Greydon Square

Greydon Square

Greydon Square at the Great American God-Out in Manhattan, November 15, 2007.
Background information
Birth name Eddie Collins
Also known as Apocalypse
Greydon Cubed
The Black Carl Sagan
Born (1981-09-28) September 28, 1981
Origin Compton, California, US
Genres Underground hip hop, alternative hip hop
Occupation(s) Musician, rapper, songwriter, audio engineer, producer
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2004 – present
Associated acts Canibus, Shelley Segal, Traumah, Tombstone Da Deadman, Adil Omar,

Eddie Collins (born September 28, 1981), better known by his stage name Greydon Square, is an American rapper from Compton, California. He is a former U.S. Army soldier and Iraq War veteran who is also an outspoken atheist. He promotes discussion on philosophical issues in both his music and life.[1] He has been named as the 47th top atheist,[2] and has referred to himself as the "Black Carl Sagan" after the name being used in a Phoenix New Times article.[3]

Early life

Collins grew up in Compton, where he was raised as an orphan and became immersed in gang culture.[1] In May 2001, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Iraq War in 2004. After his discharge, Collins began attending college in Phoenix, Arizona as a physics major.

He studied physics full-time before moving on to study computer science.[1]

Career

While in college, Collins began questioning his religious beliefs and eventually became an atheist, posting videos on YouTube. He has appeared in several television documentaries[4][5] and radio shows.

Collins has been expressing himself through rap under his stage name of Greydon Square since 2004. Among his influences are Rakim, Phil Collins, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Stanley Clarke, Cedric Williams, and The Bee Gees. His first album, Absolute, was released in 2004 and is no longer available. His follow-up album The Compton Effect, was released in 2007 after much delay. After being approached by several independent record labels and one major one, Collins created his own company to distribute the record. In 2008, he released his second album The CPT Theorem. The titles of these two albums are references to the city of Compton (also called CPT) where he grew up, and to the Compton effect and the CPT Theorem from physics, which he studies. In 2010, he released the first of a trilogy of albums, His music deals with philosophical issues (particularly with regard to atheism and science), political issues, the war in Iraq and his experiences as a soldier who had to fight in this war, and his childhood which he had to spend in group homes.

He is a member of the international secular hip-hop activist movement The Anti-Injustice Movement (aka AIM Clika) and runs his own organization Grand Unified Theory, which uses creativity to educate people about science and rational thinking.[6]

In 2010 he announced the release of his third studio album, The Kardashev Scale, along with an EP titled Serpents of Eden in collaboration with Adil Omar. The song titled "War Porn" from that album was performed in collaboration with hip-hop artist Canibus.[7] He is also a guest on Omar's debut solo album The Mushroom Cloud Effect alongside Kool G Rap on a song titled "Summertime".[8]

In 2013 he appeared in the documentary film Contradiction.

Type 1: The Kardashev Scale refers to the method of measuring a civilization's level of technological development, in which Greydon uses as the basis for the trilogy of albums of which Type 1 is the first. In 2012, he released Type II: The Mandelbrot Set, referencing a famous mathematical fractal. In 2015, he released Omniverse : Type 3 : Aum niverse, with a common theme being references towards alternative or futuristic worlds and universes, to complete the trilogy.

Discography

Solo albums

Album information
Absolute
  • Released: 2004
  • Billboard 200 chart position:
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
  • Singles:
  • RIAA Certification:
The Compton Effect
  • Released: 2007
  • Billboard 200 chart position: N/A
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: N/A
  • Singles: "Squared", "Molotov", "Say", "Extian"
  • RIAA Certification:
The C.P.T. Theorem
  • Released: 2008
  • Billboard 200 chart position:
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
  • Singles: "Cubed", "A Soldier's Poem"
  • RIAA Certification:
Type I: The Kardashev Scale
  • Released: August 10, 2010
  • Billboard 200 chart position:
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
  • Singles: "Stockholm Syndrome", "Brains", "Myth"
  • RIAA Certification:
Type II : The Mandelbrot Set
  • Released: October 16, 2012
  • Billboard 200 chart position:
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
  • Singles: "Peace Peace", "Ultra Combo", "Prison Planet", "Summer's Ending", "Metaphor Swordsman"
  • RIAA Certification:
Omniverse : Type 3 : Aum niverse
  • Released: December 21, 2015
  • Billboard 200 chart position:
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
  • Singles:
  • RIAA Certification:

Collaboration albums

Album information
Ryuken Vs (with C-Gats)

Released: June 17, 2014

  • Billboard 200 chart position:
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
  • Singles:
  • RIAA Certification:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cizmar, Martin (2009) ""Rapper Greydon Square Is an Atheist Icon". Phoenix New Times. April 30, 2009, Retrieved 2011-01-25
  2. ↑ "50 Top Atheists in the World Today | The Best Schools". The Best Schools. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  3. ↑ Cizmar, Martin (2009-04-30). "Rapper Greydon Square Is an Atheist Icon". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  4. ↑ CBC (October 5, 2007) "Documentary about atheism, aired on CBC's The National". YouTube. Greydon Square's segment at 4:30 - 6:44 Archived April 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ CBC (October 5, 2007) "Documentary about atheism, aired on CBC's The National". Greydon Square's segment at 2:51 - 4:32
  6. ↑ "Grand Unified Theory (Official)". Facebook. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Piel, Chris (February 27, 2011). "Canibus at Club Red Last Night". Phoenix New Times.
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100409115834/http://angryatheist.net/2010/01/05/greydon-square-interview
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