Grimm was an experienced battle rapper and placed at the World Supremacy Battle of 1993. That year, he released his first 12” single, So Whatcha Want Nigga? as The Grimm Reaper and performed at the Jack The Rapper convention on Execution Night, sharing the stage with Lady of Rage, 2Pac, and Tha Dogg Pound, in Atlanta.
"It was in a snowstorm, a blizzard. An hour before, I was getting prepared to go to Atlantic Records to get signed for a half million dollars. I was coming out of the barbershop and jumped into the car my brother was driving. They shot the car up. My brother got killed. The first [bullet] I remember was on my side. As soon as it went into my body, it collapsed both lungs. I remember that one clear as day. The closest thing I can think of for the feeling is like how Superman would burn laser beams out of his eyes. It was that much heat, internally, trying to come out through my eyes. One went in my neck, ricocheted in my head and came out my mouth. Like a TV short-circuiting, it was like static in my head. The rest of them—side, arm, back—I don’t remember as much."
"Death is something I never feared, but it did wake me up. You realize how weak you really are. Life has a higher calling beyond the physical aspect. I was pronounced dead for a moment. I woke up and there was an officer over me. I was in the ambulance with detectives. I’m strapped down, I’m bleeding, dying. All I can tell you is when I was pronounced dead, I did go somewhere. I’ve seen things it would be hard to explain. The place I was going, I was at peace and it was bliss. But I had to come back. It was one of the biggest disappointments for a while. But that was my journey, coming back here and getting another opportunity. Paralysis, which is like purgatory, was a bitter blessing. But it put me on my path to try to become a better human being."
"The physical body is just a puppet. It’s not who I am. I never knew myself. Before this happened, I was already paralyzed—but it was just my brain. When someone is blind, their other senses kick in. It happens with paralysis as well. I can feel things that other people might not realize I can feel. Originally, I was blind in the right eye, deaf in the right ear. I couldn’t talk. I was paralyzed from the neck down. Since then my feelings have come back."
"I don’t remember how to walk, though. It’s my own fault for not staying on top of remembering how to walk, but I do have a great chance of walking again. It took a moment not to view this totally selfishly. I’m in this for a reason, for other people to learn from it. I’m not an angel—I’ve done a lot of shit. I’ve been on the other side of the gun. It’s nothing to glorify. At the time this happened, I was getting label deal When I got shot, the labels all wanted to separate from me. Now it’s part of your deal."
In the late 90s, he founded his record label/international distribution company, Day By Day Entertainment, with the intention of supporting and releasing independent artists. At around the same time, he put together his Godzilla-inspired MC collective, the Monsta Island Czars.
In 2000, Grimm was sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy and narcotics charges. His debut LP "The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera" was recorded by Grimm in 24 hours, out on a $100,000 bail for one day.
In jail, Grimm studied law and filed many counter-suits and eventually got his sentence reduced to only 3 years. Grimm is currently a free man.
He has since completed his sophomore album "Digital Tears: E-mail from Purgatory" under his M.I.C. moniker Superstar Jet Jaguar. Grimm recently released his third album, American Hunger, the first triple album in hop hop history to critical acclaim. De La Soul attempted to to the same with the AOI project, but record label restrictions and time issues forced them to abandon the idea. American Hunger was originally supposed to be released on July 3 2006 but was pushed back allowing him to address recent issues that were not previously on the album and due to the US Government threatening court action if Grimm didn't remove some George W. Bush vocal samples.
MF Grimm recently added the GM title (Grand Master) to his name, sometimes going by GM or sometime MF. The MF stands for Mad Flows or Master of Flows.
Grimm has hinted at being one of the ghost writers on Dr. Dre's The Chronic.
I.B.'s
MF Grimm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gotta get the fuck outta here
Doom, I gotta get the fuck out brah
"I stole your girl while you was in prison"
Will I see you again, Facin' life love, sittin in the pen
Jail, no bail, so I don't know when
And I think about you
My freedom the things I want to do
I workout, wait for you to come home
Hold it down sly time on the phone
"Hello", "What's up"
So much you want to say
I listen to you as you talk about your day
I thank the lord that you picked me as your man
But if you can't stick by, I understand
Do your thing, you've got one life to live
Pure love is all that you give
I'm Stressed out today, fucked up in the head
Thinking about what I.B. said
"I stole your girl while you was in prison"
(chorus)
Incarceration blues, locked up front page on the news
Fucked up because I'm thinkin about you
Staring at your picture, wishin I was with ya
Will I see you again
Are you loyal are you with other men
Life's hard, yea the things we go through
Together hold it down love, and I'll hold you (hold you)
I miss you so much
Back to lockdown I'll call you after lunch
I'd prefer a visit so you I could touch
Kiss you softly, make me feel free
Smell your perfume, hear you love me
Obviously I picked a winner
Mafia love from birth been a sinner
Burn eterna -ly 'time for dinner',
Times up love, call you after dinner
"Back to lockdown"
Dreams of picnics in the park
Lights out now I'm writing in the dark
I'm stressed out tonight fucked up in the head
Thinkin about what this D said
(chorus)
The song "I.B.'s" by MF Grimm tells the story of a man who is in prison and is longing for his girlfriend who is on the outside. The man is facing the harsh reality of life in prison without his love and is trying to hold on to hope that they will see each other again in the future. He describes his feelings of longing, depression, and stress and also expresses his desire to hold and kiss his girlfriend. The chorus of the song emphasizes his frustration and sadness about being locked up and missing his significant other.
The lyrics of the song contain deep emotional themes of love, loyalty, and sacrifice. The man in the song is willing to wait for his girl and understands that life can be difficult and unpredictable. The line "Pure love is all that you give" highlights the man's appreciation and gratitude for the love that his girlfriend has shown him, even while he is incarcerated. The song also touches on the harsh reality of the US prison system and its effect on individuals and families.
Line by Line Meaning
I gotta get outta here
I need to escape from this place
I gotta get the fuck outta here
I urgently need to leave this place
Doom, I gotta get the fuck out brah
I'm in a terrible situation and I need to escape
"I stole your girl while you was in prison"
I had a romantic relationship with your girlfriend while you were incarcerated
Will I see you again, Facin' life love, sittin in the pen
I wonder if I'll ever see you again while I'm in prison serving a long sentence
Jail, no bail, so I don't know when
I can't get out of jail until my sentence is over and I don't know when that will be
We'll be together, but until then, I lay in the cell
We will be together again, but for now, all I can do is stay in my cell
And I think about you
You constantly occupy my thoughts
My freedom the things I want to do
I miss my Freedom and the things I used to do
I workout, wait for you to come home
I exercise and wait for your release from prison
Hold it down sly time on the phone
Stay strong while speaking on the phone in secret
"Hello", "What's up"
Our casual greeting during our conversation
So much you want to say
There are a lot of things you want to say to me
I listen to you as you talk about your day
I listen to you as you tell me about your daily experiences
I thank the lord that you picked me as your man
I'm grateful to God that you chose me as your partner
But if you can't stick by, I understand
I appreciate your loyalty, but I understand if you can't stay with me
Do your thing, you've got one life to live
Live your life the way you want because you only have one life
Pure love is all that you give
You only give pure love to me
I'm Stressed out today, fucked up in the head
I'm incredibly stressed and mentally struggling today
Thinking about what I.B. said
Reflecting on what I.B. told me
"Incarceration blues, locked up front page on the news"
I feel miserable being locked up in jail and seeing headlines about it in the news
Fucked up because I'm thinkin about you
I'm feeling terrible because I'm thinking about you
Staring at your picture, wishin I was with ya
I'm looking at your picture and wishing I could be with you
Are you loyal are you with other men
I wonder if you're being faithful to me or seeing other men
Life's hard, yea the things we go through
Life is tough, and we have to endure difficult experiences
Together hold it down love, and I'll hold you (hold you)
We need to support each other through the hard times and be there for one another
I miss you so much
I'm deeply missing you
Back to lockdown I'll call you after lunch
I have to go back to being locked up, but I'll call you after lunch
I'd prefer a visit so you I could touch
I'd rather have a visit so I can physically touch you
Kiss you softly, make me feel free
Kissing you will give me a sense of freedom and release
Smell your perfume, hear you love me
I want to smell your perfume and hear you say you love me
Obviously I picked a winner
I obviously chose a great partner in you
Mafia love from birth been a sinner
I've always had a strong love for the Mafia, but I've also done some evil things
Burn eterna -ly 'time for dinner',
I have to end the call and hang up because it's time for dinner
Times up love, call you after dinner
Our conversation has to end for now, but I'll call you again after dinner
"Back to lockdown"
I have to go back to being locked up in jail
Dreams of picnics in the park
I have happy dreams of picnics in the park with you
Lights out now I'm writing in the dark
I'm writing in the dark since the lights have been turned off for the night
I'm stressed out tonight fucked up in the head
I'm incredibly stressed and mentally struggling tonight
Thinkin about what this D said
Reflecting on what D told me
(chorus)
Refrain/Chorus that repeats throughout the song
Contributed by Lila D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.