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 Ibrahim), she studied Vocal Performance at the LaGuardia School of Music & Art before majoring in Music Business at New York University. She also did some modelling during her teen years.
Ibrahim initially worked under the names Major Woody & Da Easter Bunny because she thought it would be funny to hear those names announced at shows. After working with groups including Ground Zero, she joined a hip hop music group called Natural Resource in the mid-1990s, along with rapper Ocean. 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, and 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.
Solo career (1998-2004)
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 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 has recorded an unreleased album with celebrated North Carolina producer 9th Wonder, of Little Brother fame, entitled Jeanius. This unfinished record was leaked on the internet, and subsequently work was stopped on this album. However, at the release party for 9th Wonder's Dream Merchant Volume 2 album she stated that Jeanius was still going to be released. This album was eventually released first through Zune Live Marketplace two weeks before its disc release on July 8, 2008. The album features the track "My Story", about the abortion she had as a teenager. Her rapping on the album was described by Robert Christgau as "remarkable for its rapidity, clarity and idiomatic cadence. The writing has a good-humored polysyllabic literacy.". Elsewhere, it's been reported that her proposed fourth album, provisionally titled Phoenix has gone into production. It has been reported by several camp insiders that 9th Wonder will handle the lion's share of the production duties with unknown UK producer Passion hifi and NY resident Clinikal providing a beat each.
Blacksmith Music (2005-present)
Previously signed to Babygrande Records, she signed a deal in 2005 with Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records. On 28 April 2008, Jean Grae posted a blog on her MySpace page saying goodbye to her fans.[9] She later cited disenchantment with the music industry and desire to start a family as the reasons behind the 'retirement' and said that she was working on new material and still wanted to continue in music: "You know what? I need that Grammy. I think I might be able to stop after that". In July 2008, Talib Kweli posted a blog explaining Grae's album, mentioning that she was not retiring. The blog ends encouraging fans to purchase the album, referring to Grae as "one of the last true MCs left." Grae returned to doing live performances later that year.
On September 18, 2008, Jean Grae posted a Craigslist ad offering her creative services for $800/16 bars. On her MySpace blog entry, she states, "I don't wanna complain anymore, I just wanna change some things about the way artists are treated and the way you guys are allowed to be involved, since it IS the digital age."
Fade Out
Jean Grae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't believe how I miss you, I'm there til the end
Demetrius I had to say something
My brain is stained with you
I don't even think I can explain how much I miss you
Your tears frame the page my fate is outlined in chalk
The other day I freaked on the street when someone walked like you walked
And everything crashed down
I don't understand why god picks who he's gonna snatch out
Before you hit the ground I hope you passed out
I wish I could run up in heaven with gats, find you, and blast us out
I couldn't you brother, I heard he's with your grandmother
I spent two weeks on 411 trying to find the phone number
I didn't go to your wake
Got the call to late
And after I found out I spent a month in my room and never open the drapes
I didn't get to say goodbye - it's not fair
Hope you had fun in Miami, it seemed like you were meant to be there
My family talked about you often
I can't think of you in a coffin
Pardon the random thoughts
When I speak of you I get lost in memories
The intensity of losing you is like 1000 degrees in the desert
With no sight of water or trees
I dream of an oasis, seen you in a hundred faces
Hear you in music, pic you partying in different places
Like your favorite I guess, sometimes it snows in April
Your fate will never be forgiven, I'm cursing' every religion
My heart is always with you
And anyone that I love will have to know
A part of me can't go to them
'Cause it's above..
I miss you
The lyrics of Jean Grae's song "Fadeout" is a heartfelt tribute to a loved one who has passed away. The song is essentially a monologue from the singer to the deceased, expressing her thoughts and emotions about their life and their death. From the first line, "Someday when I see you, be with you again," the singer acknowledges the finality of death but holds onto the hope of afterlife or reincarnation where they will be reunited. She admits that she cannot believe how much she misses the deceased and promises to be there for them until the end.
The singer addresses the deceased directly when she says, "Demetrius, I had to say something." She vividly describes how her brain is stained with thoughts of the deceased, and she struggles to articulate the depth of her feelings. She expresses her sorrow and regret at not being able to say goodbye, and her anger towards God for snatching them away. The singer tells the deceased that she hopes they passed out before hitting the ground and wishes she could travel to heaven and bring them back. She admits to spending weeks trying to locate the phone number to contact the deceased and laments that she missed the funeral.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday when I see you, be with you again
The singer hopes to reunite with the person they lost someday in the future
Can't believe how I miss you, I'm there til the end
The singer expresses how much they miss the person they lost and will continue to miss them forever
Demetrius I had to say something
The singer addresses the person they lost by their name, indicating a personal connection with them
My brain is stained with you
The singer's thoughts are consumed by memories of the person they lost
I don't even think I can explain how much I miss you
The singer feels that their grief and longing for the person they lost cannot be accurately expressed in words
Your tears frame the page my fate is outlined in chalk
The singer associates the tears shed by the person they lost with their own feelings of despair and a sense of their own mortality
The other day I freaked on the street when someone walked like you walked
The singer experiences moments of disorientation and confusion when they see someone who reminds them of the person they lost
It took a second not to think it was you
The singer initially mistakes the stranger for the person they lost, but then realizes their error
And everything crashed down
The singer experiences a sudden, overwhelming sense of sadness and loss in that moment
I don't understand why god picks who he's gonna snatch out
The singer expresses their frustration and confusion about why some people die young while others live long lives
Before you hit the ground I hope you passed out
The singer expresses a desire for the person they lost to die quickly and painlessly
I wish I could run up in heaven with gats, find you, and blast us out
The singer expresses a desire to be reunited with the person they lost in the afterlife and to escape from the pain of grief with them
I couldn't you brother, I heard he's with your grandmother
The singer mentions a relative of the person they lost, indicating that they were close to that person's family as well
I spent two weeks on 411 trying to find the phone number
The singer expresses a desperate attempt to find some connection to the person they lost, even if it's just a phone number
I didn't go to your wake
The singer did not attend the funeral of the person they lost
Got the call to late
The singer received news of the person's death too late to attend the funeral or say goodbye
And after I found out I spent a month in my room and never open the drapes
The singer experienced a long period of depression and isolation after learning of the person's death
I didn't get to say goodbye - it's not fair
The singer expresses their feelings of unfairness and injustice regarding not being able to say goodbye to the person they lost
Hope you had fun in Miami, it seemed like you were meant to be there
The singer remembers a particular place that was special to the person they lost and hopes that they enjoyed their time there
My family talked about you often
The singer's family also remembers and speaks about the person they lost
I can't think of you in a coffin
The singer finds it difficult to think of the person they lost as dead and buried
Pardon the random thoughts
The singer apologizes for the scattered, unpredictable nature of their thoughts and emotions related to the person they lost
When I speak of you I get lost in memories
The singer becomes absorbed in memories of the person they lost when they talk about them
The intensity of losing you is like 1000 degrees in the desert
The singer compares the pain of losing the person to being in the extreme heat of a desert
With no sight of water or trees
The singer uses imagery to further emphasize the intensity and hopelessness of their grief
I dream of an oasis, seen you in a hundred faces
The singer dreams of finding a peaceful, restorative space and imagines the person they lost in various forms and places
Hear you in music, pic you partying in different places
The singer finds comfort and connection to the person they lost by hearing their voice and imagining them in joyful, celebratory situations
Like your favorite I guess, sometimes it snows in April
The singer references the person's favorite musician and a specific song to further associate positive memories with them
Your fate will never be forgiven, I'm cursing' every religion
The singer expresses anger and frustration at the idea of fate and religion, which they feel are responsible for taking the person they lost
My heart is always with you
The singer feels a deep connection to the person they lost and carries their memory everywhere they go
And anyone that I love will have to know
The singer vows to share their feelings about the person they lost with anyone they care about
A part of me can't go to them
The singer acknowledges that their grief and memories are so powerful that it can be difficult to share them with others
'Cause it's above...
The singer trails off, leaving unsaid what exactly is 'above' their ability to share
I miss you
The singer's final message is a simple, heartfelt expression of their longing for the person they lost
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JusJosh90
This song continues to mourn with me and rips the bandages from several wounds of mine to allow them fresh air to breath and actually heal rather than hide away of shame. Hurt can be humiliating sometimes. I've lost too many people who mean too much to me and I need this song right now more than ever. I hope that I can help someone's healing process in my music the way this song and Jean continues to help me in my healing and learning to hurt in a healthier way. I appreciate you. Love ya Jean.
@HashMagician
Brother how are you these days?
@thekidalpha
I lost my nephew this week… came back to this and I’m in tears…. This track always got me… but it hits harder than ever now. Rest easy Jack.
@abbeymac5518
I always come back to this song ♥️
@HashMagician
Me too... Hope you good and well
@whistlerwade
Yeah
@abbeymac5518
@HashMagician hope you are too ! I’m back here again haha 🙏🏼
@vorrtexxgates2878
One of my favorite songs everrrrrrr. Love you Jean grae
@HannaHStakenburg
❤️❤️❤️ amazing strong and beautiful song. I can listen over&over&over again. Much love, Hannah from Amsterdam.
@alcatraz6606
This fuckin beat is majestic and it almost makes me tear up just a bit because this is true auditory art and most of our black culture is now singing about how cool it is to be a part of the opioid epidemic.