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MC 900 Ft. Jesus

 
Artist: MC 900 Ft. Jesus
MC 900 Ft. Jesus

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Mark Griffin

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  • Born: 1956, Dallas, TX
  • Active: '80s, '90s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Producer
  • Representative Albums: "One Step Ahead of the Spider", "Welcome to My Dream
  • Representative Songs: "The City Sleeps", "If I Only Had a Brain", "Killer Inside Me

Biography

Taking the name MC 900 Ft. Jesus from an Oral Roberts' sermon, the Dallas native Mark Griffin began recording in the late '80s. MC 900 Ft. Jesus' first records were bracing fusions of hip-hop, industrial, and spoken word, with hints of jazz. He became a favorite on college radio with his 1990 debut, Hell With the Lid Off, and 1991's Welcome to My Dream, yet he never established much more than a cult following. Laying low for a couple years, MC 900 Ft. Jesus returned with his most popular record to date in 1994, One Step Ahead of the Spider. Featuring the hit single "If I Only Had a Brain," the record was calmer than his earlier work, incorporating more elements of jazz and funk; it was a hit on both alternative radio and MTV. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: MC 900 Ft. Jesus
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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[1]

MC 900 Ft. Jesus is the stage name of Mark Griffin, a classically-trained musician turned rapper and experimental musician born in Dallas, Texas.

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 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 is not listed in the credits for One Step Ahead of The Spider.

MC 900 Ft. Jesus' music is influenced by hip-hop, incorporating many samples. "Hell With the Lid Off" included the cult single "Truth is Out of Style". His next hit was "The City Sleeps", which explores the mind of a serial arsonist. His last cult hit, "If I Only Had a Brain", created a splash thanks to a music video directed by a young Spike Jonze as well as exposure on MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head and heavy national tour support.

Griffin eventually became disillusioned with the music industry, and following unproductive sessions for his fourth album felt he has 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.[2]

As of 2007, he began DJing weekly at a Dallas music venue, Lee Harvey's, located in the Cedars neighborhood near downtown.[3]

Contents

Discography

Albums

Maxi-Single

  • Falling Elevators: (1996) MC 900 Ft. Jesus

References

External links


 
 

 

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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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