Percy Carey (born June 11, 1970), also known by the stage names MF Grimm, Grimm Reaper, GM Grimm and originally Build and Destroy, is an American

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, CEO, and Eisner Award-nominated

comic book writer A script is a document describing the narrative and dialogue of a comic book in detail. It is the comic book equivalent of a Television, television program teleplay or a film screenplay. In comics, a script may be preceded by a plot outline, and ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Grimm has released five solo albums, five collaborative albums and two compilation albums.

Early life

Percy Carey grew up in the Upper West Side section of Manhattan. His neighbor, Morgan Freeman, helped arrange for him to be cast as a child actor on

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

, he first appeared in Season 7, Episode 0806. He appeared on the show from Age 5 to around Age 9. "One episode, I lost my tooth, and me and Big Bird had to go through Sesame Street and try to find it," Carey remembers. The idea for that episode came about after Carey told

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

about a dream he'd had the night before. During his teenage years Grimm became involved with the hip hop community and decided that he wanted to be an MC at the age of 14. His mother supported this dream and bought him turntables and a microphone. Carey was expelled from Park West High School in

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the ea ...

after beating up a dean over owed drug money.

Career

MF Grimm's career began in the late 1980s where he performed in New York City. He later went on tour with

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

as well. Into the 1990s Grimm continued to perform at freestyle competitions and performed alongside rappers Lord Finesse,

GZA ''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

and Large Professor, amongst others. MF Grimm's most recent releases include a three-part conceptual series of albums with producer Drasar Monumental titled '' Good Morning Vietnam''.

1990s

In the early nineties Carey moved to California, where he formed a DJ/rapper group called the Gravediggaz (not to be confused with the Gravediggaz) and through the mid-nineties worked together with

Roc Raida Anthony Williams (May 17, 1972 – September 19, 2009), better known as Roc Raida or Grandmaster Roc Raida, was an American DJ, turntablist and producer. He was also a member of the DJ group the X-Ecutioners. He joined the X-Men in the late 1 ...

as his DJ. In 1993, Grimm placed third at the World Supremacy Battle, already known as an experienced

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

per. That year, he released his first 12" single, ''So Whatcha Want Nigga?'' (later released on the ''

Scars & Memories ''Scars & Memories'' is a full-length album by Manhattan, New York rapper MF Grimm, released July 19, 2005 (see 2005 in music) via his own Day by Day Entertainment label. While most of the tracks were written during the early 1990s, the origi ...

'' album in 2005) and performed at the Jack The Rapper convention on Execution Night, sharing the stage with

Lady of Rage Robin Yvette Allen (born February 6,1966), known professionally as the Lady of Rage, is an American rapper, singer and actress best known for her collaborations with several other Death Row Records artists, including Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on th ...

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, and

Tha Dogg Pound Tha Dogg Pound is an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success. Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albu ...

, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. He also collaborated with hip-hop legends like

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...

Kurious Jorge Antonio Alvarez (born May 1, 1970), better known by his stage names Kurious or Kurious Jorge, is an American hip hop recording artist from New York City. Biography Kurious is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, and grew up in the Upper ...

and KMD, appearing on albums and singles by them. In 1993, MF Grimm had recorded an album's worth of material that was to serve as his debut album. After being shot and hospitalized, a lot of the material was stolen or lost, as it wasn't expected that he would survive his coma. After he woke up from the coma Grimm was able to retrieve some of the lost records and some of this material went on to be released later as singles, and later formed the 2005 compilation album ''

''. In the mid-late 1990s, MF Grimm went on to release several 12" singles on

Bobbito Robert "Bobbito" Garcia (born September 25, 1966), also known as DJ Cucumber Slice and Kool Bob Love, is an American DJ, author, streetball player, streetball coach, and member of the Rock Steady Crew. He is known as a former co-host of hip hop ...

Fondle 'Em Fondle 'Em Records was a Hip hop music, hip hop record label founded and owned by Bobbito Garcia, Robert "Bobbito" Garcia from 1995 to 2001, based in New York City, New York, New York. Bobbito formed the label after realizing that the many unsig ...

label and started collaborating extensively with label mate

MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

whose debut album '' Operation: Doomsday'' was recorded in Grimm's basement, and for which Grimm served as an executive producer (financing the project and supplying samples for the album). It was during this time that Grimm founded the Day By Day Entertainment label, as well as the hip hop collective

Monsta Island Czars Monsta Island Czars was a New York City hip-hop collective that was formed by MF Grimm and included MF DOOM among numerous other NYC MC's. Due to inactivity and DOOM's death in 2020, the group ceased activity. History The members of the group t ...

with MF Doom.

2000s

MF Grimm's first release of the 2000s was the collaborative '' MF EP'' with MF DOOM on Brick Records. The release included remixes, as well as new material and the instrumental versions to every track. In 2001, MF Grimm recorded his debut album, '' The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera'' while on bail after his prison sentencing. The entire album was recorded during a twenty four-hour period, and featured production and appearances from

Count Bass D Dwight Conroy Farrell (born August 25, 1973), better known by his stage name Count Bass D, is an American rapper, record producer and multi-instrumentalist who resides in Millheim, Pennsylvania. His production style is characterised by layers o ...

and

MF DOOM Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

. The album was released on Grimm's Day By Day Entertainment label, although he did not hear the album until after his release from prison several years later. Around the time of MF Grimm's release, Day By Day Entertainment released a compilation of MF Grimm and MF DOOM material titled '' Best of MF''. This compilation included features both artists had done, as well as several then-unreleased tracks. Some of the tracks would later be re-released under different titles on various projects. In addition to releasing his own material, Grimm has served as an executive producer on various prolific and now-classic albums from the period, including '' Operation: Doomsday'', KMD's '' Black Bastards'' and '' Escape from Monsta Island!'', amongst others. After his release from prison, Grimm completed his second album '' Digital Tears: E-mail from Purgatory'' in 2004 under his

moniker Superstar Jet Jaguar. The album's lyrics as well as drum beats were all created while in prison using a portable drum machine that Grimm managed to hide from the prison guards. Following that release he and MF DOOM collaborated once more for his third album, '' Special Herbs + Spices Volume 1'', also released in 2004. This album featured MF Grimm freestyling over MF DOOM beats taken from his ''

Special Herbs British-American rapper and record producer Daniel Dumile, also known under several stage names, most notably MF DOOM, released six studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, 10 instrumental albums, seven collaborative albums ...

'' instrumental album series. Following this release, MF Grimm released a compilation of material recorded and released prior to ''The Downfall of Ibliys: a ghetto opera''. Underground hit singles, as well as some harder-to-find material, were included and the compilation was released in 2005 as ''

'' In 2006, MF Grimm released a 60-track, triple-CD album, ''

American Hunger ''American Hunger'' is a triple album released on CD. It was released in 2006 by Manhattan, New York rap artist MF Grimm. It is also the first triple album in hip-hop history. It was originally planned for release on July 4, 2004, however mult ...

'', the first ever in hip hop on his Day By Day Entertainment label. The album also featured members of Monsta Island Czars. Each of the three discs was intended as a separate "meal" -- "Breakfast," "Lunch" and "The Last Supper." Included on the album is the track "The Book of Daniel," a scathing diss track recorded in response to MF DOOM's diss against Monsta Island Czars (referring to them as "midgets into crunk"). Grimm's life story was retold in a graphic novel autobiography illustrated by Ronald Wimberly, '' Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm'', which was released by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

imprint in September 2007. Two months later, MF Grimm appeared on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

to relate his life story and future plans. That year MF Grimm also released the concept album '' The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man'', with a mixtape '' The Order of the Baker Mixtape'' released as a prequel. In 2008, Grimm, under his real name Percy Carey, was nominated for two Eisner Awards for Sentences, Best Reality Based Work and Best Lettering. He was also nominated for, and won, two Glyph Awards for Best Cover and Story of the Year. In 2009, Grimm released a short mixtape on the Day By Day Entertainment website entitled '' Story: Substance, Style, Structure and the Principles of Hip Hop'' as a promotional release preceding his work in the new decade.

2010s

In 2010, Grimm released his seventh studio album '' You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel'' which was accompanied by a 13-page comic book based on the album by

Jim Mahfood Jim Mahfood (born March 29, 1975), a.k.a. Food One, is an American comic book creator. Apart from his creator-owned comic book series ''Grrl Scouts'' and his comic strip ''Stupid Comics'' (which appears weekly in the ''Phoenix New Times'') he al ...

. In 2012, he collaborated with underground producer Drasar Monumental and the Vendetta Vinyl label to record a series of releases. The first release by the duo was a mixtape entitled ''

Preemptive Strike A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war ''shortly before'' that attack materializes. It ...

'' followed by '' Good Morning Vietnam''. The duo followed up their success by releasing a full-length sequel '' Good Morning Vietnam 2: The Golden Triangle'' in November 2013. This release further explored the Vietnam concept, and introduced heroin as a theme as well. The duo released the third and final iteration to the series, Good Morning Vietnam 3: The Phoenix Program November 25, 2014. On February 4, 2015, MF Grimm announced the release of a compilation of his love songs for release on February 14, 2015, titled ''MF Love Songs''. The release is slated to include material from across his entire career.

2020s

On March 15, 2021, MF Grimm released ''The Hunt For The Gingerbread Man 2: Get The Dough'' produced by Darko the Super,MF Grimm – The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man 2: Get the Dough
/ref> premiering an animated music video for the track ''Candy Rain (Falling Down)'' directed by NutzenTV.MF Grimm – Candy Rain (Falling Down) animated music video
/ref>

Aliases

MF Grimm has used a number of aliases over the years. He was given the name "Build and Destroy" by King Sun as a teen, but switched to the name "The Grimm Reaper" by the end of the 1980s. "MF Grimm" came about from his time living in California, where he was often told that he had "mad flows." As part of Monsta Island Czars, Grimm has used the names Jet Jaguar and Superstar Jet Jaguar. After his release from prison, Grimm also used the GM Grimm moniker, short for Grandmaster Grimm. Since 2004, Grimm has continued to use the "MF Grimm" moniker, although he sometimes refers to himself as "GM Grimm" or "Jet Jaguar."

Personal life

In 1994, Grimm survived an attempted murder where he was shot seven times by rival drug dealers, following a previous three shots in an earlier murder attempt in 1986. As a result of the 1994 attack, he was deafened, blinded, paralyzed from the waist down, and comatose; doctors predicted that he would have dulled senses and be paralyzed for the rest of his life. MF Grimm's half-brother and manager Jansen Smalls died in the attack. As a result of this attack, all the music labels interested in Grimm's music cut all contact with him. Grimm recovered full vision, hearing, and speech ability, but still uses a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

. Grimm founded label Day By Day Entertainment in the late-1990s. At around the same time, he put together his

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...

-inspired MC collective, the

, which at the time also featured MF Doom. However, to pay for the extensive medical bills from his hospitalization, Grimm turned back to drug dealing. This lifestyle eventually caught up with him again when his organization was taken down by the police. Facing narcotics conspiracy charges, Grimm was sentenced to life imprisonment under the

Rockefeller Drug Laws The Rockefeller Drug Laws are the statutes dealing with the sale and possession of " narcotic" drugs in the New York State Penal Law. The laws are named after Nelson Rockefeller, who was the state's governor at the time the laws were adopted. Ro ...

in 2000. Before his sentence began, Grimm recorded his debut album, '' The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera''. In 2003, his life sentence was reduced and was eventually released.

Relationship with MF DOOM

MF Grimm and

became friends in the early 1990s, bonding over mutual interests in Hip Hop, comics, and mutual friends. Grimm featured on KMD's 1993 single What a Niggy Know (Remix), credited as "The Grimm Reaper." After the death of DOOM's brother

DJ Subroc Dingilizwe Dumile (August 3, 1973 – April 23, 1993), known professionally as DJ Subroc, was an American hip-hop artist and a member of KMD and Constipated Monkeys. Biography Dumile was born on August 3, 1973 at Nassau County Medical Center in ...

and Grimm's paralysis, the two bonded, living together and looking after one another. Although Grimm maintained a presence in Hip Hop, DOOM did not reemerge until the late 1990s. Grimm, in his capacity as executive producer, funded '' Operation: Doomsday'' as well as providing the samples which appeared on the album. Grimm also funded the release of KMD's second album '' Black Bastards'', once again serving as an executive producer. In 2000, DOOM and Grimm released the collaborative '' MF EP'', featuring both artists splitting the record's material, and including the instrumental versions. Upon Grimm's release from prison in 2003, Day By Day Entertainment released a compilation of MF Grimm and MF DOOM material as ''Best of MF''. In 2004, the duo released a collaborative album of Grimm rapping over Doom's ''

'' beats called '' Special Herbs + Spices Volume 1''.

Discography

Solo albums

* 2002: '' The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera'' * 2004: '' Digital Tears: E-Mail From Purgatory'' (as Superstar Jet Jaguar) * 2005: ''

'' * 2006: ''

'' * 2007: '' The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man'' * 2010: '' You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel'' * 2017: ''American Hunger: Rebirth'' * 2019: ''American Hunger Rebirth, Vol. 2: Trials, Tribulations, Humiliation and Elevation'' * 2021: ''The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man 2: Get the Dough''

Compilation albums

* 2003: '' Best of MF'' (with

) * 2015: ''MF Love Songs''

Collaboration albums

* 2000: '' MF EP'' (with MF DOOM) * 2004: '' Special Herbs + Spices Volume 1'' (with MF DOOM) * 2012: '' Good Morning Vietnam'' (with Drasar Monumental) * 2013: '' Good Morning Vietnam 2: The Golden Triangle'' (with Drasar Monumental) * 2014: '' Good Morning Vietnam 3: The Phoenix Program'' (with Drasar Monumental)

References

External links

Official MF Grimm Facebook pageOfficial Day By Day Entertainment Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimm, Mf 1970 births Living people African-American male rappers African-American comics creators American comics creators American male child actors American comics writers American shooting survivors Underground rappers East Coast hip hop musicians Rappers from Manhattan People with paraplegia 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people