MC 900 Ft. Jesus
| MC 900 Ft. Jesus | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mark Griffin |
| Genres | Hip hop, jazz, experimental |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Years active | 1989–1995 |
| Labels | I.R.S. Records American Recordings Nettwerk |
MC 900 Ft. Jesus is the stage name of Mark Griffin, a classically trained musician[citation needed] turned rapper and experimental musician born in Dallas, Texas.
MC 900 Ft. Jesus' music is influenced by hip-hop, incorporating many sound samples. His first album, Hell With the Lid Off included the single "Truth is Out of Style" which gained a cult following. His subsequent single, "The City Sleeps", explored the mind of a serial arsonist. His most recent composition, "If I Only Had a Brain", gained increased exposure from the music video directed for it by a young Spike Jonze, as well as exposure on MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head cartoon show.
Griffin's stage name came from a sermon by Oral Roberts, in which the televangelist claimed that he had received a vision of a 900-foot-tall (270 m) Jesus, who commanded him to build a hospital on the campus of Oral Roberts University. Griffin's first album, Hell With The Lid Off (1989) was released under the name "MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero", but the MC has sole billing on Welcome To My Dream (1991) and One Step Ahead of The Spider (1994). According to a Chicago Tribune article dated November 8, 1991, DJ Zero appears on Welcome To My Dream under his real name, Patrick Rollins, because of uncertainty about whether he would have been able to tour in support of the album. Rollins/Zero appears on One Step Ahead of The Spider but is not listed in the credits.
Griffin eventually became disillusioned with the music industry, and following unproductive sessions for his fourth album, felt he had taken his style of music as far as he wanted to go. Record label interest waned. Needing a new direction, he gained his commercial pilot's license, hoping to become a flight instructor, but eventually took a job at a large bookstore.[1]
As of 2007, he began DJing weekly at a Dallas music venue, Lee Harvey's, located in the Cedars neighborhood near downtown. According to their calendar, December 19, 2009 may have been the last time he performed there.[2]
Contents |
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
- Hell with the Lid Off (1989): MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero
- Welcome to My Dream (1991): MC 900 Ft. Jesus
- One Step Ahead of the Spider: (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Singles [edit]
- Too Bad / Shut Up: (1988) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero
- I'm Going Straight To Heaven: (1989) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero
- Truth Is Out Of Style: (1989) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero
- UFO's Are Real: (1990) MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero
- Killer Inside Me: (1991) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
- The City Sleeps: (1991) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
- If I Only Had A Brain: (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
- But If You Go: (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
- Falling Elevators: (1996) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
References [edit]
- ^ Hughey, Jesse. "MC 900 Ft. Jesus Lives", Dallas Observer, 31 January 2008.
- ^ "Lee Harvey's - August 2007". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
