It is with his own personal declaration of fear that Craig “muMs” Grant grabs our attention during his performance of “A Sucker Emcee,” directed by Jenny Koons and with music by Rich Medina. Using slam poetry, the characters of his life and hip-hop, he reminisces about his life, journeying from his early childhood to the present day.
He walked us through the schoolyards of his adolescence, where he lived amid the drugs and gangs of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The lyrics and backbeat of hip-hop, his life’s soundtrack, came along for the ride and heightened our experience. Medina produced a soundtrack that complimented Craig’s life story while adding tone and texture onstage. Together, Koons, Grant and Medina spun a spell and fully transported the Labyrinth Theater audience to the time of the birth of hip-hop and the “burning Bronx,” the music and setting of Grant’s youth.
An internationally lauded poet, Grant has performed at over 200 cafes, colleges and universities around the globe. He is a storyteller, and his pace on stage is deliberate. His candor and confidence endeared all as he shared the struggles of his hazy college years, his relationship with his father and the realities of his current role of caretaker for his dear mother. Medina’s music selections helped tell the story and placed us in time. The collective head nod of the audience was hypnotic. The man, mic and music had them all mesmerized until they responded to Grant’s call, in time, “Aiiight.”
He drove the room to laughter when he shared the origin of “muMs,” broke into the dance moves of our youth, recreated his first teen rap battle and took us to the moment when Sean “Puffy” Combs listened to the music of “Uncontrolled Substance,” Grant’s first rap group. Hip-hop provided Grant shelter and healed him as he walked the streets of New York, searching for the mic and a spotlight. Hip-hop was the lover and friend that never left his side and provided Grant a reflection with which to gaze deeper into his own truths and reality.
Renowned for his role as Arnold Jackson, aka “Poet,” on the HBO hit show “Oz,” his talent was evident as he depicted tragic gang violence and the death of his father. He easily brought the crowd to a stillness and silence that evoked tears until the beat came in. As both Medina and Grant nodded and moved in step, the audience witnessed the shared experience of Black people and hip-hop. Every time their mouths moved together, we were reminded of the binding properties of the downbeat, rhythm and rhyme. Grant succeeded in delivering his story and gospel, accompanied by the hymns of hip-hop. At the end, Grant hearkened back to his initial declaration of fear and implored us all to stand tall against our own and find the emcee that lives within us all. The strength of his message drove the audience to their feet. Bravo!
For more information, visit www.labtheater.org/events/a-sucker-emcee.