Grav Down To Earth

Limited edition of 300 copies on CD in jewel case.

"Down To Earth" marked the debut album by Chicago's very own Grav. Originally released in 1996, the deep-voice MC flows on productions by No I.D., Dug Infinite, Big Q and a young Kanye West. Album guests include Al' Tariq and Lil Ray as well as DJ Nu-Mark on the cuts.

Underground lyrical terrorist, Grav, is among Chi town's most jovial and modest rappers. His personality is a blend of tranquillity and sangfroid, whether he's belting out razor sharp metaphors or head-nodding in time with a hip hop DJ. He grew up in Harlem when hip hop's street poets began taking a firm hold on the minds and hearts of New York's disenfranchised urban youth. He often journeyed to a park within the Lincoln Projects at 135th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues to hear such emerging hip hop artists as Doug E. Fresh beat box or rhyme. Grav remembers a special camaraderie emanating from those park jam sessions. "Everybody just grew up being cool with everybody," he says. "It was like a second family." In 1992, Grav moved to the Midwest to major in computer animation and sound engineering at the Art Institute of Chicago. Once he got to the Windy City, Grav decided to settle in the section of town referred to as Wicker Park. Wicker Park is the Midwest equivalent of Greenwich Village with it's ultra bohemian clubs, art galleries, cafes, bookstores, and theaters. Grav was then introduced to the city's underground hip hop scene through his roommate, Free. Grav spent most of his days with his head buried deep in his university school books to master the heavy scholastic work load. But his nights were spent flexing in freestyle sessions and ripping ciphers to shreds at clubs with an open mic night. He took on the name "Grav" when he teamed up with rapper, Magpie. In 1993, the two of them organized the group Indigenous Theory. Commenting on his unique moniker, Grav says, "My name reflects my down to earthness with people and how they react to me when I perform. I'm not just up there kicking lyrics. There's something in my style that attracts people to me, like the force of Gravity." Eventually Grav went solo when the group broke up in 1994. During this time Grav decided to seriously enter the rap game and lie concentrated on captivating audiences with the machine gun rhythm of his incredible flow and delivery at the legendary B Side Café. Grav rapidly graduated from headliner to host, with shows on Chicago's underground rap circuit. His debut album "Down To Earth" adds to the handful of projects that Grav already has on his plate, like rhyming on countless underground mix tapes and contributing to producer No.ID album (beat maker supreme for Common, Al Tariq, etc.).

Available in a limited run on 2LP+7", CD in jewel case, cassette and digitally on all major platforms.