Back in September I posed a hypothetical question on Twitter, which stated, “If a Canadian branch of @GriseldaRecords was created, who would the 1st member be?”
Personally, I’ve been a fan of the Griselda movement since approx. 2017 and felt like throwing that question out there into the Twitterverse. Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher are the three most prominent members of the Griselda collective, and they’ve taken the hip-hop industry by storm over the past few years, despite going against the grain with their rugged, golden-era, boom bap sound.
But what if my hypothetical scenario actually came to fruition and Griselda expanded north of the border and started signing hip-hop artists who meshed well with their sound/culture? It would be interesting to see who they would bring onboard.
Two artists who come to mind are Raz Fresco and Adam Bomb. Coincidentally, they’re both from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and both fit the Griselda mold sound wise.
Raz has proven that he can spit conscious rhymes while staying true to the streets. He’s the leader of the BKRSCLB collective and talks openly about his affiliation with the Five-Percent Nation, which is a movement that the Buffalo trio are heavily immersed in as well. Raz also has a spiritual awareness that surfaces in his bars. His blend of conscious, hood rap is on the same wavelength as Griselda, and he’s collaborated with Daringer, who is an in-house producer for the Buffalo clique. There’s no questioning his work ethic either, as he’s pumped out issues 1-7 of the Magneto Was Right series this year alone. These are reasons why I think he would meet the criteria to become a member of the Griselda fam.
As for Adam Bomb, he’s got that grimy, street style. He is a highly-respected lyricist in Canadian hip-hop circles, despite never blowing up on a national scale. Adam was one of the original members of the Empire crew, in addition to being a member of the Freedom Writers collective and Naturally Born Strangers throughout the years. In 2015, Naturally Born Strangers captured some hardware as they won the Juno Award for “Rap Recording of the Year.” They won the award for the project, The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers. Tona and Rich Kidd are the other members of the group.
In terms of individual songs, “Carpe DM” is a recent example of his lyrical prowess. The track was featured on Rap Behind Bars Presented By Benny The Butcher, which was a mixtape hosted by Benny. Adam’s elite pen game and raw, authentic persona would vibe well with Griselda’s vision.
I’m sure there are other hip-hop artists from Canada who could potentially fit into the culture that Griselda has cultivated, but for me, Raz Fresco and Adam Bomb stand out above the rest.
