Both Carolyn Rodriguez and Kap G are well-aware of their hustle. This could have come from external forces -- Rodriguez’ country-spanning, drug dealing past for starters -- or internal ones -- Kap G’s bilingual hip-hop gymnastics starting in mixtapes and ending as an Atlantic Records signee. No matter which source carried these two buzzworthy rappers their ambition, it seems that “On the Grind” is the best way to explain their different, but parallel meteoric rises.
This Javie Lopez-produced track pits the two vocalists against an invisible sea of naysayers, who according to Kap G “don’t wanna see us ball, they just wanna see us fall.” Sometimes the best defense against this flood of negativity is to barrel through -- that’s “the grind.” That work ethic comes through with such visceral energy: a guitar line rips with such whining intensity that Carlos Santana would blush. It also links the closely-related concepts of speed and power. Kap G references the late Fast and Furious star Paul Walker and revs the track’s engine just in time for Carolyn Rodriguez’ entrance.
Carolyn Rodriguez also rallies against her detractors with pride, delivering a mantra rather than a truth: “The more ya shine, the more they hate ya.” This shine, whether from external help -- Kap G’s previously-boasted “grind” -- or internal willpower, charges Rodriguez’ measured delivery with extra pizzazz. After, Rodriguez confesses that there’s “a fire burnin’” in her, a blaze that she knows exists, and one that she embraces alongside her equally motivated counterpart.
Whether this “grind” is best described as a fast, furious or fiery force is unclear. What remains is the heights this self-motivation can take these two talents towards, regardless of whatever gets thrown their way.
Song Info:
Produced by: Javie Lopez
Co-Produced by: Edward “E-Dub” Rios
Written by: Jose Javier Lopez, George Ramirez, Edward Rios, Carolyn Rodriguez
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Edward “E-Dub” Rios at BeatBox Pros Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA
This Javie Lopez-produced track pits the two vocalists against an invisible sea of naysayers, who according to Kap G “don’t wanna see us ball, they just wanna see us fall.” Sometimes the best defense against this flood of negativity is to barrel through -- that’s “the grind.” That work ethic comes through with such visceral energy: a guitar line rips with such whining intensity that Carlos Santana would blush. It also links the closely-related concepts of speed and power. Kap G references the late Fast and Furious star Paul Walker and revs the track’s engine just in time for Carolyn Rodriguez’ entrance.
Carolyn Rodriguez also rallies against her detractors with pride, delivering a mantra rather than a truth: “The more ya shine, the more they hate ya.” This shine, whether from external help -- Kap G’s previously-boasted “grind” -- or internal willpower, charges Rodriguez’ measured delivery with extra pizzazz. After, Rodriguez confesses that there’s “a fire burnin’” in her, a blaze that she knows exists, and one that she embraces alongside her equally motivated counterpart.
Whether this “grind” is best described as a fast, furious or fiery force is unclear. What remains is the heights this self-motivation can take these two talents towards, regardless of whatever gets thrown their way.
Song Info:
Produced by: Javie Lopez
Co-Produced by: Edward “E-Dub” Rios
Written by: Jose Javier Lopez, George Ramirez, Edward Rios, Carolyn Rodriguez
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Edward “E-Dub” Rios at BeatBox Pros Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA