Grynch: Street Lights [Album]

There isn’t a much better feeling than watching one of your favorite artists move on up, and up, and beyond!  It has been about 5 years since I came across this weird little white dude from Ballard, Washington that wanted to do this rapping thing.  He passed along a few free downloads of some EP’s and I thought I would give it a fair listen.  And as I was not expecting, the motherfucker blew my mind!  And this smooth cat is the very John Overlie, a.k.a. Grynch.  And over the last 5 years, he has flourished as one of the finest hip hop artists in the game today.  And with his latest release, Street Lights, he proves once again that he deserves your respect and adoration with what is definitely his finest work to date.

One of my favorite older tracks from Grynch is the highlight from his Something More EP, ‘Take A Trip”, which is basically a beautiful lyrical blow job to the city of Seattle.  But after listening to “My City’s Filthy” on this new joint, it is clear that some growth was needed, and definitely happened.  With each release, these cat just continues to grow in all the right areas without losing the lyrically inclined positive stigma that has made him a hero in the Northwest.  There is an obvious sense of humbleness in Grynch’s words.  Never before have I heard an artist who genuinely appears to be so damn grateful for the opportunities that have been put in front of him.  Besides being one of the finest releases this year, Street Lights is a beautiful example of what perseverance and determination can create.

It is very hard to not listen to an album like this without feeling a great sense of pride that can be compared to watching a son or daughter grow into a full blown man or woman.  The success that Grynch has built around previous tracks like “My Volvo” or “Mister Rogers” could appear to be the mastering of self deprecation at it’s finest, which could be arguable, but this idea has to be moot when you throw in the fact that this is such a talented man with skills that are absolutely undeniable.  And it says a lot about this day and age when being humble is a positive aspect in the world of hip hop.  And if this is to be the new ways and means of hip hop, Grynch is an obvious contender for king of this rap shit.

Head on over to GetGrynch.com to pick up a copy of Street Lights and much more!