GRIP - IDFT!? (Vevo DSCVR Artists to Watch 2022)

GRIP - IDFT!?. An exclusive live performance for Vevo DSCVR ARTISTS TO WATCH 2022, an annual series highlighting those that are shaping the future of music. “I’m from the class of Hova and 3 Stacks/Pac, Nas, Big and Slim Shady,” asserts GRIP on his ‘I Died For This!?’ album. The last name is key - ‘I Died For This!?” is the ATL MC’s full-length debut on Shady Records, the imprint run by Mr. Mathers himself. A couple minutes later, Eminem hops on “Walkthrough!,” riding a buzzsaw beat over which both rappers trade bars touting the virtues of real spittin’ skillz. Contrary to the song title’s exclamatory punctuation, GRIP’s flow is laid back - especially compared to Em’s machine-gun delivery. A product of Decatur, just north and east of Atlanta, GRIP’s off-mic personality is equally low key. The “No Más” rapper got his name from childhood trips to the store; after paying, he’d frequently give spare change to a guy who eventually made a habit out of calling him “big money grip.” By the time the teen born Kyle Clow was skipping biology at Stevenson High to cut tracks at friends’ cribs, the nickname had turned to a rap name. (In a twist of fate, rapper JID also attended Stevenson at the same time.) After school ended, GRIP would cycle through day jobs, purposefully getting fired or quitting so as not to “be complacent” in anything other than a music career. After a stream of mixtapes, 2019’s lyrically outstanding ‘Snubnose’ caught some buzz. Hot 97 host Ebro Darden posted a screencap of the cover with fire emojis. “911 (Clap For Em)” was featured on an episode of HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’ A 28-stop tour with Brent Faiyaz was scheduled for 2020 until Covid changed everything. But the momentum kept rolling. This year’s Shady signing is a major notch for sure, but GRIP should have no prob living up to expectations. That’s evident in our Artists to Watch performance, where he served bars that would impress even the icons mentioned in that first sentence above. Watch GRIP videos: GRIP Vevo Executive Producer: JP Evangelista Executive Producer: Micah Bickham Director: Kyle Goldberg Producer: Maddy Schmidt Producer: Averi Smith Director of Photography: Skyler Brown Editor: Andrew Ros Music & Talent: Gabby Prisciandaro David McTiernan #GRIP #IDFT #DSCVR Music video by GRIP performing IDFT!? (Live) | Vevo DSCVR Artists to Watch 2022. © 2021 Stray Society, distributed through Shady Records/Interscope Records