Yes, a genius- and believe me, that is not a word you will hear me use loosely. I discovered Grieves at an Atmosphere show at The Metro in Chicago in 2007, he was touring with the slightly abrasive, sometimes corny, yet always entertaining opening act Mac Lethal. This skinny, scrappy, disarming little boy appeared on stage momentarily posing as Mac's little brother, he chugged a 40 oz, did the superman dance and disappeared backstage. I later discovered that he was Ben Grieves, a Seattle based rapper signed with Black Clover Records- I was interested to hear exactly what kind of talent Mac Lethal had signed to his label and to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Grieves has a very unique sound. A full, seasoned voice, one you would never assume could come out of a skinny white boy. Lyrics that not only conjure emotions, paint pictures but also challenge listeners minds, and a generally dark, yet undeniably brilliant and complex vibe and sound. Grieves first album Irreversible (2007) is one that can be listened all the way through, non surprising content covering subjects such as girls and booze but not in any typical way. Second album, which was recently released, 88 Keys and Counting (2008) is in my opinion even better than the first. While most of his music is dark, and teetering on the edge of emo, he also has a fairly obvious sense of humor, with tracks like "My Girlfriend Beats Me" and "Capital Hill Girls." Personally, I believe he has twice the talent and lyrical intelligence of anyone in his category, including his "big brother" Mac Lethal. In my opinion, if this twiggy, unassuming artisan continues on the path he is currently on, with the deserved amount of exposure and proper connections he is sure to be just as big as he wants.
