A longtime partner to another great underground MF, Grimm (a.k.a. “GM Grimm†for Grand Master) is perhaps best known for his collaborations on one of the greatest rap albums in the history of the genre, “Operation: Doomsday.†A true gangsta survivor who has been sentenced to life in prison (but he got the sentence reduced by acting as his own attorney!), been shot (and wheelchair-bound because of it), and even had a comic book written about him, Grimm has just released his 4th independent album, “The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man.â€
And it is his best one yet.
Previous Grimm efforts have often been disjointed or bloated affairs, but his one is a concept album about the adventures of a hood called “Gingerbread Man†in a
place called Candy Land, fighting enemies with Krispy Kreme hearts who have too much yeast and keeping the cookie creeps shook. Basically, if you thought Masta Ace and Jean Grae’s “Soda and Soap†was witty (you know, the one where they name-check every brand of soda ever made), or admired DOOM’s MMM . . . Food
record, this will fit in nicely in your kitchen. Check out the brilliance of “My House,†the grimey retelling of Hansel and Gretel, with Gingy as the wolf, bringing candy-loving Gretel home to his Gingerbread Mansion to unleash her inner freak. Sex rhymes are my least favorite raps, usually, but this one is so witty that it breaks through as a stellar track. “Head In The Clouds†is another great track. It tells of GM heading up to heaven to sell dust to angels and demanding that they get off his cloud.
Throughout, the beats, produced by Stricknine and Sammsonite (who have worked with underground favorite Thirstin Howl III), among others, are similarly top notch. Rather than being strictly old school, they go from grimey to sample-heavy, allowing Grimm to change his style up several times throughout this epic tale.
In a year marked by more than a few ho-hums and missteps, this is a welcome addition to the 2007 hip hop crew. If you’re a rap fan, you’ll want to get this to see how even the gangsta genre can still be creative, fresh, and groundbreaking. If you’re not a fan, check this out. You might become one.
The Hunt for Gingerbread Man-MF Grimm
Bonus track:
