GREG GREASE
City Pages, Best Album: Down So Long by Greg Grease
An integral member of the funk collective Astralblak (formerly named ZuluZuluu), Greg Grease stepped out on his own last September with his brilliant solo record, Down So Long. It’s a heady blend of smoothed-out soul, funky jams, and smoky R&B, with guest contributions from Psymun, Jayanthi Kyle, Mike Mictlan, DJ Just Nine, and Javier Santiago, as well as Astralblak’s Proper-T, Trelly Mo, and Art Parté. Throughout, Greg’s astute, socially conscious raps offer a penetrating study of the burdens and blessings of urban life, whether he’s questioning the drive for material wealth, blasting unchecked police brutality, or celebrating the strength and inspiration that can be drawn from family and friends.- City Pages, 2018
Greg Grease -Down So Long (Sound Verite Records)
Funk, hip-hop and space travel collide in this ode to finding true love in a hopeless world and leaving the suckers behind. Greg Grease has earned the reputation as one of the most consistent and thoughtful MCs in a Twin Cities market overflowing with rap talent, and his new work seems to simultaneously stretch back in time to invoke the production of Minneapolis Sound pioneers like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis while reaching ever forward to explore what's coming next. Greg's new album, Down So Long, weaves together collaborators from his funk/soul/rap/jazz collective ZULUZULUU and other stars of the Minneapolis scene (the producer Psymun, Doomtree's Mike Mictlan) to create an entrancing, shape-shifting and alluring tapestry of sound.
—Andrea Swensson, Minnesota Public Radio's The Current