BOOK REVIEW: Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm

aquaboogie — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:50:00 GMT

In Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm (Vertigo), the world of graphic novels and Hip-Hop collide, resulting in a kinetic autobiography of one of the most cryptic MCs in the rap game. Illustrated by artist Ronald Wimberly, the comic book covers M.F. Grimm’s rancorous life as a hostile snot nose and hardened gun toter, before his lifelong paralysis. It’s the comic book equivalent to Boyz N The Hood, a classic hood tale of street rage and redemption.

Chapter one starts off oddly enough in a television studio where young Percy Carey (MF Grimm), is a child cast member of Sesame Street. At the same time, Carey is growing up on the west side of Manhattan, picking up Hip-Hop culture from his a la mode older sisters. He gets thrown out of Park West High School for fighting, and neighborhood beefs turn to volatile shootings. MF Grimm offers a thorough tale as he recalls memorable rap battles, a deal with Suge Knight gone sour and shootouts amongst the palm trees of California.

Of course, the turning point in Grimm’s story happens on January 12, 1994 when he was paralyzed from the waist down from gunshot wounds. He writes, “I died on the scene. I clearly felt my body going through a transformation, and I was at peace.” It would get worse. After that fateful day, Grimm would go through more incarcerations, scuffles, and drug raids all while recording some of the best underground Hip-Hop that the world has heard with partner MF Doom. His visual accounts will have eyes fixed on the page, wondering when this dude’s drama will stop.

Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm is far from corny. The drawings are not forced nor does the book’s theme come across as overly Hip-Hop. It’s a must-read for anyone out there who thinks gun wounds and crying mothers are cool. Grimm lived the gangsta life and relates the experience of a troublesome young man bested by his personal demons. Still, somehow Grimm turns his tumultuous life into a tale of redemption, well worth reading and learning from.

MF Grimm: Breadwinner (AllHipHop Feature Story)

PREVIEW Sentences (Via DC Comics)

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BOOK REVIEW: Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm