The Grouch: a Simple Man speaks

For those who don’t know, I try to work and hustle as a freelance writer. Here’s a little story of mine that was published in SF Weekly about a week ago; it’s an artist profile/record review on The Grouch, a Bay Area-born, Cali-based MC/producer. Grouch and I have known each for a while now, as I’d least heard about him through friends when I was in high school. We met and chopped it up quite a few times while he was working his way through the Bay Area underground, and are on pretty friendly terms. He’s a real cool dude who gives a real interview. Best of luck to him with his new album, Show You the World.

Here’s the link to the version published in SF Weekly:
http://music.sfweekly.com/2008-04-02/music/the-grouch-personifies-the-hip-hop-hustle/

And here’s my “extended” version, which has a little extra info that didn’t make the cut due to space constraints:


There are no free rides for hip-hop heroes who achieve worldwide acclaim. The Grouch, founding member of the internationally-known Living Legends crew, can attest that even when you sell records, pack your shows, and maintain control of your music, the headaches remain.

“I know my records aren’t in enough stores,” Grouch says. “You gotta play a bunch of games, and a lot of times I wonder if it’s all worth it. I used to put my CDs only in mom and pop stores. Now, I’m in chain-stores, and I sell more copies, but it doesn’t seem like I make any more money.”

Grouch, along with the Living Legends, built a fanbase and rep on the DIY hip-hop ethic of the mid-1990s, back when selling tapes in front of local record stores was a novel idea. Through a decade of recording and touring, Grouch has built a respectable career and carved out a comfortable existence. The Oakland native owns of home in the San Fernando Valley, where lives with his wife and 2-year-old daughter. He’s released six solo albums, two with Living Legends partner Eligh (as part of G&E), three with Living Legends, and one with Bay Area compatriot Zion I. On April 8, he’ll drop his seventh solo album, Show You the World, through the Legendary Music imprint, which he helps operate.
On Show You the World, Grouch continues his meat & potatoes approach to music. For the first time in his solo career, he hands the production reigns over to others, with Grouch behind the board on just six of the album’s 15 tracks. However, the Show You the World still maintains a cohesive feel. Some highlights include “Bay to L.A.” Grouch and Legends-homie MURS celebrate the similarities between both regions and “Pop and Mom Killer” where he laments the increasing homogenization of consumer culture. Another high-point is “Artsy,” where, over a soul flute sample and banging drums, Grouch playfully skewers people who “shop at Whole Foods in open-toed shoes” to be cool or avant-garde. “I know people are saying, ‘You’re dissing your whole fanbase with that song,’ but it’s all in good fun,” he jokes.

Hustling for his music is still an everyday part of Grouch’s existence, though. Gone are the days where all eight members of the Legends crew had to pony up $25 to rent a tour van; they’ve now set up a bank account for such expenses. But Grouch still deals with many of the indie record stores personally, while also wrangling with Best Buy to get Show You the World in their stores. He’s well aware that being unsigned and independent doesn’t carry the same currency that it used to. Being visible and readily available online is important as anything these days. “There’s so many people doing the independent thing now,” Grouch adds. “When [Living Legends] were at SXSW, there’s like 800 acts vying for people’s attention… It’s easier to get stuff on iTunes and MySpace, but it’s much harder to get noticed.”

To help promote his album, Grouch is also relying on his and every other indie artist’s bread and butter: the tour. He’s in the process of booking 10 to 15 spot dates along the West Coast during mid to late April. He’s taken steps to alleviate some of the grind that comes with touring. During the last two Living Legends mini-tours, he’s driven behind the group’s bus in his own vegetable oil-fueled truck with his wife and daughter. The second tour he brought along his wife’s cousin, who would watch their daughter sometimes to give them some time to hang out together. He said he likes the idea of taking his daughter around the country, and spend his down-time visiting a national park.

“It’s better than just sitting in the hotel room, which I’ve done many times,” Grouch says. “[Traveling with family] can make things harder, and I don’t plan on doing it every time I go on tour. But it’s good for shorter tour. I couldn’t do it on a 50 city tour.”

Grouch says he’d eventually like to spend more time as a producer; he envisions working as a production team with Eligh, selling beats to other artists outside of the immediate camp. However, he’s resigned to putting those plans on hold.

“If I’m going to focus on being a producer, I’m going to have to slow down in other areas of my life,” Grouch says. “And I feel like I should work on others things first right now.”

As Grouch knows, if you’re going to stay in control of your music and career, there’s never a shortage of work.