| MF Grimm | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Percival Carey |
| Also known as | GM Grimm The Grim Reaper Superstar Jet Jaguar |
| Born | June 11, 1970 |
| Genres | Hip hop, underground hip hop, alternative hip hop |
| Occupations | Music producer, rapper, comic book writer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Day By Day Entertainment |
| Associated acts | Monsta Island Czars |
Percy Carey (born June 11, 1970), also known by the stage names MF Grimm and originally Build and Destroy, is an American underground rapper, music producer and Eisner Award-nominated comic book writer from New York City.
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Percy Carey grew up in the Upper West Side section of Manhattan. His neighbor, Morgan Freeman, helped arrange for him to be cast as a child actor on Sesame Street, which he did for four years.[1]
"One episode, I lost my tooth, and me and Big Bird had to go through Sesame Street and try to find it," Carey remembers.[2]
Early in his career, he formed a DJ/rapper group called The Gravediggaz, not to be confused with the group of the same name formed by Frukwan, RZA, Prince Paul and Too Poetic. He also collaborated with hip-hop legends like Kool G Rap and KMD.[3]
In 1993, Grimm placed at the World Supremacy Battle, already known as an experienced battle rapper.[4] That year, he released his first 12" single, So Whatcha Want Nigga? and performed at the Jack The Rapper convention on Execution Night, sharing the stage with Lady of Rage, Tupac, and Dogg Pound, in Atlanta. Grimm was soon approached by several major labels.
In 1994, Grimm survived a murder attempt where he was shot seven times by rival drug dealers,[5] and three times 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; he was pronounced dead on the scene. Doctors predicted that he would suffer nulled senses and be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Grimm recovered full vision, hearing, and speech ability, but still uses a wheelchair.[6]
Grimm went on to release several 12" singles on the Fondle 'Em label and also collaborated with MF DOOM on an EP released by Brick Records entitled MF EP.
Grimm founded label Day By Day Entertainment in the late-1990s. At around the same time, he put together his Godzilla-inspired MC collective, the Monsta Island Czars.
Facing narcotics and conspiracy charges, Grimm was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000. He paid a one-day bail of $100,000, recording The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera in those twenty-four hours.[7] During his stay in jail, Grimm studied law. After filing many appeals, he was able to reduce his sentence to three years and he was released in 2003.
He has since completed his second album Digital Tears: E-mail from Purgatory under his Monsta Island Czars moniker Superstar Jet Jaguar.
Grimm's life story was retold in a comic book autobiography, Sentences: The Life Of MF Grimm, which was released by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in September 2007.
In 2008, MF 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.
MF Grimm has recently appeared on National Public Radio to relate his life story and future plans.[8]