Anthony Ian Berkeley (November 15, 1964 – July 15, 2001) better known as Too Poetic, was an American rapper and producer. He was also a founding member of the hip-hop group

Gravediggaz Gravediggaz was an American hip hop group from New York, known for its dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes. Gravediggaz blended hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap and heavy metal with horror elements to pioneer the hip-hop subg ...

, for which he used the alias Grym Reaper. He also used the alias Tony Titanium.

Early life

The eldest son of a minister John Berkley and Wife Ela Berkeley. With three other siblings Dawne, Edward, and Richard. Poetic was born in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

and raised in the town of

Wyandanch Wyandanch (, ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,990 at the 2020 census. In the past, some or all of Wyandanch was proposed to become part of the never-realiz ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. After forming his first hip-hop group, Brothers Grym, with younger siblings Brainstorm and E Sharp in 1989, Sharp handled some of the production duties, while Poetic and Brainstorm provided vocals. The group created a buzz for itself in the underground with its first official demo, which included notable cuts such as "Circle-Circle-Dot-Dot" and "GRYMnastics." Just when the group was close to landing a record deal, Brainstorm surprisingly decided to quit hip hop altogether and forced Too Poetic to pursue a solo career and released a solo

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

, ''Poetical Terror/God Made Me Funky'', in 1989 on

Tommy Boy ''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy adventure comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and David ...

/ Warner Bros. Records. However, his deal with Tommy Boy fell through before the release of his first album, and Too Poetic fell on hard times, which included a period of

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

Gravediggaz

Poetic then joined

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

's leader RZA, former

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternati ...

Stetsasonic Stetsasonic is an American hip hop band. Formed in 1981 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Stetsasonic was one of the first hip hop acts to perform with a full band and use live instrumentation in their recordings, paving the way for future ...

producer Prince Paul, and Frukwan from Stetsasonic in the hip-hop supergroup

. Concerning the origins of the supergroup, he said: Each member adopted a Gravedigga alias, and Poetic became known as the Grym Reaper (with ''Grym'', an acronym for Ghetto-Repaired Young Mind, also referring back to his first group). It was stated this stylistic change was adapted from his brief period of homelessness as his former DJ, Freddie "DJ Kaos" Cox, said in an interview "He went homeless and that took a toll on him. He hit rock bottom and that opens your eyes to go deep, and that's when he got dark. I guess it makes you strong to want it that bad. Tommy Boy jerked a lot of people." Wyandanch Week, Pt. 5: The Too Poetic Story + lost album This proved to be an impressive change, as his offbeat rhyming style quickly gained attention as the group's first album, 1994's ''

6 Feet Deep ''6 Feet Deep'' (also titled ''Niggamortis'' in some regions) is the debut album of the American hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz. Formed by former Tommy Boy Records artists Prince Paul, RZA, Frukwan and Poetic, the group utilized horror-them ...

'' (also known by its original title ''Niggamortis'' outside the US), garnered positive reviews and strong sales alike. After the group's second album, '' The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel'' was released in 1997, The RZA and Prince Paul decided to leave Gravediggaz, leaving Frukwan and Poetic as the only remaining members. During this time, Anthony's rhyming style had matured more. He later showcased this new style in the 1998 single "Savior," which was produced by British-born producer Baby J, The song was more different than most of his Gravediggaz related material as he rhymed about how much he detested mainstream hip-hop music in general. In April 1999, Anthony collapsed in his home studio with stomach pains and was subsequently diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowe ...

. During this period, he collaborated with

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional ...

's Maxim Reality and Last Emperor under the name of Tony Titanium. He created work under his original name as well as continuing work on the third Gravediggaz album. The subsequent release, '' Nightmare in A-Minor'', was the group's darkest work yet. It made references to Poetic's cancer on the track "Burn, Baby, Burn" and on the Last Emperor's track "One Life". In 2010, an interview was done with Poetic's former DJ Freddie "Kaos" Cox, in which the DJ discusses the early career of the rapper, and an unreleased album of Poetic's music prior to joining the gravediggaz entitled ''Drop Signal'' (which was supposed to be his debut album on Tommy Boy, before the deal with the group fell through) has surfaced on the Internet, which includes 14 tracks.

Death

Poetic died of

on July 15, 2001, 1:45 pm EST at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, five weeks before ''Nightmare in A-Minor's'' scheduled release. He had survived almost two and a half years beyond the doctors' initial 3-month prognosis. Tributes came quickly from across the hip-hop world, both from fellow musicians such as

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped creat ...

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

, who wrote an article in tribute to him on his Welcome To The Terrordome commentary section on the group's website, and from critics, who widely wrote of their regret at the loss of his talent. An intimate memorial service for him was held at the

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornin ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

on August 4, 2001, attended by his family and close friends, including bandmates Frukwan and Prince Paul. ''Nightmare in A-Minor'' was initially released by Echo Distribution on August 23, 2001. It was re-released without the track "Better Wake Up" on Empire Musicwerks/ BMG in 2002 to critical plaudits. According to Frukwan, a new album may be released using leftover material from Poetic.

Discography

Singles

* "Poetical Terror / God Made Me Funky" 1989

Albums

* ''Droppin' Signal'' (1989, unreleased)

With Gravediggaz

* ''

'' (1994, Gee Street/Island/PolyGram Records) * '' The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel'' (1997, Gee Street/V2/BMG Records) * '' Nightmare in A-Minor'' (2002, Empire Musicwerks/BMG Records)

Appearances

''Vocals only unless otherwise noted.'' * 1998: "Savior" (from Baby J's album ''Baby J Presents The Birth'') * 2000: "Worldwide Syndicate" (from the Maxim Reality album '' Hell's Kitchen'') * 2001: ''Better Days'' (album by Liquid Ltd. (of Bran Van 3000); vocals and production) * 2001: ''Nightmare In A-Minor'' (album by Gravediggaz; vocals and production) * 2001: "We Run Shit (with Frukwan)" (from the DJ Honda album ''hIII'') * 2003: "One Life" (from

The Last Emperor ''The Last Emperor'' ( it, L'ultimo imperatore) is a 1987 epic biographical drama film about the life of Puyi, the final Emperor of China. It is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Peploe, which was adapted ...

album '' Music, Magic, Myth'') * 2003: "Ghetto Apostles" (from the Shabazz the Disciple album '' The Book of Shabazz (Hidden Scrollz)'')

References

External links

Press release from publicist on Poetic's death

Interview with Poetic dealing with his illness

Article on Poetic's death including Lisa "Chase" Patterson's memorial speech

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Anthony Ian 1964 births 2001 deaths Rappers from New York (state) African-American rappers Tommy Boy Records artists American hip hop record producers Five percenters American rappers of Trinidad and Tobago descent Deaths from colorectal cancer Deaths from cancer in California Gravediggaz members