Claire Boucher seems to be flirting with the idea of becoming a "Hip-Hop producer," as of late. The Montreal-based Experimental artist who's alternatively known as "Grimes" is currently on a promotional jaunt for her third full-length and major label debut, Visions. It was liberated across North America just yesterday [Feb. 21st], self-recorded @ Claire Boucher's apartment over a 3 week period, and then skillfully mixed/mastered along with her manager, Sebastian Cowan. Following a minor water-borne run in with the law (2009), Boucher's "street cred" was slightly boosted.

Grimes' initial exploration into the world of Hip-Hop was released in conjunction with Visions: Cadence Weapon - "88." The 2 Canadian-bred artists struck up an Internet-based friendship a few months back and Claire Boucher willingly handed over a bare-bones beat version of "Eight." Cadence Weapon then morphed it into a tender ode to Hip-Hop (1988), which was unveiled as a "gift" to loyal fans on his own 26th birthday. Weapon noted that while Grimes essentially let him have his way with "Eight," she did however produce a remix of his upcoming lead single. Cadence Weapon's currently untitled 2012 effort will reportedly be precursed by a track/music video/mix each week leading up to it's eventual release.

Grimes additionally orchestrated yet another Hip-Hop-tinged jam, "Christmas Song" (Bonus Track), which features bars from her rapping stepbrother, Jay Worthy. Grimes initiated a 12-18 hour-long hostile takeover of Gorilla vs. Bear; Head on over to Indie Rock's finest blog to view Claire Boucher's record 16 post run... complete with unique audio, video, .gif content from a wide variety of underground artists. Grimes' new album, Visions is now available in a number of formats through label, 4AD (Arbutus). Being a die-hard fan of both Indie Rock and Hip-Hop, I personally hope that Claire Boucher continues her unique journey into the vast genre of Hip-Hop!