Jean Grae [real name Tsidi Ibrahim] was 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 "Dollar Bill" Ibrahim), she studied Vocal Performance at the LaGuardia School of Music & Art before majoring in Music Business at New York University.
Ibrahim initially worked under the name Major Woody and after working with groups including Ground Zero, she joined a hip hop music group called Natural Resource in the mid-1990s. 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. Under her new name, she released her first LP "Attack of the Attacking Things" in 2002, and followed it in 2004 with "This Week". 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, and Immortal Technique among them.
Jean Grae may be the most talented female rapper at large. Her penchant for merciless, R-rated flow both explains her inability to paddle into the mainstream and seems to fuel much of the anger girding her style. Nevertheless, she shovels volumes of fun for those with an appreciation for pure skills and/or the stomach for lines like "I’ll stab you in the aortic valve with a 12-inch blade and f***in’ rub salve in it."
Blue Sky Black Death - Jean Grae: The Evil Jeanius [2008]
One of the most respected MC's in hip-hop (and arguably the most fearsome female), Jean Grae teams with renowned indie producer duo Blue Sky black Death for the watershed release: Jean Grae: The Evil Jeanius. The Independent music world's finest burgeoning producer duo, Blue Sky Black Death, have collaborated with and/or produced for a who's who of such underground acts as Guru (of Gang Starr), Mikah 9 (formerly of Freestyle Fellowship), Wu-Tang affiliates Hell Razah & Holocaust, Jus Allah (Jedi Mind Tricks) & many more Brooding production meets Brooklyn-based bravado in this one of a kind creative pairing.
Jean Grae - The Orchestral Files [2008 Deluxe Edition]
Now, packaged in an exclusive Deluxe 2 CD edition, Jean offers rare never before available collaborations with some of hip-hop's finest, including: TALIB KWELI, GURU, MASTA ACE, THE HERBALISER, SONGODSUNS (AKA 2MEX), SPLASH, VORDUL (OF CANNIBAL OX), DA BEATMINERZ, BLACK PANTHER, PRINCE PAUL, HORROR CITY, C-RAYZ WALZ, DIVERSE and more.
Jean Grae and 9th Wonder - Jeanius [2008]
Blacksmith Music presents Jean Grae and her electrifying and highly anticipated album "Jeanius", produced by 9th Wonder. Jean Grae delivers an impressive range of vision that instantly marks her as an extraordinary artist.
Jean Grae - Phenicks Rising [2005]
Jean Grae - Hurricane Jean The Mixtape [2005]
Jean Grae - This Week [2004]
Jean Grae carries the burden of being way too clever a "femcee" for the music business to behold. (For dumbed-down rhymes, go to Gangsta Boo.) When Grae's in battle-rap mode, her vocal clarity and lyrical dexterity remind one of Jay-Z. However, the relationship-focused confessionals elicit an even greater response because they're so darn honest. "Give It Up" or "P.S." sound like profound Emily Dickinson love poems read with a contemporary New York 'hood twist. Grae has always needed to find equally ambitious beats to match her fiery flows, and this time around she's inched a bit closer to that ideal.
Jean Grae - The Bootleg Of The Bootleg [2003 EP]
Whether the new material on Bootleg has cemented Grae’s position as the next best femcee only a full-length release and time will tell. Until then, you can enjoy the inclusion of some of her back catalog singles with Natural Resource ("Negro League Baseball") on here.
Jean Grae - Attack Of The Attacking Things [2002]
"Attack of the Attacking Things is Jean Grae (formerly known as What? What?), after dozens of similar cameos over several years of underground records, finally battling demons on her own turf, trading on both her unaltered gift for lyrical delicacy, and her distinctive, deliberately understated vocal style."
-Harry Allen, Village Voice
*[Tracklists in comments]
.jpg)
Posts
