Recording in Sweden inspired Seattle rapper Grieves to do what was right for him on “Running Wild”

After spending time in Sweden, rapper Grieves (aka Benjamin Laub) came back to his home base of Seattle with a few, uh, non-essential phrases.

“Jag kan inte känna mitt ansikte” means “I can’t feel my face,” and “öl” is beer.

He also returned saying “Nice!” a lot more.

“Because they’re like ‘Oh, this track is nice, man. This beer is nice, man,’ ” he said. “So I came back and I was like ‘Oh, dude, this quinoa is nice, man.’”

He also came back with his fifth studio album,“Running Wild,” which he recorded in Stockholm with producer Chords.

“Running Wild” brings Grieves to the Bartlett for two shows, Friday and Saturday.

Grieves was connected with Chords (aka Jens Eric Resch Thomason) a few years ago when the two both lived in New York.

At the time, Grieves was working with Seattle producer/multi-instrumentalist Budo (Macklemore, Sol, Onry Ozzborn) and soon realized Chords had the same ability to incorporate musicality into hip-hop production.

Several years after that meeting, the pair teamed up in Stockholm to work on “Running Wild.”

Grieves chose to record in Sweden rather than Seattle because, as much as he loves and is inspired by the city, it’s ultimately a distraction because it contains all the things he loves.

In Sweden, where he didn’t know the language and was practically unreachable with no international phone plan, Grieves was able to focus on the music.

In doing so, Grieves learned about himself and his wants as an artist. Grieves said he normally catered to what people wanted from him because, as an artist, a small part of him was afraid of rejection, and he didn’t want to disappoint the people who make a living off of what he does.

But he eventually realized that he had to do what was right for him.

“I don’t want to let people down but at the same time, I want to be able to look back at this music and see a dynamic range to it all, not just the same problems over and over and over,” he said. “And I don’t need any more problems, Lord knows, so I need to start taking the things that inspire me and all this energy and emotion in my head and heart and put that on record however I want instead of how people want me to do it.”

Part of getting that energy and emotion on record involved infusing songs on the album, especially “What It Dew,” with his sense of humor.

Having seen Grieves live twice, I began telling him that the humor on “Running Wild” reminded me of his off-the-wall stage banter, but before I can complete the sentence, he interrupts.

“Thank you!” he said. “That’s the whole point. That is exactly the point.”

Because he often writes “super dark, woe-is-me records,” it’s difficult for Grieves to bring that humorous energy to his music.

“Running Wild” isn’t without its darker songs, including lead single “RX” and second single “Gutz,” but Grieves has found opportunities, both lyrical and musical, to add playfulness to the music he uses to cope.

“I have problems just like all of y’all, the only thing is instead of if you are into hardcore basket weaving when you get dumped, I go to the studio and write some lonely hearted love songs and I make money from it …,” he said. “I’m definitely lucky that that became my living but that’s not who I am. I’m not this intense, emotional, complicated person. I’m a weird, goofy, corny dude… I love music and I want to make music and I want other kinds of music. I don’t want to be stuck to brooding piano beats or sad guitar solos… Let be me inspired by the world around me instead of putting me in a box.”

With so much to take inspiration from, Grieves said he’s overflowing with creativity and that his biggest problem is, with a cross-country tour on his plate, he has no time to get back into the studio.

Since recording “Running Wild” though, Grieves has produced an album for a Seattle act and remixed songs by Rhymesayers Entertainment labelmates Atmosphere, though he said it’s unlikely either project will see the light of day.

Even still, these projects, and Chords’ influence, has inspired Grieves to let go and create.

“I don’t have to sit around and wait till some crisis happens, just make music,” he said. “No one has to hear it either. It does not matter. Make music, have fun. Making music is fun.”