Grip Grand album release party 3/20 in SF

Former Santa Cruz rapper turned South Cali resident Grip Grand returns to the Bay to perform tracks from his new album Brokelore. Assisting with mic duties is Richie Cunning plus dj's Tap10 and Design play vinyl like platters that somehow are mp3's. Special set by The Rec-League Allstars. First 30 people get the new Grip Grand cd Brokelore for free.MILK Bar1840 Haight Street @ StanyanSan Francisco, CA. 9411721+ with valid IDGRIP GRAND - 2005 URB Next 100 and 2007 East Bay Express "Best Rapper"To say that Grip Grand has an unassuming manner would be an understatement, but then again, in the words of the illustrious Guru from Gangstarr, ???it???s mostly the voice that gets you up???. Upon meeting the introverted Grand, legendary rapper A.G., who had earlier heard a few tracks and was duly impressed with his emceeing skills, gave him a pound and said, ???So where???s this Grip Grand???? But if Grip Grand is self-effacing, it???s only to maintain his privacy, which can be a difficult trait to stick with when you???re making rap music.As far as the music goes, Grip and hip hop are about the same age, so his earliest influences outside of jazz and soul naturally include Eric B and Rakim, Masta Ace, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap and the like. Like a lot of kids who literally grew up with hip hop, Grip started collecting records to sample at a young age, eventually got some equipment, and pretty much stayed in his room making 4 track beats.Staying in your room, however, can be challenging when your family moves around a lot, as Grip???s did during the early years. Grip once had twenty phone numbers in just three short years and has lived as far north as Portland and as far south as LA, putting down roots in almost every major city in between. But he identifies mostly with the Bay Area, where prolonged bouts of unemployment in San Francisco and Oakland inspired his 1999 limited edition debut, ???Welcome to Broakland??? (Bomb Hip-Hop), a collection of rap songs for rap???s sake, music for the broke and the broke at heart. Which is how he came to be acquainted with San Francisco???s DJ Design, who heard that cd and tracked him down. So much for keeping a low profile.Impressed with Grip???s gritty but soulful voice, and natural ability for timing and phrasing, Design envisioned working with him on a more elaborate, full-scaled effort; and so a super-collabo project was born. A talented beatmaker in his own right, a good portion of the album???s production will be credited to Grip himself. "Poppin' Pockets", his debut recording for Look Records features none other than the aforementioned A.G. of Showbiz and A.G. and D.I.T.C. fame and sets in motion the emergence of one of Northern Cali???s most talented new artists.When Grip's not making music, he spends his time painstakingly cataloguing his extensive record collection and preparing to retire his longtime penchant for anonymity.Brokelore album tracklisting01. Showtime (That's Entertainment)02. Hip-Hop Classic03. Win the War04. Tomorrow05. Handle That06. But Anyway07. Paper Cup featuring Percee P08. Love/Drama09. A Penny featuring Richie Cunning10. 96 Tears (MF Shalem???s Talk About It Mix)11. Out of Service12. Poppin' Pockets Remix featuring A.G.13. Mr. Versatility14. Remember the Time featuring Darondoalbum out March 25th on Look Recordshttp://www.lookrecords.com/gripgrand.htmlhttp://www.myspace.com/gripgrandto get on the guestlist email [email]dave@lookrecords.com[/email] before 4pm day of show Grip Grand[/b]