GRIP Steps Into a New Sound With SCATTRBRAIN & The Unwavering Self Doubt
GRIP is stepping outside of his comfort zone and encouraging his listeners to do the same.
GRIP & SCATTRBRAIN recently released their debut album, SCATTRBRAIN & The Unwavering Self Doubt, a 14-track project that takes the Atlanta rapper away from traditional hip-hop and into a punk rock sound.
During my recent interview with GRIP, he explained that this new direction came from reaching a point in his career where simply being recognized as a talented rapper wasn’t
“I just got bored of rap. I wanted to do something new,” GRIP told me. “I would always get praises from people telling me I’m nice with the pen and this, this and that, but that’s not gonna pay the bills. That’s not gonna feed my family.”
As a father, GRIP said he began thinking differently about the business side of his career. He wanted to create demand through live performances, merchandise and, most importantly, making great music.
That search for something new eventually became SCATTRBRAIN.
GRIP explained that the band came together through an engineer who had instrumentalists he wanted to collaborate with. Those studio sessions eventually brought GRIP together with Ben, Daniel, Josh and T.J., leading to SCATTRBRAIN & The Unwavering Self Doubt.
What Does “Unwavering Self-Doubt” Mean?
Despite the album’s title, GRIP told me the project wasn’t necessarily created because he was personally struggling with self-doubt. Instead, he approached the album with what he described as a rebellious punk-rock mentality.
“I had this rebellious mindset of ‘fuck rap, fuck the industry, and fuck all the rules,’” GRIP said. “You stand against everything society wants you to be. You decide to branch off and do your own thing.”
That mentality carries into the album’s opening track, “Enter,” where GRIP repeatedly tells listeners that “it’s all in your head.”
For him, the message is about refusing to allow self-doubt to control your decisions.
“Whatever self-doubt you’re feeling…it’s all in your head,” GRIP explained. “Shit ain’t reality. Don’t let it overcome your mind.”
That idea continues throughout records like “Melancholy Melodies,” “Buzzworthy” featuring Kenny Mason and “Bombs Away.”
Coping Through “Melancholy Melodies”
On “Melancholy Melodies,” GRIP explores withdrawing from the world and temporarily escaping difficult emotions through music, drinking and smoking.
When I asked whether the record was more about coping or actually healing, GRIP didn’t hesitate.
“I would say more of coping,” he said. “Whenever I used to deal with adversity, I would just turn on some music that I like and roll up a blunt or have a couple beers and just distance myself rather than try to fix what I’m going through.”
That experience inspired one of the song’s central ideas: trying to place a temporary Band-Aid over something much deeper.
The Double Meaning Behind “Somethin’ Bout Mary”
One of the album’s most creative concepts appears on “Somethin’ Bout Mary,” a record that immediately caught my attention because it can sound like both a love song and a song about marijuana dependency.
According to GRIP, that’s intentional.
“This was one of those songs I wanted to have a double meaning behind it,” he explained, comparing the temptation to return to marijuana with the temptation to return to a relationship you know may not be healthy for you.
GRIP even explained that the sound effects toward the end of the record including smoking, a smoke detector and glitching sounds represent what’s happening inside the person’s mind after giving back into that temptation.
It’s a small production detail that can easily go unnoticed, but it’s also an example of how much thought went into the album beyond its new sound.
GRIP Still Cares About the Details
Although SCATTRBRAIN places GRIP in a different genre, his attention to lyricism hasn’t disappeared.
During our conversation about “Buzzworthy,” GRIP spoke about how some listeners focus more on having a catchy song than appreciating the smaller details behind the music.
“They don’t care about the bars and double entendres, the wordplay and cadence, syllables, delivery,” GRIP said.
That became a full-circle moment in our conversation.
When “Bombs Away” originally released as a single, GRIP had previously asked me whether I caught the rhyme scheme in his second verse. I broke down the syllables I heard him connecting because those are the details I’ve always appreciated as a listener. When I reminded him of that conversation during our interview, GRIP agreed and used it as an example of the type of listening he was talking about.
SCATTRBRAIN Is Just Getting Started
If SCATTRBRAIN & The Unwavering Self Doubt sounds like an experiment GRIP plans to leave behind after one album, think again.
During our interview, GRIP revealed that SCATTRBRAIN is already halfway through its next project.
“What’s next for SCATTRBRAIN? We’re halfway through our next album, SCATTRBRAIN in a Scary Ass Place,” GRIP revealed. “That’ll come soon, so stay tuned for that.”
GRIP also promoted SCATTRBRAIN’s upcoming tour and encouraged listeners to support the debut album and see the band live.
But more than anything, there’s one message he hopes listeners carry with them after hearing the project.
“Don’t be afraid to branch off and do your own thing,” GRIP said. “Get out of your comfort zone for real.”
That might be the best way to describe SCATTRBRAIN & The Unwavering Self Doubt.
GRIP could have stayed comfortable doing what listeners already knew he was good at. Instead, he took his pen, vulnerability and attention to detail into a completely different genre and created something that represents where he wants to go next.
And according to GRIP, this is only the beginning.
“The best is yet to come.”
Stream SCATTRBRAIN & The Unwavering Self Doubt now, and let us know which track stands out to you the most.
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