Born in Chicago, Illinois, Benjamin Laub better know as Grieves was exposed to music at a young age by his father who would take him to Jazz and Blues clubs. After moving to Fort Collins, Colorado, Grieves began to explore the sounds of Punk Rock and Hip Hop. Completely immersed in the art-form, Grieves truly began honing his craft when he moved to seattle at 19. After self-releasing his debut album Irreversible in 2007, Grieves took that momentum out on the road developing an ever growing fan base from the west coast to the east coast.
While in Seattle, Grieves would eventually hook up with a talented producer and multi-instrumentalist by the name of Budo. In 2008 the duo would hook up and create 15 tracks of sample-free, melody-driven, analog warmth titled 88 Keys & Counting. A combination of singing and rapping tethered together by guitar, horn, and keyboard driven instrumentals. Although ultimately an intense album, there are a few breaks with sounds like "Identity Cards" (featuring Luckyiam of Living Legends fame) and "Greedy Bitch", a catchy break up song that will be stuck in your head for days after hearing it. Mainly a digital release, 88 Keys & Counting was welcomed with rave reviews of this new refreshing talent.
Now residing in New York City, Grieves and Budo are hard at work finishing his 2010 Rhymesayers debut. So while the world has to wait a little longer for this masterpiece, Rhymesayers is proud to present 88 Keys & Counting, an introduction to a dynamic artist that everyone will be talking about soon enough.
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