My Philosophy

The hits just keep on coming. Blogland’s favorite 206 MC, the (man
who hates being called the) King of Ballard, Grynch, has blessed
us all with his latest and greatest, the Chemistry EP.
Just like that awesome Physics EP from last week, it’s up for
free download; hit www.getgrynch.com to get yours. Eight
tracks deep, this record finds Young G nailing his formula, as
laid out on the title track: “Good beats, good rhymes, good
chemistry.”

Okay, so it’s a little deeper than that. For one, Grynch really put
together a great palette of beats in which to find inspiration, with
contributions from longtime collaborator Scenik, bicoastal Myx
Music artists/producers Keelay & Zaire (cop that Ridin
High), Red Bull Big Tune Philly contestant CsD (whose beat
on the opener “Right Now” is an attention getter), as well as
up-and-coming locals like DJ Nphared and Ill Pill. The
biggest smash on here comes courtesy of the biggest name, New Jersey’s
celebrated slap-champ Illmind; the song in question, “A Dream
Undeferred,” captures the heart of go-forth perseverance rap, its
verses detailing the MC’s rise through the ranks. Chemistry also
boasts a sweet supporting cast, with RA Scion, Geologic,
Inverse‘s Tunji, and One Be Lo all riding shotgun
in the Ballardian’s bucket. Which brings us to “My Volvo,” the humorous
ode to that namesake whip that rings downright endearing to anybody
who’s ever loved a piece-of-shit car; never shy of making fun of
himself, Grynch knows how to clown himself without himself becoming a
clown. Which is a testament to his rare self-assurance—flexing a
comfortably precise, make-it-sound-easy delivery (that’s improving with
each release), the ever-humble Grynch is at his most confident on
Chemistry, with a few flashes of a cocky new strut to his flow
that’s more than welcome (and hints at even rawer material yet to
come). The Chemistry EP release party goes down at Nectar on
July 12, with Sol (as seen at Capitol Hill Block Party on July
25), Tunji, Rockwell Powers, DJ Marc Sense, and
Geologic on the host front.

Lemme take this time for a couple birfday wishes: First, my man
Kevin, liquor rep and good dude extraordinaire is throwing himself a
b-day bash at Chapel on July 11 with Mad Rad, Sportn’ Life’s
Sex Symbol, and DJ’s Tigerbeat and Marty Mar.
Also, Mr. Songs for Bloggers (download that!) GMK is
celebrating his own born day at Nectar on July 15, where he’ll be
rocking with a three-piece band. Also appearing are the State of the
Artist crew and the Gem City Committee, the combo of MCs
Peoples, Philly Alto, and R.O.B., who’ve teamed up
to construct a free three-act mixtape, The Sound, which you can
get on Peoples’ MySpace page (/gotpaid). I’m sure in both cases that
your presence is presents enough.

Lastly, I, like many of y’all, was not prepared for the emotional
response I had to last week’s loss. I say we take this time to really
comprehend the vastness of the impact his art made on popular music and
culture around the globe—and let the man rest. That is to
say: RIP, MJ.