I conrazón Jean Grae.
Ok, so I first heard Jean Grae’s music when I was working at Fat Beats in NYC arouuuuund 2003 (I believe?) Instantly captivated. She was strong. Said what she wanted. Didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought (or at least it appeared that way). She referenced the X-Files. She was my nerd-companion in this weird music I loved called HIP-HOP who could knock a sucker out if he stepped at you wrong. Just what I related to at that point!
Randomly went to Philly for a Roots show that summer + somehow ended up in a hotel room w/ her bonding, talking – she was so nerdy + open. Luckily, after a cheese steak, her DJ gave me a ride back to New York City that night, and all worked out well. But she made such an impression.
I’ve been a fan + supported since. Her album ‘Jeanius‘ (co-starring production by Little Brother’s producer/Jay-Z Black Album approved, 9th wonder) was leaked in 2004 and properly released in 2008 (just about the time when NO ONE bought CDs…) on Talib Kweli’s imprint on Warner, Blacksmith. The production was cleaner + there’s live instrumentation on the album that was different from the original.
She was also on Talib Kweli song ‘Black Girl Pain‘ that always touched my heart.
“Jean Grae can never fully hide the fact that she’s a subversive artist that not only likes to challenge adversaries but also her audience.” – Rap Reviews
“Grae stands out from the crowd for how well words flow from her mouth. She stands near the best MCs of all time in that regard. She also stands out for the sheer darkness of her vision—at least, when a dark vision is what she wants to explore.” – Pop Matters
She can tell a story like nobody’s business. She’s honest about the complexities of love, pain, sex, being a woman in the game…but mostly, she just spits HARD, which is the whole point, right?
Jean…BLOW UP ALREADY! We’ll be watching.
Ooooh – it’s cool to see LA’s finest, 2Mex, in her top friends on Myspace. He absolutely ripped a performance last week at IMIX Bookstore’s fundraiser…similar CRAZY wordplay. A bit twisted. He was in a trance. Inspiring.
I don’t remember seeing this video at any point for “My Story”…so I thought I’d shed light on it here. It’s really beautiful, and while it’s not the most hard hitting song on the album [My favorites are “This World” and “Billy Killer“], it’s a winner.