Written by S.O.B.’s Intern Marissa Duldulao

Article courtesy of 1202 Magazine

Griselda Records has emerged as one of the most influential hip-hop labels of today. Founded in 2012 by Buffalo-based rapper Westside Gunn, the label is known for signing artists who evoke the sounds of ’90s rap groups like Wu-Tang Clan, Gravediggaz, and Mobb Deep. In 2021, Gunn signed London-born and Queens-bred MC Rome Streetz, who also appeared on the Hitler Wears Hermes 8 project that year. Rome released his debut album with Griselda, KISS THE RING, in 2022, showcasing his gritty rhymes and intricate wordplay. Behind one of the tracks, “Tyson Beckford,” he collaborated with in-house Griselda producer Daringer, whose hard-edged hip-hop instrumentation has been pivotal in shaping the Griselda sound over the years.

Rome and Daringer have been collaborating over the past year on their next album, Hatton Garden Holdup, which is set to release on October 4. We had the chance to sit down with Rome and Daringer before their album release party at the legendary S.O.B.’s music venue in lower Manhattan. We discussed the upcoming album, their advice for the next generation of hip hop, and the lessons hip hop taught them while growing up in New York.

How are you both feeling today, and how does it feel to be back at S.O.B.’s for your upcoming album?

Rome: It’s actually an amazing feeling, and yes, I have been here before, but this is the first headlining show I’ve done here. So, at the end of the day, I’m honored.

Daringer: Yeah, legendary. I’ve been here before for other shows, but as far as headlining for Rome here, headlining for an album that we just shuffled up for the last year, it’s pretty dope.

I know you, Daringer, have been a staple of the Griselda sound over the years, but Rome, how do you think his style influenced your creative processes for this album?

Rome: Daringer is really like the architect of this whole Griselda sound. He was the one that really just popped it all off. I just let him do him. Everything he shoots is a swish. I’m gonna just let him cook up how he cooks up like he normally do. And I just came through and did what I had to do. So it was just like hand in hand. We literally made this shit from the ground up. There was no email or nothing. I was there for every single beat that he had made, and I wrote every single song right there. This is actually the first album where I wrote every single song on the spot in the studio.

Daringer: And a lot of the beats were actually made that day, or a lot of it on the spot as well. So we didn’t really have to be prepared each week for this album. All game for sure.

What aspects do you guys like to focus on when it comes to storytelling, especially with the production you heavily focused on for this project?

Rome: Just certain feels, you know.

Daringer: Like the grimier, the better for this one, for sure.

Rome: Honestly, this is probably one of the only albums where I didn’t like to make a story song, but I just wanted it to be really fucking grimy. The fans are really missing the Griselda albums where Daringer is making all the beats. They ain’t really got no shit like that since 2018 or some shit, so this is like the return of the real. I’m not saying other shit ain’t been real, but this is just some street version of that original, classic form Griselda shit.

You guys both grew up in New York. What did New York teach you guys in terms of coming up in hip-hop?

Rome: This is the birthplace, so I have to carry on the tradition. There are so many great artists who came before me who made a name for themselves in this city and took it around the world. I just want to make my own place in history. If there was a long ass list of lit rappers from New York, like how you would name a Raekwon, Method Man, or Max B., I just want to make sure that my name is on that list. And then, being from New York, some people are from places or states where no rapper ever came from. So, it might be harder to get your foot in the door, or there might not actually be any inspiration. Damn near all of the Hall of Fame rappers came from here.

Daringer: From just being here now, as opposed to being back in Buffalo, just the culture and access to certain music, all the culture is here. It’s definitely a little more limited back upstate. Not to say there’s no culture there, but it’s much more limited. So, just everything that we have access to out here, I feel like it helps to create a certain thing for sure.

With both of you being part of Griselda and working with Gunn, what are some things you’ve taken from him and applied to your careers?

Rome: Don’t think about it too much. Don’t think about it too much. West doesn’t overthink anything. If you think about it and it feels right, go with it.

Daringer: I’d have to agree with that, too. As soon as he hears something that’s good, he doesn’t second guess it. He doesn’t question it. He just creates and puts that shit out at the end of the day. He doesn’t sit on shit very long at all. West is the GOAT with that shit, for sure.

For any producers or hip-hop artists coming up now, what is a piece of advice you would give them in terms of navigating the music landscape now?

Rome: The longer you wait for somebody to come and give you an opportunity, the longer it’s going to take for you to get an opportunity. Sometimes you gotta go and create them shits. When somebody’s like, ‘I want to get signed.’ You don’t need to get signed. You can literally sign yourself. You can get lit, make your own label, sign yourself as an artist to the label, and fucking work your magic. Use your social media. Use everything to get where you need to go. You don’t actually need to hook up to the machine. It’s literally what you’re making. If it feels right, just go with that shit. But when it comes to creating, do what you believe in. Make sure it’s from your own heart. A lot of people nowadays just want to make music because they see people getting lit off making music. It’s not really in their heart. Or it’s like, you know what, I got 800,000 followers, let me rap now. Nah, do it because you love this shit, not because you just want to get a check.

Daringer: Yeah, I don’t know if there’s much more I could add to that.

Last question: After finishing this album, how do you feel it represents your guys’ creative journey and artist growth or producer growth?

Rome: I feel like this shit is gonna be a big thing for me and Daringer because I got some lit features with people who I’ve never done songs with. This is just Rome Streetz in classic Griselda mode. They love KISS THE RING, they’re gonna love this shit just like that. But this is a whole different animal. Because there’s only one Daringer track in KISS THE RING. Now you’re getting 14 of them shits. There are waves on this album that I probably have never even heard Daringer go in before, so that’s a cool thing, too.

Daringer: It’s just the growth of me as an artist now, rather than me just being a behind-the-scenes producer for all these years. This is really an opportunity for me as an artist to do the work and be seen and just go in more on a whole project rather than just beats and raps. I feel like we spent some extra time putting this together to make it special.