that he has recorded, and lastly news about another Zion I & The Grouch project.

The guys write:

“Back in May Zion I and The Grouch hit Colorado for a short run of sold out shows. This is some footage, I know it’s late, check it out. We’re working on the new record now!”

In related news, Amp Live’s Murder At The Discotech is in stores now.

    On the surface, this album’s title may seem a little self-righteous, but while Zion and The Grouch are trying to evoke change with their raps, they’re not doing so from an elitist stance. As The Grouch raps on the bottom-heavy track “The Faint of Heart”, “I’m the Skywalker / I talk the way I wanna be/but sometimes how I am and that don’t always agree.” Simply put, these cats realize that they’re only human. And whether they’re capturing the state of paranoia the government has created for non-”patriotic” Americans these days (“Current Affairs”) or paying respect to the women in their lives (“Make U Fly” feat. Esthero), Zion and The Grouch consistently craft intelligent yet easily digestible raps.

    While both Zion and The Grouch remain easy to relate to, some of the album’s best tracks see these MCs unveil elements of their lives that most listeners have probably yet to experience themselves. Take “Trains and Planes”, which features Zion and The Grouch painting an admirable portrait of what it’s like to regularly travel the globe as performers over Headnodic’s melodic beat. Then on “10 Fingers 10 Toes 10lbs 10oz”, The Grouch divulges in how having a daughter changed everything in his life: “I swore I had shit figured out before / baby, the old me went right out the door / I just want to be the father / folks rarely do / stand up and be there for you.”

    All throughout, the palette of subject matter is remarkable – so much so that there is a little something for (almost) everybody. While they don’t kick any mind-blowing metaphors, Zion and The Grouch’s strength lies in their versatility and articulation. Moreover, the Cali thump provided by producers Amp Live, Headnodic, Eligh and The Grouch is typically right on-point. Amp Live specifically deserves props for extending his sound on a few cuts like on the danceable ska-inspired production of “Kickin It” (a track which is incidentally a rough throw back to Boogie Down Production’s  “9mm Goes Bang”). Sure, there a few beats, like The Grouch’s instrumental for “Open The Door”, which could have been injected with a little more gusto, but all in all, the production is as solid as the rhymes.

    With the year quickly coming to a close, it’s no long shot to call Heroes In The City Of Dope one of the best independent albums to come out of the West Coast in 2006. After putting out countless releases amongst their own crews, the union of Zion I and The Grouch was just what both these acts needed to propel their careers.

    Anyone who’s heard a Daddy Kev joint knows that this beat-maker doesn’t follow the same recipe for production each time around like some do–every one of his beats is tailor-made. That said, it’s surprising to hear The Grouch step to the mic on tracks that often sound like he’s at an open-mic night with experimental jazz artists backing him up. But as The Grouch says on “Square One”, “What we gonna give ‘em? Something they ain’t used to…”. You know?

    The bizarre “Dollars For Not” is the perfect case in point. As Daddy Kev produces an assembly of wild horns, pianos and drums going buckwild, The Grouch unleashes his thoughts on the almighty dollar, spoken word style. But despite the unorthodox approach, lyrically, it’s still the Grouch. You still get the simple yet well though out rhymes that Grouch fans are accustomed to. Other off-kilter offerings include “All Gotta Live” and “I Got Class” in which this Living Legend croons away.

    In contrast the simple but infectious “Opening Spit” sounds like something The Grouch would flow over any day. So does “Visibly Vocal”, where he says “My name don’t fit me/kinda like a tight glove”. The Grouch actually spends a lot time proving that he’s a happier person, saying that these days he wears less of a frown. “Sound Advice” oozes uplifting hymns that are likely to leave a smile on your face. As The Grouch says prior to “Climax Cleverly”, “Don’t ever underestimate the power of your voice/Makes you feel good right? Strong/Freedom of expression is beautiful”.

    There is one missing link to this album though: as this project is being sold as a Grouch, Daddy Kev and D-Styles collaboration, the talent of Beat Junkies’ D-Styles is left largely unused. While the few scratches on this album are on-point and well placed, D-Styles’ name shouldn’t have been on the front of this album if he wasn’t going to be given more opportunities to shine. Allowing DJs to really do their thing on hip-hop records has become a rarity and this project doesn’t help the cause.

    When it comes to The Grouch and Daddy Kev, though, this is an unexpected collaboration that lets both parties involved take risks and reap the reward. This is Sound Advice you could use.

If you’re familiar with the Living Legends and the Mystik Journeymen, you already know his repertoire. The Grouch has a successful following in underground rap circles; and he carefully cultivates that beneath the surface rap audience. Record for a major label? Make a pop record? “Wait I drop heavy shit, always ever-ready with the verse to kick in any situation, admit you taste the delicacy – man there’s no way else to call it.” Nah, The Grouch is obviously not on that commercial shit, even if on songs the previously quoted “Every Day Is Saturday” he’s willing to quote from the hip-hop and pop lexicon.

The Grouch stands out from the crowd though both musically (his album is almost entirely self-produced) and lyrically. Many indie rappers are automatically suspect – full of their own egos for saying “fuck the establishment” while making wack records that even the Madd Rapper himself, could shit on. The Grouch on the other hand is a student of his craft and his own psyche. On tracks like “Trust Yourself” with PSC and “Grown Up” he’s serious about being true to self and putting his “brain on beats.”

The critics are already standing at the end of the alley with a bowling ball to knock down his ten pins – it ain’t hard, it ain’t that ghetto shit, he’s some nerdy rapper. In his own words, “call him hypocrite, because my lips can spit truth.” The Grouch refuses to play the role. He’s real, and that’s what makes him funky. That’s why you’ll enjoy the groove AND the lyrics on songs like “Strange Body”, “Simple Man”, and the humorous “Zip It” (also featuring PSC and Murs). He may have an angry name but his own liner notes say it all: “to hell with all negative energy”. The Grouch’s vibes make perfect sense.