Grynch lays claim to the crown


As bad as this may sound some rappers just sound tight when you listen to them flow. Of course the problem with this is that a lot of times these rappers that “sound” good aren’t usually saying anything of substance. Grynch happens to have one of the nicest flows in Seattle and he always has something to say.

What at first sounds like a project birthed out of any town in the states, My Second Wind is anything but formulaic by Seattle standards. With a wide arrangement of both producers and guest emcee’s along for the ride Grynch delivers a project that hits many emotions and expands an ever growing diverse local Hip Hop scene.

Grynch’s best quality as an emcee is his ability to capture your attention as soon as his voice graces your speakers. He spits in a manner that sounds so effortless you would think that he has been at it for a lifetime. In truth however the young John Overlie has only just started, celebrating his 21st birthday last year.

This hasn’t prevented him from enjoying life and if “All Night” is any indication of how he gets down then an evening with the “King of Ballard” is probably guaranteed to be a party. But if cool summer nights relaxing with “friends and fam” are more your style Grynch has you covered to with the perfect summer anthem, “Summertime.” Sound Dialect laced the beat right, Portia adds the perfect touch to the hook and Geologic spits vicious to finish the track off – a perfect tribute to “206 summer nights.”

From summer tributes to Hip Hop dedications (“That’s Hip-Hop”) Grynch consistently delivers lyrics that captivate. Throughout the album he touches on several different themes and topics trying his hand at different styles.

He and Speedy Gonzalez team up on “Home” delivering bars about Seattle and while Grynch by no means disappoints on the track Speedy really steals the show with an amazing description of what it means to call the city your home wrapping it up brilliantly proclaiming “If I can’t see the needle I’m to far away/Riding through the city like my posse’s on Broadway.”

Grynch declares “I ain’t mainstream or underground/I’m bridging the gap/Like Nasir Jones & Olu Dara” on the Budo produced “I Won’t Lose” and this may be the perfect description of what it is that Grynch does. His tracks will bang in your homies escalade, but at the same time you can sit down with your headphones on and dissect every line – and not be disappointed.

Dope beats and dope rhymes is what Hip Hop has always been about, regardless of whatever trends the public has embraced the heads always come back to those albums that demonstrate these qualities. My Second Wind succeeds on both accounts and while Grynch claims his debut “didn’t do what it was made to,” there is little doubt that his sophomore release will do everything he intends it to do, plus a whole lot more.

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