Tea Bag da Herbalist
By Julia Reidy
Photo by Dean Hesse

I love it because hip-hop is alive here," says Atlanta's Terry Gordon, better known as GreaseKydz MC Tea Bag da Herbalist. "It's hiding, but it's alive, and you don't see it when you turn on the mainstream radio stations, but it's here." He indicates his immediate surroundings. "As a matter of fact, in this area alone, Little Five Points, there's a lot of hip-hop."
Hip-hop hides all over the city in more incarnations than an outsider would expect. The challenge for an artist like Gordon is usually just finding the segment of the scene where he can make his mark.
But Gordon surmounted this challenge by ignoring it. With a style that transcends and traverses hip-hop's pigeonholes, the Atlantan (by way of Washington, D.C. and Columbus, Ga.) made a name for himself as part of MC group GreaseKydz during the last decade and recently released his solo debut, Documenterry From The Mind of Terry, this past September on Igloo Recordings, the record label he and his GreaseKydz counterparts founded. He plans to re-release it March 30, once he obtains a distribution deal.
Gordon can't be described as performing any certain type of hip-hop - he performs several. Taking elements from crunk and club hip-hop while still focusing acutely on lyricism and wit, his album explores subject matter from the club scene but also discusses the way he sees much of the record industry ("shady") and his love for his eight-year-old daughter.
"I love her very much, and that's the reason why I do all of this," Gordon says. "I did it before her, but I'm doing it better now that she's here. That's what the album's actually about."
Using vivid descriptions often of a geometric or biological nature, he makes his feelings known. On the incisive track "Chilly Most," Gordon attacks artists he considers manufactured or talentless, telling them, "Your nucleus is like a pastry with cream stuff in the center."
"When I was younger, my older brothers would make me read encyclopedias and dictionaries and thesauruses all the time, and certain words are just stuck in my head, definitions of them," he explains. With this solo effort, Gordon has the freedom to cater his material directly to his own life.
"When you're doing a solo project, it's more yourself," he says. "I can talk about my daughter, I get to talk about my ex-wife, a bunch of personal stuff I normally wouldn't put on a GreaseKydz album."
From modest beginnings as a founding member of the group The Brothers Cubed ("like to the third power," Gordon laughs), the Herbalist and his three GreaseKydz cohorts (along with a rotating past cast of members) have risen through the hip-hop ranks. Now the four (Gordon with Printon "Phobro da Ab" Peterson, Eric "Expo" Johnson and Alvin "Shawty Plx" Davis), are using their label to be involved in Atlanta hip-hop on several levels. Gordon is the A&R rep for Igloo, and their label has amassed a growing group of artists and collaborators. Each member has worked on solo projects, and produces the projects of others.
Once freestyle champion at D.R.E.S. Tha Beatnik's weekly Mic Club at the Apache Café, Gordon no longer sees the need to participate in battles and open mics. He addresses this issue specifically on the track "This Is A Stick Up," refuting assumptions that this means he's become irrelevant. He dedicates himself instead to the rise of young artists in which he sees potential. Decatur, Ga. rapper KP, an artist Gordon produces, is freestyle champion now.
"I participate in all of it," he says of the multitude of opportunities in the Atlanta scene. "Especially Mic Club. I was there when it was three people coming in. I was one of the three people."
Gordon channels his leftover energy into Industry Rules, a networking event he periodically throws at the Black Lion Café. He invites industry figures to see artists showcase, giving them four minutes and 30 seconds to make an impression. He also hosts an open mic every Sunday called the Sunday Artist Session. When confronted with the challenge of pushing music that doesn't quite fit in, Gordon advocates perseverance. "It's all about how you promote and your work ethics," he says. "If people like the way you work, they're going to support you. If you support your music and your venue well, people are going to come. I think there's enough money out there for everybody. They print it up every day."

www.myspace.com/teabagdaherbalist