grandson Is Starting a Revolution This Election Season
Though humankind has yet to master time travel, grandson's forewarning nature has me thinking twice. Through his music, the young Canadian artist, born Jordan Edward Benjamin, warns us of the future price of society's modern-day corruption. But instead of idly watching these human vices take their course, grandson is using his music to mobilize. And we are ready to be moved.
grandson's sound is the powerful and poignant combination of a bluesy, distorted electric guitar with a Muse-like drive, a gritty vocal timbre, heavy bass drops that can only be described as righteously angry, and subtle elements of hip-hop, namely old Kanye, sewn in throughout.
He does not hold back in his lyrics, as he candidly dives into subjects like politics, happiness, society, war, violence, corruption and greed. His RIAA gold-certified single, "Blood // Water" is emblematic of the lyrical integrity and the heart he consistently displays throughout his discography. Lyrics like "The price of your greed / Is your son and your daughter / What you gon' do / When there's blood in the water," serve as an alarming wake-up call.
We see the same heart in his latest single, "Peaches (Text Voter XX to 40649)," an acoustic song with K. Flay and the first release of his XXwhy campaign, in which grandson will be releasing monthly acoustic collaborations up until the 2020 Presidential Election. As you may have noticed, the suffix of every song title in the campaign will end in "Text Voter XX to 40649," encouraging listeners to vote. Upon texting the number, listeners receive details on how to vote in their respective areas and are automatically entered to win a signed Epiphone guitar by grandson and the other featured artist in that month’s track.
Each release will also be accompanied by an episode of the supporting XXwhy podcast, in which grandson dives into open discussions with his collaborators and fellow creators. His "intention here is to have...relaxed, casual conversations around the who, the what, the when and, most importantly, the why with people that [he] admire[s]." Each episode will also feature a live acoustic performance, as was heard in the podcast's first episode, which premiered March 1.
grandson also founded XX Resistance, a movement that serves to "empower the youth and connect passionate people with ways to get involved" in the causes they care about. Beyond partnerships with different brands and charities, part of grandson's merch proceeds also go directly to the XX Resistance fund.
Through his music, grandson does more than just bless our ears and satisfy our rage against the machine (pun intended). By getting involved, as we all should, he reminds us that the coming generations will be our collective kids and grandkids, both literally and metaphorically. If we want this world to be a good place for them, we cannot be passive in our pursuit of whatever we deem is right.
According to science and facts, we cannot yet freely travel time. But grandson has me convinced his message is more than a cautionary tale. And I think we should be all ears.
