MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Encyclopedia
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 feet (274.3 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.
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 whimsical 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 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.
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.
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and experimental musician born in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Griffin's stage name came from a sermon by Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
, in which the televangelist claimed that he had received a vision of a 900 feet (274.3 m) Jesus, who commanded him to build a hospital on the campus of Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
. 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
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
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.
MC 900 Ft. Jesus' music is influenced by hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, incorporating many samples. "Hell With the Lid Off
Hell with the Lid Off
Hell With the Lid Off, released in 1990 , is the first album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus collaborating with DJ Zero .Hell With the Lid Off was released on Nettwerk Records...
" 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 whimsical music video directed by a young Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
as well as exposure on MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
and heavy national tour support.
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.
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.
Albums
- Hell with the Lid OffHell with the Lid OffHell With the Lid Off, released in 1990 , is the first album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus collaborating with DJ Zero .Hell With the Lid Off was released on Nettwerk Records...
(1989): MC 900 Ft. Jesus With DJ Zero - Welcome to My DreamWelcome to My DreamWelcome to my Dream is the second album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus, released in 1991 .The track "Falling Elevators" was featured in the 1996 Levi's commercial "Washroom" directed by Tarsem Singh.-Track listing:#"Falling Elevators" – 6:46...
(1991): MC 900 Ft. Jesus - One Step Ahead of the SpiderOne Step Ahead of the SpiderOne Step Ahead of the Spider is the third album from MC 900 Ft. Jesus, released in 1994 . It includes the hit "If I Only Had a Brain", whose video was directed by Spike Jonze and included in a Beavis and Butt-head episode. Various tracks are sometimes used as bumper music on National Public Radio...
: (1994) MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Singles
- 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