Mark Thomas Griffin (born 1957), better known as MC 900 Ft. Jesus, is an American rapper based in Dallas, Texas. A

classically trained Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" can a ...

musician, Griffin is known for blending

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Early life and education

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

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-yea ...

as well as an

advanced degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

in music from

North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

. 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, VVV Records, Griffin was inspired to begin a solo career. ''

Hell with the Lid Off ''Hell With the Lid Off'', released in 1990 (see 1990 in music), is the first album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus collaborating with DJ Zero (see MC 900 Ft. Jesus § Career). ''Hell With the Lid Off'' was released on Nettwerk Records. It has a heave ...

'' (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. It featured 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 act 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, waterc ...

. The song sparked controversy in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

when a then

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

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'', 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 Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (), is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze ...

, as well as exposure on MTV's ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

'' 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, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...

, in which the

televangelist Televangelism (from ''televangelist'', a blend of ''television'' and ''evangelist'') and occasionally termed radio evangelism or teleministry, denotes the utilization of media platforms, notably radio and television, for the marketing of relig ...

claimed that he had received a vision of a

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, 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 t ...

) on the campus of

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a Private university, private Evangelicalism, evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian preacher Oral ...

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, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

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 an independent record label founded in 1984. The Vancouver-based company was created by principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Ca ...

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

*''

'' (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 *'' One Step Ahead of the Spider'' (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:MC 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