Money Grip was a four-piece from Elizabeth, NJ that's so obscure I had never heard of them (that I can recall) until about a year ago, and since that time I've only managed to track down two songs and one photo from a nondescript old MySpace profile.
Details are slim, but I'm guessing the group formed in the early-'90s, as they apparently predated E.Town Concrete and were coming up around the same time as NJ Bloodline, with whose members Money Grip was involved in the founding of E.T.A.C. (Elizabeth Town Assault Crew, as mentioned in E.Town's tracks "Hindsight" and "End of the Rainbow"). Money Grip vocalist Will Knox had also been a member of the short-lived Hard Knox—a band that never recorded, and also included Rey Fonseca—later of Elements DEC, Agents of Man, Truth & Rights, etc.
The sole Money Grip release appears to have been an eight-song demo (year unknown):
- Close My Eyes
- We Will Win the War
- What Happened
- E.T.A.C.
- Act of Acceptance
- I Fear
- You Won't Get Me
- In Crowd
There were allegedly plans for a CD release as well (perhaps confirmed by the non-demo tune below), but it never happened.
As you'll hear above, stylistically Money Grip was at times comparable to E.Town without the hip-hop angle, and should definitely appeal to fans of demo-era material from other notable New Jersey acts such as the aforementioned NJ Bloodline, One 4 One, Second to None, etc. Believe it or not, Money Grip boasted slightly more of a traditional hardcore edge, however, and had more to offer lyrically, too (at least in these two tracks). They were hard, but not beatdown hard or anything. Still—they possessed a certain badass flair, for sure.
As is always the case, if anyone reading this has more information on Money Grip, or—fingers crossed—any of their other recordings, please get in touch!
