Grimm Reaper: Percy Carey

SET IN THE BASEMENT STUDIOS, back-alley battles and house parties where hip-hop began to flourish, the graphic novel "Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm" (Vertigo) tells the true story of the rise, fall and redemption of Percy Carey — aka rapper M.F. Grimm, a former friend and colleague of indie-rap star M.F. Doom.

Accompanied by art from Ronald Wimberly, Carey tells his life story, from the first time he rocked a mike to the tragic to the gang-related shooting that left him paralyzed to his prison stint related to drug slinging. The resilient Carey — now the CEO of his own label and distribution company, Day By Day Entertainment — provides an uncensored look into the side of hip-hop many believe only exist in verse.

» EXPRESS: Why did you choose to tell your story in a graphic novel format?
» CAREY: I'd have to say the graphic novel chose me. But my reason for being in agreement with doing it is because it seemed like it was the appropriate way to come. [The graphic novel] was something that was never fully used in hip-hop.

» EXPRESS: You're a big fan of comics, and your life is like a movie; you never imagined yourself the superhero?
» CAREY: I didn't feel like my life story was newsworthy enough. I thought it was kind of boring. When I'm thinking graphic novels, I'm thinking "V for Vendetta."

» EXPRESS: Did you tailor your experiences at all to seem more heroic?
» CAREY: Actually, I really was reluctant to write the stuff that I wrote out already. So I couldn't do that. I would prefer to go into a fantasy realm of creating something brand new, then to try to write about myself or enhance myself to be something more than is humanly possible.

» EXPRESS: Are there incidents that you just couldn't include?
» CAREY: It's a lot of things that I didn't include. That's another reason why the medium of the graphic novel was cool. Say, for instance, if it was a film, then there's a lot of detail that you would have to put in between. But a graphic novel was to my satisfaction, or my taste, because I was able to dictate it the way I chose. In my music I talk a lot about my life, but at times there's no way to edit certain things when you're discussing via MCing, or poetry, or things of that nature. The graphic novel is a great medium when you just want to get a story across but not tell everything about yourself.

» EXPRESS: With all the violence and loss was this a rough story to tell?
» CAREY: It was rough to remember. It did bring up a lot of memories of people that are no longer here, or people who are incarcerated, or people who just cared about my well being, and I put them through a lot, being selfish. It brought up a lot of emotion but it was good. It was like a rebirth because at the same time I saw a lot of immaturity. Like, "Wow, I was really like that?" It didn't make no sense to be like that all this time. It's fortunate that I was able to learn from my mistakes and to continue. So I'm thankful for that.

» EXPRESS: Yours is a very inspirational story.
» CAREY: I would prefer it to be something that's inspirational. If you chop trees, you got to plant trees. It's not fair to keep taking from an environment without giving back. I took a lot and I have to give back even more. And if my failures are something that can create a successful plan for someone else not to do what I've done, I feel happy about that.

» EXPRESS: You could have gone the scandalous route and dished a little more on some of the more popular artists that make cameos.
» CAREY: Number one, my mother raised me to be polite, or I got problems. Number two, I realize that I made a lot of mistakes, so who am I to judge? I just try to stay between the lines. Plus, a lot of the people are good people. Sometimes it's just miscommunication.

» EXPRESS: Since you held some stuff back this go around, does that mean we can expect a book two?
» CAREY: Without question. I've been working hard on another one. Right now, though, I have a new album called "The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man." It should be released, like, September 22. Also, I'm working on an animation called "Krummz" and I'm doing that with Ms. Niema Holmes and her father, Mr. Preston Holmes. He's done "New Jack City," "Juice" and "Hustle & Flow."

» To read an excerpt of "Sentences," click here.
Images courtesy DC Comics