Video: The Grouch: "Whatever I Say"

No one ever really put me up on The Grouch growing up, so he never got too many spins on my discman. That does seem a bit strange given that he's an intelligent Oakland-raised emcee who ended up in LA, much like myself. But thankfully, I've been getting into his stuff recently and am very impressed. He grew up on the independent grind in the Bay and eventually linked up with Cali's backpack rap vanguard, The Living Legends. He has had a very successful and stable independent career as a solo artist, a Living Legend, and a frequent collaborator with artists like Zion I and Eligh.

Not only is he a dope emcee, he is a major proponent of "keeping it real" in the most down-to-earth and progressive ways. He eats organic and is a proud husband and father, along with a gang of other characteristics atypical for rappers. His frequent collaborations with clean and sober spitters like Eligh and Mistah FAB help cement the notion that hip-hop is more than just weed, patron and braggadocio. It's also an amazing subterranean movement of truth tellers who spit about their human realities rather than their glorified aspirations.

Check out The Grouch's latest video for "Whatever I Say."