Mark Thomas Griffin (born 1957), better known as MC 900 Ft. Jesus, is an American rapper based in Dallas, Texas. A classically-trained musician, Griffin is known for blending hip hop with socially conscious lyrics and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Early life and education

Griffin's father was an army officer, and his family moved frequently before eventually settling in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

in 1979. Griffin studied the trumpet and has a BA in Music from

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ea ...

as well as an

advanced degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

in music from

North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

. Before becoming MC 900 Ft. Jesus, Griffin played in local Dallas bands

The Telefones The Telefones are a musical group based in Dallas, Texas. A regular act at the notable punk venue the Hot Klub in the 1980s, they are generally considered a pioneer Texas punk band, but have also been called “Dallas' first—and best—new wave ...

and Lithium X-Mas.

Career

Early career

In 1980, Griffin joined local new-wave band,

, replacing the original trumpeter Will Clay. Following his postgraduate studies, Griffin worked as a trumpeter backing jazz players and artists including Engelbert Humperdinck.

MC 900 ft Jesus

Unimpressed by the music he heard while working at an indie record store, Griffin was inspired to begin a solo career. '' Hell with the Lid Off'' (1990) was Griffin's first album release for MC 900 Ft. Jesus, as well as the first time Griffin had appeared on a major record label. Featuring DJ Zero (Patrick Rollins) and the single "Truth Is Out of Style" which gained a cult following. The following year ''Welcome to My Dream'' (1991) was released. DJ Zero appears on ''Welcome to My Dream'' under his real name, Patrick Rollins, because of uncertainty about whether he would be able to tour in support of the album. His subsequent single, "The City Sleeps", was featured in the album which explored the mind of a serial

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

. The song sparked controversy in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

when a then

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

affiliate, WJZ, ran a report suggesting that a series of arsons in the area was a result of WHFS's airing the song. His most recent album, ''

One Step Ahead of the Spider ''One Step Ahead of the Spider'' is the third album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus, released in 1994. According to some advance CD copies, the album was originally titled ''Loony Tunes''. The album includes "If I Only Had a Brain", for which a music video wa ...

'', was released in 1994; it contained the single "If I Only Had a Brain", which became his best-known song. The song gained increased exposure from the music video directed for it by

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

, as well as exposure on MTV's ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

'' cartoon show. Rollins once again appears but is not listed in the credits.

Name

Griffin's stage name came from a sermon by

Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, ordained in both the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal Holin ...

, in which the

televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...

claimed that he had received a vision of a

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, who commanded him to build a hospital (

CityPlex Towers CityPlex Towers is a complex of three high-rise office towers located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The complex was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to b ...

) on the campus of

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...

Initial retirement

Griffin eventually became disillusioned with the music industry, and sessions for his fourth album were unproductive. Record label interest waned and eventually in 2001, Griffin officially retired. He obtained his commercial pilot's license, hoping to become a flight instructor. However, when the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

occurred, demand for flight instructors plummeted and Griffin was unable to find a job. Eventually, he found employment at a

Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

bookstore. In 2007, he began DJing weekly at a Dallas music venue, Lee Harvey's, located in the Cedars neighborhood next to downtown.

Coming out of retirement

On November 26, 2016, Griffin announced via Facebook that he was set to perform a show at The Kessler Theater in Dallas with a quartet including Chris McGuire, Greg Beck, and Wanz Dover in hopes of kick-starting a tour as well as a possible fourth album about which his former label

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

had approached Griffin. On February 3, 2017, the quartet played a sold-out concert performing several of the MC 900 Ft. Jesus songs, receiving an enthusiastic ovation.

Discography

Albums

*'' Hell with the Lid Off'' (1990) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero *''

Welcome to My Dream ''Welcome to My Dream'' is the second album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus. It was released in 1991 via Nettwerk. The track "Falling Elevators" was featured in the 1996 Levi's commercial "Washroom," directed by Tarsem Singh. The song "Killer Inside Me" is ...

'' (1991) MC 900 Ft. Jesus *''

'' (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus

Singles

*"Too Bad" / "Shut Up" (1988) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero *"I'm Going Straight To Heaven" (1989) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero *"Truth Is Out of Style" (1989) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero *"UFO's Are Real" (1990) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero *"Killer Inside Me" (1991) MC 900 Ft. Jesus *"The City Sleeps" (1991) MC 900 Ft. Jesus *"If I Only Had A Brain" (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus - #25 ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks *"But If You Go" (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus *"Falling Elevators" (1996) MC 900 Ft. Jesus

References

External links

Oct 2001 Interview by Jeff AshleyThe Official MC 900ft Jesus Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:900 Ft. Jesus American male rappers American hip hop DJs Living people Rappers from Dallas 1957 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians Morehead State University alumni University of North Texas College of Music alumni