Is everyone familiar with Grouch and Eligh? What about Living Legends, heard of them? Grouch and Eligh are two of the six founding members of the Los Angeles based Hip Hop group Living Legends. They both have successful solo music careers as well. Both are producers, MC’s, audio recording engineers, writers, video recording engineers, in other words: These guys are a couple of musically gifted souls, who, in my opinion, articulate Hip Hop exceptionally.

It is not a particular sound or language, melody or beat you receive in your ear via subwoofer. It doesn’t mean ‘rap.’ Hip Hop isn’t the trunk vibrating next to you at a stop light. I don’t even consider Hip Hop a genre - It’s just a lifestyle. Rap is a genre. Rock and roll, country, punk rock, funk, all genres. For example the word ‘hippy’ isn’t a genre nor is the word ‘redneck.’ A lot of us group the words into genres but as for the actual adjectives themselves, redneck and hippy, they reference a lifestyle.

My buddy sent me a YouTube video yesterday of two MC’s I’ve been following for more than two decades: Grouch and Eligh. Eligh is releasing a new album on July 14th so they’re doing some new videos too. I just heard a new track called “Pain On The Break” and I’m not kidding, I’ve probably listened to it eleventeen times since - It’s phenomenal!! Ready for this, got your reading glasses on? It’s the best Hip Hop track I’ve heard all year, yes, I said it! :cue the air quotes: “Best Hip Hop track I’ve heard all year.” I’ll even add some more hype and say this is one of the best beats I’ve ever heard. Ever! They killed it on this one! At the bottom of this post is a link to Eligh’s new song called Pain On The Break, featuring The Grouch and DJ Fresh.

The instant I heard this song I wanted to post it here and do any/everything I could to help get this track the attention it deserves. But I’m not into copy/pasting clips. I appreciate the effort from everyone who does that - Nothing wrong with sharing every song you think needs to be heard. I just feel like giving these guys a proper hand shake and a well deserved pat on the back, know what I mean?

This is an introduction to both artists, a quick look into their backgrounds; who they are type stuff and then I’ll elaborate, personally, on them both. I’ll share a memory I have about my first time seeing each of them. Then I’ll copy/paste their new video, deal?

I first saw The Grouch in Los Angeles, California 20’ish years ago, he was performing with Living Legends. The first time I saw Eligh was about 20 years ago also, a solo performance in San Diego, California:

source - iPhone 8 Plus + Photoshop Plus

The Grouch:

Corey Scoffern aka The Grouch was born and raised in Oakland, California. He just turned 43 in May, earlier this year. He grew up in the Bay Area of California and later he and his wife moved to the Los Angeles suburb; San Fernando Valley. They relocated at the height of his career in 2008 to Hawaii prior to their daughters second birthday. The couple made the decision to leave the main land of America and raise their daughter in the tropics because of the poor air quality and lack of nature in the city. That was 2008, they’ve been there ever since.

The Grouch started writing in 1994 and in just one year he performed for the first time as an MC with Mystik Journeymen in Oakland, California. By 1996 and still an independent artist, he joined the group Living Legends who are regarded by many people in the Hip Hop industry today as the foundation of Independent Hip Hop music. He and Eligh became the duo G&E in 2000. The Grouch has several successful solo projects and has worked/collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry all while remaining independent and underground.

The first time I saw The Grouch perform was in Los Angeles, California at the Los Angeles Sports Arena - Where the Lakers played home games before Staples Center existed. It would have been ‘about’ 1997-98. I went to the event to see the group called “Living Legends” that I kept hearing about. I listened to their CD several times, it was raw. Uncut, pure talent and they’re from Los Angeles - My town. When the opportunity to see them perform arrived, I made sure I was front row. When they came on stage and started rapping, once all of the smoke started to clear and I could see through the glare of the lights, I saw the group on stage and one by one they controlled the microphone. There was a white dude on stage though. A white dude all decked out in white Raiders gear, wearing Loc’s - He was glowing in his attire on the stage, I’m not exaggerating.

It was dark, there was a lot of smoke but ‘I’m pretty sure one of those guys is white’ is what I was thinking. For some reason listening to the CD as many times as I did, I never saw the members. White dudes rapping wasn’t normal yet either. But dang! When that white dude got on the microphone, I knew exactly who he was! That was The Grouch and he set the tone for the remainder of the night. He’s been doing that exact thing, setting the tone on stage, all over the world ever since. I’ve never stopped appreciating The Grouch, The Legends, Eligh, all of them. Thanks for everything you do fellas, really!

Sources:
-Hawaii Magazine: Q&A Rapper: The Grouch
-Monster Fresh: Simple Man: Interview W/ The Grouch
-Lost.fm: Grouch Biography
-https://www.therealgrouch.com

Eligh:

Eligh Nachowitz aka Eligh aka Gandalf aka Grey Crow. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He just turned 40 in February.

Eligh formed his first Hip Hop duo, Boogalu Badboys, while still in high school with Scarab, another would be member of Living Legends. Shortly after high school, the two met another Los Angeles rapper named Murs and the three of them formed 3MG - 3 Melancholy Gypsys. In the mid 1990’s the three moved north to the Bay Area of California and eventually crossed paths with The Grouch and in a short time, together with Sunspot Jonz and Luckyiam, the six of them founded Living Legends. Eligh was rapping with Living Legends and producing their music. By 2000, while working with the group, he also produced and released four solo albums while also forming and soon producing the duo G & E: Grouch & Eligh.

2005 is when Eligh finally took a break from music and confronted his demons - Heroin. After failing several attempts at sobriety on his own, he finally sought professional help. October 12, 2005 is the day Eligh checked himself into a treatment facility and he’s been sober ever since. Prior to 2005, his lyrics were a lot more cryptic and at times very dark. Post 2005 is influenced by his recovery and continued sobriety.

The first time I saw Eligh perform was in San Diego, California. I can’t remember the name of the venue now, I remember the parking lot was the coast, literally the coast, I parked on beach sand. It must have been 2000-01, 02’ish? At the time, he would have been producing his solo career, Living Legends, G&E and a handful of fellow independent artists. I had heard a couple of his CD’s so I knew exactly what Eligh’s voice sounded like but I wasn’t sure what he looked like.

During that show in San Diego, after a couple of MC’s performed, I was still waiting to see Eligh. His flow is top-shelf! You’ll see in just a moment. I had heard some of his CD’s and I know exactly what his voice sounds like, ‘one of a kind’ is putting it mildly. The next MC to perform took the stage and he’s a shorter dude, about my age probably and I would have been in my early 20’s. He looked like a cholo up there or an essay to me with his white dickies pants, white dickies button-up shirt and a brown beanie stained in white paint.

He spoke into the mic and addressed the crowd - I still didn’t recognize his voice. He said something to the effect of “hey thanks a lot for taking time out of your life tonight to see me, I really appreciate it.” He told us how he was supposed to be there an hour earlier but the traffic from Los Angeles delayed his arrival, thus delaying his set time. He said he didn’t have time take a shower or eat, that he had just finished working an overtime shift and came straight to the venue after work. Hence the painted beanie and painters clothes.

He continued: “Hey but sleep or no sleep, showered or not, I’m going to give you 100% right now. I ain’t taking anything back to L.A tonight, everything I got with me stays on this stage.” As soon as he started rapping, I knew exactly who he was, “that’s Eligh.” He delivered 10-fold - I’ve held him on a pedestal ever since.

Sources:
-HipHopDx.com: Eligh speaks on Sobriety, Life and “Grey Crow.”
-Ipfs.io: Eligh History/Discography
-Wikipedia: Eligh
-https://www.elighmusic.com

Oh yes, almost to the video!

Eligh is the humble producer behind Living Legends, G&E, all of his solo records and many independent artists such as Aesop Rock and Freestyle Fellowship. He credits Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous for helping him remain clean. However, the following beat is not created by him. His road DJ did this one - DJ Fresh. Eligh: “DJ Fresh is my tour DJ, my friend and one of the most talented producers I know.” As soon as Eligh heard DJ Fresh’s creation, he responded “I knew it had to be mine.” He called Grouch and together with DJ Fresh, the three of them got together in the studio again.

Ready for this? Here it comes. This song is called Pain On The Break featuring Eligh, The Grouch and DJ Fresh. It’s a single from Eligh’s new album: Last House On The Block - Release date: July 14, 2018. All I have left to say is turn it up - Up as loud as you can possibly handle it and then turn it up a little more. Oh and don’t forget about my air quotes. (“ “) Happy Monday ya’all! The only thing left to do is click that play button - “Play:”