| Jean Grae | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tsidi Ibrahim |
| Born | November 26, 1976 |
| Origin | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, Producer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels |
Third Earth Music (2002-2003) |
| Associated acts | Sathima Bea Benjamin, Abdullah Ibrahim, Talib Kweli, Atmosphere, 9th Wonder, Pharoahe Monch, Styles P, Masta Ace, Immortal Technique, Pumpkinhead |
| Website | Official Site |
Jean Grae (real name Tsidi Ibrahim), born November 26, 1976[1][2] (formerly known as What? What?) is an American hip hop artist who hails from South Africa. She rose to prominence in the underground hip-hop scene in New York City, and has since built an international fanbase.
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Born in Cape Town, South Africa on November 26, 1976, the daughter of South African jazz musicians (her father and mother are the celebrated musicians Sathima Bea Benjamin and Abdullah Ibrahim), she studied Vocal Performance at the LaGuardia School of Music & Art before majoring in Music Business at New York UniversityShe later dropped out after 3 weeks of class because she already knew what her professors were teaching her. According to Grae on Aisha Tyler's Girl on Guy podcast. .[1][3]
After working with groups including Ground Zero, she joined a hip hop music group called Natural Resource in the mid-1990s,[2] along with rapper Ocean and DJ James "AGGIE" Barrett. In 1996 they released a pair of 12-inch singles called Negro League Baseball [3] b/w "Bum Deal" b/w "They Lied," and "Bum Deal (remix)" b/w "They Lied (remix)" b/w "I Love This World" on their own label Makin' Records.[1] She also appeared on singles by fellow Makin' Records artists Pumpkinhead and Bad Seed, and on the O.B.S. (Original Blunted Soldiers) double 12-inch single alongside crew members Pumpkinhead, Bad Seed, and Meat-pie, and produced much of the material released on the label under the pseudonym Run Run Shaw. During this period she established strong ties with the Brooklyn Academy crew, with which she would appear throughout her career.
Natural Resource dissolved in 1998, after which Ibrahim changed her stage name from What? What? to Jean Grae, a reference to the X-Men character Jean Grey.[4] Under her new moniker, she released her first LP—Attack of the Attacking Things—in 2002, and followed it in 2004 with This Week.[4] Throughout her career she has also recorded tracks with numerous major hip hop artists, Atmosphere, The Roots, Talib Kweli, The Herbaliser, Da Beatminerz, Phonte, Mr. Len, Masta Ace, Vordul Mega, C-Rayz Walz, Mos Def, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch and Immortal Technique among them.
Jean has recorded an unreleased album with celebrated North Carolina producer 9th Wonder, of Little Brother fame, entitled Jeanius. This unfinished record was leaked on the internet, and subsequently work was stopped on this album.[5] However, at the release party for 9th Wonder's Dream Merchant Volume 2 album she stated that Jeanius was still going to be released. This album was eventually released first through Zune Live Marketplace two weeks before its disc release on July 8, 2008. Her rapping on the album was described by Robert Christgau as "remarkable for its rapidity, clarity and idiomatic cadence. The writing has a good-humored polysyllabic literacy."[6] Elsewhere, it's been reported that her proposed fourth album, provisionally titled Phoenix has gone into production. It has been reported by several camp insiders that 9th Wonder will handle the lion's share of the production duties with unknown UK producer Passion hifi, Up and coming English producer Kid Sik and NY resident Clinikal providing a beat each.
Previously signed to Babygrande Records, she signed a deal in 2005 with Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records. On 28 April 2008, Jean Grae posted a blog on her MySpace page saying goodbye to her fans.[7] She later cited disenchantment with the music industry and desire to start a family as the reasons behind the 'retirement' and said that she was working on new material and still wanted to continue in music: "You know what? I need that Grammy. I think I might be able to stop after that".[8] In July 2008, Talib Kweli posted a blog explaining Grae's album, mentioning that she was not retiring. The blog ends encouraging fans to purchase the album, referring to Grae as "one of the last true MCs left." Grae returned to doing live performances later that year.[9]
On September 18, 2008, Jean Grae posted a Craigslist ad offering her creative services for $800/16 bars.[10][11] On her MySpace blog entry, she states, "I don't wanna complain anymore, I just wanna change some things about the way artists are treated and the way you guys are allowed to be involved, since it IS the digital age."[12] On June 23, 2011, after an almost 4 year hiatus, Jean released a free mixtape titled "Cookies or Comas" which features guest appearances from Styles P, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch, it also includes the highly praised tracks "Assassins" from Monch's W.A.R. album and "Uh Oh" From Talib Kweli's Gutter Rainbows.[13]