Searching for Jerry Garcia

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Searching For Jerry Garcia
Studio album by Proof
Released	August 9, 2005
Genre	Hip-Hop
Label	Iron Fist Records
Producer(s)	Mr. Porter B-Real Fredwreck Nassar Emile B.R. Gunna Ski Jewels Dirty Bird Essman DJ Salam Wreck Sicknotes Nick Speed
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Proof chronology
Grown Man Shit (2005)	Searching For Jerry Garcia (2005)	Time Will Tell (2007)

Searching For Jerry Garcia is the second album by Detroit rapper Proof of D12, released on August 9, 2005. It was the only solo album that Proof released on a major label before his death. It reached #65 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The album is named after Grateful Dead member Jerry Garcia. The album's release date, August 9, 2005, purposely coincided with the 10-year anniversary of Garcia's death.

Proof used the title of this album and the original song titles ("Jump Biatch" was originally "Eric Clapton Jr.") to refer to famous deaths that people are uncertain about. He extends this concept to express suicidal thoughts of his own on the track "Kurt Kobain".

[edit] Track listing

1. "Knice"
2. "Clap wit Me" (Prod. by Emile)
3. "Biboa's Theme" (Prod. by Nick Speed)
4. "When God Calls..."
5. "Forgive Me" feat. 50 Cent (Prod. by Sick Notes)
6. "Purple Gang" (Prod. by B.R. Gunna)
7. "Nat Morris"
8. "Gurls wit da Boom" (Prod. by B.R. Gunna)
9. "High Rollers" feat. B-Real & Method Man (Prod. by B-Real)
10. "Rondell Beene"
11. "Pimplikeness" feat. D12 (Prod. by Fredwreck)
12. "Ali" feat. MC Breed (Prod. by Essman)
13. "No. T. Lose" feat. King Gordy (Prod. by Jewels)
14. "Jump Biatch" (Prod. by Ski)
15. "M.A.D." feat. Rude Jude (Prod. by Salam Wreck)
16. "72nd & Central" feat. Obie Trice & J-Hill (Prod. by The Geek)
17. "Sammy Da Bull" feat. Nate Dogg & Swifty McVay (Prod. by Dirty Bird)
18. "Black Wrist Bro's" feat. 1st Born (Prod. by Jewels)
19. "Slum Elementz" feat. T-3 of Slum Village & Mudd of 5ela (Prod. by Mr. Porter)
20. "Kurt Kobain" (Prod. by Emile)

Special Edition DVD contained interview type footage

[edit] Album title

In a Rolling Stone Magazine article, Proof explained the album's title:

While recording his solo debut, D12 rapper Proof found inspiration in an unlikely person -- the late jam rocker Jerry Garcia. "I was watching Searching for Bobby Fisher and Mark Hicks [D12's manager] put in a Jerry Garcia documentary," says Proof, who also serves as Eminem's right-hand rapper. "In this movie, he talked about never doing the same show twice. I did that to D12 sets overseas. Plus, he didn't care about record sales -- he just wanted to make fans happy."

In a nod to their similarities, Proof, born DeShaun Holton, named his debut Searching for Jerry Garcia. The album drops August 9th, the tenth anniversary of Garcia's death, on Proof's independent label Iron Fist Records. "I called his estate, and I couldn't believe they gave me permission [to use the name]!" says the rapper. "They didn't ask for money. So I'm like a disciple, preaching the gospel of Jerry Garcia. The dude is phenomenal."

Besides Garcia, Proof also gives a shout-out to Nirvana's late frontman in Searching's closing track, "Kurt Kobain"[sic]. "The circumstances of Kurt's death are freaky to me. I don't think he killed himself," Proof says. "But I'm not trying to keep Elvis alive, and I'm not saying that Tupac is in Cuba."

On many tracks Proof talks about his own death. At the end of the last track if you listen you can hear Proof saying, "Love killed me".