Having performed under a number of handles, from Build and Destroy to Grimm Reaper, which then evolved to MF Grimm and eventually GM Grimm (the full story can be heard in the interview snippets throughout the album), Percy Carey has endured a near-fatal shooting that left him in a wheelchair, extended jail time and major label woes without losing his passion for rhyming. His first official album was The Downfall of Ibliys, recorded in the 24 hours before he served a bid, and he dropped a second long-player (Digital Tears) when he was released, but he already had a rich history in the rap game through a string of 12″ releases and guest shots. Many of his cameos were assembled on the Best of MF CD for those of you playing catch-up, and the proper release of Scars and Memories (Day By Day Entertainment) finally collects many of his old vinyl classics with a healthy assortment of previously unreleased material.
This is the kind of shit that I fiend for, so when I first heard about this project I was chaffing at the bit. Having already snatched-up all the old MF Grimm records, I was particularly amped to check out the “lost” material, and there’s enough quality exclusives on here to satisfy even the most diehard of Grimm fans. “Crumb Snatchers” and “King of New York” stand out in particular as vintage slices of downtempo brilliance. His first record – 1993’s “So Watcha Want?” – still sounds great lyrically, and some of his best Dolo and Fondle ‘Em singles are also featured. “Take ‘Em To War (Original Version)”, which he remade on Kool G Rap‘s 4,5,6 album with B-One, enjoyed a very limited pressing through Bobbitto‘s indy imprint under the tile of “WWIII”. The song is nothing short of incredible, as Grimm’s top-notch vocals ride a tidal-wave of distorted bass, cinematic strings and keys (courtesy of MF Doom, who’s in fine form here).
“Get Down” remains as the possibly the slowest, most unorthodox club song ever released, as Grimm details the nights activities over a moody Dr. Butcher production which seems more suited to a late-night weed session than an evening of elbow-throwing debauchery. The original 12″ release of the song seemed to acknowledge this fact, as Fatman Scoop was recruited to inject his trademark “party animal” energy into the remix, which actually turned out to be pretty good. The b-side of that record, “Emotions” is another one of the Reaper’s finest moments, as he and B-One proceed to tear the show up with the assistance of a superb “Time’s Up” hook. Rob Swift contributes some impressive production work on many of the tracks, and it’s great to finally hear the proper version of “Do It For The Kids” after the wrong mix was released on Fondle ‘Em by mistake (minus the chorus, back-up’s, intro and outro!). In case you haven’t gathered by now, this album is nothing but certified dopeness from one’s of rap’s most slept-on deep thinkers. Pick it up.
Here’s some audio of Grimm wrecking shit at the Rocksteady Anniversary Jam in ’94.
Review copy supplied courtesy of Shogun Distribution.
This and Cormega are my favorite albums of the year so far. Sure they’re the only two albums i’ve bought and both old material but that’s not the point, is it?
Man, i’d been waiting on this one for a few years and, as you say, it was dope to get some tracks we’ve never heard before but whatshisname from Day By Day said it was gonna feature the B1 track with Grimm, Finesse and Foxxx and it wasn’t on there. Bastards. Plus they changed the beat on “dedicated” and messed with the beat on “emotions” and it doesn’t sound right.
Anyway, minor gripes, agreed on “ww3″/”take ’em to war”. Stunning. Definately his best track and one of the grimiest tracks you’ll ever hear. Nice for me to finally have a good quality “aids”/”stay strapped” too. And i’m lovin’ “king of new york”. Love the two samples in the chorus.
Essential.
thanks for the heads up, i’ll have to keep my eye out for the new Grimm stuff. I remember picking up Landslide years ago on fondle’em. still play it every once in a while. maybe i should through it up on the ol’ blog one day.
“messed with the beat on “emotions” and it doesn’t sound right”
Yeah I thought something was different on that one.
“maybe i should through it up on the ol’ blog one day”
Good idea, since they didn’t include it on the album.
the albums awesome
They made the bass and drums too prominent in front of the piano sample on the version of “emotions” on the album and took the piano out of the beginning 10 or 20 seconds of each verse.
yea that landslide beat is bananas! please post it and the instrumental too! thanks!
Thank you for writing this exceptional review. Build or Destroy, Grandmaster Grimm, MF, however you want to call him; he’s one of the most instrumental and influential MCs on the planet. I hope one day he’ll write an autobiography, ’cause half the story has never been told and Grimm has been responsible for a lot of your favorite MCs’, producers’ and DJs’ careers.
Love is Love,
Miranda Jane
http://pyramids2projects.blogspot.com
does this have the alternate verse version of take em to war w/b-one and g rap where grimm uses his verse from so whatcha want nigga[i believe] over the ill axelrod loop? is that wwiii?? it’s a bit confusing…
“the B1 track with Grimm, Finesse and Foxxx”
That song’s called “Takin’ Niggas”. It was on the B-1 demo that RapPages reviewed once. If anyone has a copy, please let me know.
“does this have the alternate verse version of take em to war”
Nah, “WWIII” is just Grimm.
as a fan.. i can’t say.. how impressed i am that.. Grimm work got out and was put together so well..the pictures on the insert..the front cover and the album snippets of interviews really set the tone.. i can’t believe that this wasn’t out years ago.. things would be sooooo different..that king of NY track was bananas..wack emcees..repeatedly destroys my hearing cuz i pump it sooo loud..big up my mentor. MF GRIMM.. next up is that “american hunger” album dropping september… keep up to date at http://www.americanhunger.com
thank u.. UNKUT.com for the dope review
peace
RAVAGE aka MeccaGodZilla of M.I.C and Day By Day Ent.
Ive been flying the MF Grimm banner high in forums, on Genius, HiphopDX, when debating hiphop irl; usually while recommending digging for esoteric 25-30 yr old EPs, sometimes follow a talent or concept trail; production-, association- and A&R-connex.
To buy or d/l any random record by ANYBODY Stretch & Bobbito had in their studio 1992-1994 is far more rewarding than being open to the commodities of the day or locking onto a undenyably audience pleasing, multifaceted and well-connected tight jean wearing arena act (like Eminem or Jay-Z) and sticking to it and possibly buying whatever protegees he/they recommend. Its Eminems fault that the scourge of the land known as 50 Cent still can stay rich and drop new empty, dead music simply by wearing a lifevest and sometimes informing a studio stooge – holding up a mic to his blank face – that his current location is a “club” ; so a soundbit is created and a army of r&b/house/EBM “DJs” can now drown the awful or non-existing attempts at further vocalizations with a neverending ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-millipede on ridiculously low hertz levels, sometimes interwoven with either a catchy string sample or keyboard harmony (primitive key pushing up and down the same scale with 2 or 3 character notes far apart to make it “pop” as an earworm), or to switch things up they add a big chorus – theyre usually 99% of the track’s appeal – sung by a currently popular female vocalist.
I got off topic: every chance I had since I heard 4,5,6 (1998 or 1999 I think. When I several years later got a hold of Black Bastards, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. I love KMD, I mourned the death of the last remaining Dumile sibling, DOOM was so much more than the underground alibi for hipsters and fake heads he was used as. But thx to Madvillainys success, his presence is (was, at least) a given at the round, fancy and a bit *wave little finger* tea table where the entertainment industry tyrants, rockefellers, masons, CEOs, in a way the IMF, CIA and Nato of music conmodification, gather extreme creative talent and order-taking, metamorphose-able talent who get to sacrifice their souls, their idiosyncracies, their egalitarian ideals (if they happen to be real radicals, revolutionaries, spearheads of the acts sporting the conscious “brand”) and their option to flip the market the bird in return for being super famous, somewhat rich and among the most popular on Spotify.
Still, DOOM kept some idiosyncracy and genius. He sold out and threw shit at M.I.C. and Carey on Madvillainy, a bitch move I never can get past. But Born Like This (2009) was almost as great as the prime opus Vaudeville Villain (2003). MF Grimn is a different story; hes disrespected by the undereducated populace that populates the internet and sadmy that has effect irl. He takes risks, he lived thru over a half decade of crime, vendettas, attempts on his life, a near-fatal shooting and a lot of prison time. Capone of C-N-N and Mr Lish aint got shit on him in that respect (X-Raided got him beat though, and probably Killa Sin too, but Im rambling off topic again).
MF Grimm is in my props top 10. Skills top 20. And I got ridiculous frames of reference; my day-to-day playlist cobsist of 2670 tracks, all personally bought/stolen/inherited material, all tracks in 192VBR format, ripped and tagged with care, the order is somewhat chronological but mainly theyre paired by association, sometimes by proxy, and placed so thevsmend note and start note or beat can make a atmospheric ring. The daily list doesnt tell a personal story but rather the narrative of how qb beat BDP, how the WC tried to be the new EC but degraded into p-funk first and then glt thekr own alternative hiphop culture worthy of attention. I follow a handful of acts/categories carefully. Native Tongues (incl. KMD), Public Enemy, Beatnuts, Wu-Tang Clan, Sunz of Man, Killarmy, Chief Kamachi, Tragedy Khadafi to mention a handful and labels like Omnipotent, Superegular, Fondle Em, Def Jux, EC and Babygrande are represented as they develop, shrink, die or return.
KMD, DOOM/Viktor Vaughn/King Geedorah is heavily represented, 50-70% of all endeavours pass by sooner or later. Same with X-Ray, Kev Roc & the rest of post 1994 M.I.C.. But MF Grimm is almost FULLY represented. I think I have one track from every single release, incl. unofficial shit. Not always both B- and A-side (my Optimus G6 can store 42Gb, ca 30 in reality) but usually. All collabs up until early 2000s.
And finally, why do I post this long rambling stream of consciousness? Wuthout a correcture editor who can trim it down to the relevant shit? Just to brag about hlw I spend too much time ripping CDs and wax and can crawl user-hostile interfaces on mainly russian and asian but sometimes portugese/brazilian illegal semi-open servers hunting good rips of impossible rarities? No, I post cause you all give GM Carey the respect he deserves and I wanna thank yall for making me feel less like Sisyphos when I (probably weekly or so at least) try to explain to immature heads and green but more open minded kids why conscious hc hiphop, ug horrorcore, idiosyncratic shit in general and MF Grimm in particular is a vital element of hc hiphop legacy and culture. And please, if someone got that MF Grimm, Lord Finesse & Freddie Foxx (srsly?) collab, holla at me, I didnt even know it existed.
Godspeed, Blessed Be
and Death to False Death
@Speed-n-Armour: I’ve asked Grimm, Finesse, B-1 and Freddie if any of them have that demo and sadly no one has it on tape anymore.