CD Review: Grip Grand's Brokelore

By Tyler Corelitz

Great hip-hop albums leave the listener with a desire to go out and buy the samples that they use, and Brokelore is no exception. It is filled with beats, hooks, and harmonies from a variety of genres, reflecting the multitude of styles and influences Grip Grand brings to the table. His press materials paint him as a recluse keeping music as his only company, so it comes as no surprise that Grip also produced many of the tracks himself. (more >>)

The music is subtle and rolls along nicely beneath Grip Grand's flows. More scrutinizing listens reveal the obsessive placement of big dark piano chords, horns, blips, and beeps, which present themselves fully before fading out, never to be heard from again. The tight tracks, combined with Grip's strong delivery, feel more mature than the second-effort status the album carries, and left me double-checking the press release to make sure it was true.

If, however, you believe the story Grip is trying to tell, then this maturity will come as no surprise, as the rapper uses Brokelore's 14 songs to spin a tale of urban struggle in the face of the declining dollar. "Out of Service" just might be the best thing so far to help get through the difficulties of a sub-prime mortgage; while "But Anyway" provides comfort to the masses as Grip flatly states "Life sucks just as much as it's beautiful." Despite their darkness, the lyrics are never whiny -- but heavy reliance on the "balling on a budget" motif can be tiring after four or five tracks. As one friend I showed the album to said, "We get it: you're poor!"

Unlike many rap albums penetrating the airwaves these days, Brokelore is complete in its movement, diverse in its sound, and seems to come from a need to create music for reasons other than mere product, as evidenced on standout track "Hip Hop Classic." Here, Grip Grand uses an old-school West Coast sound to ask a question that defies genres, and is worth thinking about for any member of the music industry: "I'm trying to create a hip hop classic ... is it something you can sell in a package?" Even with the smart and memorable lyrics, Brokelore is unable to deliver one stuck-in-your-head, singing-it-at-work, catchy-to-the-point-of-annoying single, preferring to earn its keep by withstanding multiple, often sequential listens, each providing new lyrical and musical areas to explore.

Grip Grand may be destitute, but you can help the cause by buying Brokelore. And if he suddenly goes triple-platinum, lands a HUMMER sponsorship, and starts making his own energy drink, it won't matter; Grip Grand will keep turning out solid material, broke or not.