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NEXTnc's Conversation with Grieves |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Friday, 10 August 2007 |
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 Ben Laub knows there’s more to hip hop than drugs, booze, hos and bling. Even though he has seen all that, he’s more interested in the positive hip-hop community.
“Hip hop is a very egotistical art form,” Laub said. “It’s almost sad. That negative stigma is projected hard onto it.”
The 23-year-old hip-hop artist could have ended up with a lengthy criminal record or behind bars, like other rappers, but he didn’t. Instead he has made a name for himself in the underground music scene in Seattle.
Grieves, as he is known by his fans, got his start by battling in Fort Collins at the Aggie and the Starlight, now Hodi’s Half Note. He’ll be back in town for an album release party Aug. 16 at the Aggie Theatre. His full-length CD, “Irreversible,” packs emotion, talent, tragedy and strength into a raw and powerful sound.
 “Everything is very heartfelt,” he said.
Laub doesn’t have to dig too far into his psyche to find the emotions he puts into his songs.
He was adopted, and though he calls his parents “the greatest parents in the world,” he somehow fell off track.
“I got into drugs and was kicked out of school,” he said.
At the age of 15, he was selling cocaine and pot and was sent to a rehab center.
“Basically, no one thought I would turn myself around,” Laub said. “I was going down the drain. My parents had watched the same thing happen to my older sister, only worse. My parents were losing their kids.”
His sister’s addiction and troubles had a powerful impact on him. He didn’t want to follow the same path.
He enrolled at Centennial High School, an alternative school in Fort Collins, which turned his life around.
“I thrived off of the atmosphere,” Laub said. “Everyone was so supportive.”
After graduation, Laub knew he needed a change. He and his girlfriend had broken up, and she would be going off to college. He feared if he stayed in Fort Collins, he’d be here forever. So, he packed up his Toyota Celica and drove to Seattle where we would spend the next two months in an apartment writing music.
“I dropped myself in a foreign land,” Laub said. “I had to fight real hard.”
Laub was born in Chicago and remembers his dad’s huge record collection of folk, blues and soul. He also remembers going down to the blues clubs in Chicago with his dad at an early age.
That planted the seed for what “Grieves” has become.
Laub hasn’t touched drugs since getting out of rehab and said he has found an amazing hip-hop culture.
“People aren’t just about running around shooting each other drinking crystal and having sex with each other,” he said.
Instead, his substance is found in his lyrics and rhymes.
“I make rap music, but don’t you dare put it past me to blow your mind,” Laub said.
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GO TO THE SHOW Grieves CD release party 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 at the Aggie, 204 S. College Ave. $7. 482.8300 or go to aggietheatre.com Look for Grieves at NewWestFest Saturday, Aug. 18 on the Oak Street Plaza Stage in Fort Collins. Free.
————— NEXTnc's Conversation with Grieves —————
NEXTnc: What is your all time favorite rap song?
GRIEVES: That’s almost impossible to answer. Every song has its own range of emotions. West Side Connection’s “Bow Down “is one of the most preposterous songs. I memorized every word. It’s one of the most memorable. It brings back a lot of good memories.
NEXTnc: How would you describe the rap/hip-hop scene in northern Colorado?
GRIEVES: No matter what I say, people are going to hate me for it. It’s good. It seems there’s not much of it that I know of. I don’t want to offend people. I think there needs to be more outlets and opportunities for people.
NEXTnc: Where do you see yourself five years from now?
GRIEVES: Man, right now I work 40 hours a week in a kitchen. The rest of the time I spend in the studio tracking people or tracking myself. It’s hard for me to even think I won’t be where I am right now, but I will tell you I have a lot of big plans. I’ve got some things going on, and I’ve got some things lined up. I’m talking to a few booking agents. Hopefully, I’ll be on my third album by then. I would love to not be working so much in the kitchen. I’d like to have built a name for myself regionally and nationally. I hope to have met a lot of people and not to have lost too much money.
NEXTnc: What’s your favorite Fort Collins grub?
GRIEVES: I love Rasta Pasta. I make a strong point to go there every time. After my show, the next day I go to Rasta Pasta. It’s just perfect. I really like it. I really like the music there, too. I also Like the Crown Pub. I used to work there.
NEXTnc: What are your other hobbies and interests?
GRIEVES: My girlfriend might say I’m a machine. I go to work. I make a lot of music. I like snowboarding. I don’t ever get to do it because I don’t have time. I’m starting to enjoy more and more the simple things in life like a quiet day and helping people more. | Only registered users can write comments.
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
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|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
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I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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