Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean
Grae (formerly What? What?), is an American rapper, record producer,
actress, and comedian from Brooklyn, New York City. She rose to
prominence in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has
since built an international fanbase. She is known as an important
figure in hip hop and popular culture. Her unique music style, gritty
rhymes, and lyrical mastery have earned her recognition as a favorite
emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black
Thought of the Roots.Jean Grae was born Tsidi Ibrahim, in Cape Town,
South Africa, on November 26, 1976. The daughter of South African jazz
musicians Sathima Bea Benjamin and Abdullah Ibrahim, she was raised in
New York City, where her parents had relocated after her birth. She
studied Vocal Performance at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, before
majoring in Music Business at New York University. She dropped out
after three weeks of class.In 1995, she was discovered by George Rithm
Martinez, when he recruited her for a five-song demo under his group
Ground Zero. Their demo was critically acclaimed and earned the duo
"Unsigned Hype" honors in The Source in March 1996. She later joined a
hip hop group called Natural Resource, along with fellow rapper Ocean
and disc jockey James "AGGIE" Barrett. In 1996, they released a pair
of 12-inch singles called "Negro League Baseball" b/w "Bum Deal" b/w
"They Lied", and "Bum Deal (remix)" b/w "They Lied (remix)" b/w "I
Love This World", on their own label, Makin' Records. She also
appeared on singles by fellow Makin' Records artists Pumpkinhead and
Bad Seed, as well as on the O.B.S. (Original Blunted Soldiers) double
12-inch single alongside crew members Pumpkinhead, Bad Seed and
Meat-pie, and produced much of the material released on the label
under the pseudonym Run Run Shaw. During this period she established
strong ties with the Brooklyn Academy crew, with which she would
appear throughout her career.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 moniker, she
released her first LPAttack of the Attacking Thingson August 6, 2002,
and followed it on September 21, 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, Royce da
5'9, Da Beatminerz, Phonte, Mr. Len, Masta Ace, Vordul Mega, C-Rayz
Walz, Mos Def, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch and Immortal Technique among
them.
Grae (formerly What? What?), is an American rapper, record producer,
actress, and comedian from Brooklyn, New York City. She rose to
prominence in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has
since built an international fanbase. She is known as an important
figure in hip hop and popular culture. Her unique music style, gritty
rhymes, and lyrical mastery have earned her recognition as a favorite
emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black
Thought of the Roots.Jean Grae was born Tsidi Ibrahim, in Cape Town,
South Africa, on November 26, 1976. The daughter of South African jazz
musicians Sathima Bea Benjamin and Abdullah Ibrahim, she was raised in
New York City, where her parents had relocated after her birth. She
studied Vocal Performance at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, before
majoring in Music Business at New York University. She dropped out
after three weeks of class.In 1995, she was discovered by George Rithm
Martinez, when he recruited her for a five-song demo under his group
Ground Zero. Their demo was critically acclaimed and earned the duo
"Unsigned Hype" honors in The Source in March 1996. She later joined a
hip hop group called Natural Resource, along with fellow rapper Ocean
and disc jockey James "AGGIE" Barrett. In 1996, they released a pair
of 12-inch singles called "Negro League Baseball" b/w "Bum Deal" b/w
"They Lied", and "Bum Deal (remix)" b/w "They Lied (remix)" b/w "I
Love This World", on their own label, Makin' Records. She also
appeared on singles by fellow Makin' Records artists Pumpkinhead and
Bad Seed, as well as on the O.B.S. (Original Blunted Soldiers) double
12-inch single alongside crew members Pumpkinhead, Bad Seed and
Meat-pie, and produced much of the material released on the label
under the pseudonym Run Run Shaw. During this period she established
strong ties with the Brooklyn Academy crew, with which she would
appear throughout her career.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 moniker, she
released her first LPAttack of the Attacking Thingson August 6, 2002,
and followed it on September 21, 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, Royce da
5'9, Da Beatminerz, Phonte, Mr. Len, Masta Ace, Vordul Mega, C-Rayz
Walz, Mos Def, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch and Immortal Technique among
them.
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