DUSTY CRATES

The Sesame Street Paradox

Percy Carey's story begins not in hardship, but in privilege. Born into a "loving middle-class family" on Manhattan's Upper West Side, his neighbor was Morgan Freeman. At age five, Freeman connected Carey's mother with Sesame Street producers, launching his four-year career as a child actor (ages 5-9). Carey was documented as the "first child to ride Snuffleupagus" - a symbolic prophecy of his future as an "underground legend" invisible to the mainstream establishment.

The experience fostered his narrative creation skills. Carey contributed an episode idea about losing a tooth, which Jim Henson adapted into a script. This early immersion in storytelling mechanics foreshadowed his later autobiographical works, from "The Downfall of Ibliys" to the award-winning graphic novel "Sentences."

Build and Destroy: The Making of The Grimm Reaper

At 14, Carey decided to be an MC, with his mother supporting him with turntables and microphone. King Sun gave him his first alias: "Build and Destroy" - a prophetic framework for his entire life. As a teenager, he was described as an "NFL-caliber outside linebacker" and "middleweight boxer," but his criminal enterprise was "destroying" legitimate opportunities.

The ultimate example: Carey was slated to appear on Main Source's 1991 "Live at the BBQ" - the track that launched Nas's career. He missed it because he was in jail. His criminal life was directly destroying career opportunities.

1994: The Cataclysm and Transformation

In 1994, while on their way to sign with Atlantic Records, Carey and his brother Jay were ambushed by rival drug dealers. The attack was devastating: Jay was killed instantly. Carey was shot seven times, left blind, deaf, and paralyzed from the neck down. He eventually recovered his sight and hearing, but the paralysis remained.

This moment created "MF Grimm." His physical power - the source of his aggression as an athlete - was gone. All his discipline had to be channeled through his mind. His lyrics became his weapon, his art his only form of "mobility." The 1994 ambush was the literal death of his mainstream life ("Build") and the birth of his underground persona ("Destroy").

The DOOM Alliance and Betrayal

In the early 1990s, Carey befriended Daniel Dumile (Zev Love X of KMD), bonding over shared trauma (Dumile's brother DJ Subroc's death and Carey's paralysis). They lived together, "looking after one another."

The mainstream narrative of MF DOOM's creation is incomplete. Grimm was the essential patron: he executive produced and funded KMD's shelved album "Black Bastards," financed DOOM's 1999 debut solo album "Operation: Doomsday," and supplied samples. The album that launched the DOOM legend was recorded in Grimm's basement.

Their alliance disintegrated into one of underground hip-hop's bitterest feuds. Grimm alleged he was never paid royalties for his foundational role in "Operation: Doomsday." DOOM's response included "Deep Fried Frenz" and "Midgets Into Crunk" (M.I.C.) disses. Grimm's response, "The Book of Daniel" (2006), was a surgical indictment: "I don't deep-fry friends/Grimm Reaper nuke 'em/Hearts don't mend."

The 24-Hour Opera

In 2000, Carey's criminal life culminated in narcotics conspiracy charges. Under New York's Rockefeller Drug Laws, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Before his sentence began, he was granted a single day of freedom on $100,000 bail.

In a singular act of creative defiance, he went to a studio and, in 24 hours, recorded his entire debut album "The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera." This transformed the album from a commercial product into a legal testament. Facing a life sentence, Carey seized control of his own narrative.

Literary Recognition

Upon release, Grimm focused on his masterpiece: "American Hunger" (2006) - hip-hop's first-ever triple album. The three discs ("Breakfast," "Lunch," "Dinner") represented a life story so dense it required three parts. AllMusic gave it 4/5 stars, calling it "one of the most thought-provoking and intelligent records—in any genre—of the new century."

In 2007, as Percy Carey, he authored the autobiographical graphic novel "Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm." Published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, it achieved massive mainstream success:

• TIME Magazine: "Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2007"
• Eisner Awards: Nominated for "Best Reality-Based Work"
• Glyph Comics Awards: Winner for "Story of the Year" and "Best Cover"

The title itself was a masterstroke - a triple entendre encompassing his lyrical "sentences," his life sentence from the justice system, and the literary sentences telling his story in prose.

The Enduring Legacy

Today, Percy Carey continues as rapper, producer, and CEO of Day By Day Entertainment. His most recent release "The Bottom Line" (2025) proves his continued relevance. He represents the ultimate testament to hip-hop's power: an artist who, when "destroyed" by circumstance, repeatedly built new and profound narratives from the ruins.

His story embodies the American dream and nightmare lived simultaneously - the Sesame Street child actor and the kingpin handed a life sentence, the patron who bankrolled an icon and the partner betrayed by him, the paralyzed man declaring himself a "god of war." MF Grimm's legacy is that of an artist who fought radical, defiant authorship over his own story.