Percy Carey (born June 11, 1970), also known by the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

s 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 * Buenos Aires Underground, a rapid transit system * London Underground, a rapid transit system * ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

music producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, and

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

-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 program teleplay or a film screenplay. In comics, a script may be preceded by a plot outline, and is almost al ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

Early life

Percy Carey grew up on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

of Manhattan. His neighbor,

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

, helped arrange for him to be cast as a child actor on

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, 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 Worksh ...

, 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, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...

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, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

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 rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

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

Lord Finesse Robert A. Hall Jr. (born February 19, 1970), known by his stage name Lord Finesse, is an American rapper and hip-hop producer from The Bronx, New York, best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of ...

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

and

Large Professor William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and music producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...

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

Good Morning Vietnam ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' is a 1987 American war comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as an Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) DJ wh ...

''.

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 Gravediggaz were an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from New York. Known for their Black comedy, dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes, Gravediggaz blended hardcore hip hop and gangsta rap with horror elements to pioneer t ...

) 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. Biography Williams joined the X-Me ...

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, wordplay and Diss (music), disses originating in the African Americans, African-Amer ...

per. That year, he released his first 12" single, ''So Whatcha Want Nigga?'' (later released on the '' Scars & Memories'' 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, 1968), 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 t ...

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, and

Tha Dogg Pound Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip-hop duo composed of West Coast rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were among the first acts to sign to Death Row Records in 1992. Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting in 1998; they left th ...

, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. 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. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...

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 '' Scars & Memories''. 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, radio host, author, and member of the Rock Steady Crew. He is known as a former co-host of hip hop radio show ''The Stretch ...

's Fondle 'Em label and started collaborating extensively with label mate MF Doom 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 Day by Day Entertainment is an independent hip hop music, hip hop record label and Record distributor, record distribution company based in New York City. It was started in 1999 by MF Grimm before his three-year incarceration starting in 2000. ...

label, as well as the hip hop collective

Monsta Island Czars Monsta Island Czars was a Long Island/New York City Hip hop music, hip-hop collective that was formed by MF Grimm and included MF Doom among numerous Long Beach MC's. Due to inactivity and DOOM's death in 2020, the group ceased activity. Histor ...

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 ...

and MF DOOM. The album was released on Grimm's

label, although he did not hear the album until after his release from prison in 2003. 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 ''Black Bastards'' is the second and final studio album by American hip hop music, hip hop group KMD, recorded in 1993 and eventually released on May 15, 2000, through Readyrock Records. Initially, the album was scheduled for release in May 1994, ...

'' 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 Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces M ...

'', also released in 2004. This album featured MF Grimm freestyling over MF DOOM beats taken from his '' Special Herbs'' 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 '' Scars & Memories'' 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 multip ...

'', 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 (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

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

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

to relate his life story and future plans. That year MF Grimm also released the concept album ''

The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man ''The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man'' is a 2007 studio album by American rapper MF Grimm. Reception Jody Macgregor of AllMusic gave the album 3 stars out of 5, calling it "candy rap in the most literal sense of the phrase". Evan Sawdey of ''PopMa ...

'', 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 als ...

. 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. I ...

'' followed by ''

''. 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 mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

. Grimm founded label

in the late-1990s. At around the same time, he put together his

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

-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 Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

under the Rockefeller Drug Laws 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 he was eventually released.

Relationship with MF DOOM

MF Grimm and MF DOOM 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 on ...

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 ''

'', 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 '' Special Herbs'' beats called ''

''.

Discography

Solo albums

* 2002: '' The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera'' * 2004: '' Digital Tears: E-Mail From Purgatory'' (as Superstar Jet Jaguar) * 2005: '' Scars & Memories'' * 2006: ''

'' * 2007: ''

'' * 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 MF Doom) * 2015: ''MF Love Songs''

Collaboration albums

* 2000: '' MF EP'' (with MF DOOM) * 2004: ''

'' (with MF DOOM) * 2012: ''

'' (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 20th-century American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American comics writers African-American comics artists American male child actors American comics writers American shooting survivors East Coast hip-hop musicians Rappers from Manhattan Underground rappers Gangsta rappers People with paraplegia 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people