Customer Reviews

Scars & Memories

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I aparently had been listening to Grimm for years and didn't even know it. Back when I was bumping Kurious' "Constipated Monkey" and Kool G Rap's "4,5,6" LP, Grimm was featured on some of my favorite cuts. It was only years later when I started listening to Grimm that I realized I was inadvertantly down from day uno.

This LP shows the span of his work from the early 90s' to the present and it's a solid LP. Unfortunately, due to masters being lost or stolen, the sound quality on his older material is like a dub of a dub of a bootleg. It still is amazing to hear the original version of "Take Em' To War" which was on Kool G Rap's "4,5,6" LP. I honestly had no idea that Grimm developed so much of that song before G Rap got involved.

"Scars And Memories" is worth a listen and would have been a great introduction before "Downfall of Iblys," but alas it wasn't, but we still have it now. The album still has much of the raw emotion that "Iblys" carries, but at times isn't as intense as the forementioned LP. (mostly due to this album being more of a comp. of his prior work.) Still, this album is amazing and gives you a glimpse into how talented Grimm is.

I didn't know much about MF Grimm until I really got into MF Doom some years back. I ended up grabbin' the Doom vs Grimm ep, which is dope, but it only gave me a small taste of what Grimm was capable of, so when I had an opportunity to pick up Scars and Memories I wasted no time. The album is a collection of songs between 1990-2005, but none of the dates are given, but listening to the songs you can get a feel for when it was written. To get this out of the way, Doom produced the first track "Take em to war" for his only appearance, but its one of my favorite beats I've heard from him, it sounds as though it was done in the late nineties, maybe right after operation doomsday, but Grimm absolutely destroys it. I had NO idea Grimm could come off like this, I had no recollection of ever hearing him so raw and his flow was just effortless. Song after song, Grimm suprised me, I didn't know he could be this good to be honest. I was expecting some hard rugged beats with some New York street rap thrown in, but this is an entirely different animal. The production is good, but its not like Doom laced the whole album. Its the content of the lyrics and the delivery that keeps me tuned in. The cd has a somber mood to it, so its not a sunny summer drive type of album, but man it gets the job done. My only gripe is the sound quality, Grimm puts in the liner notes that the original reels were stolen, so they had to piece it together, but its still a must have for any fans of Doom, KMD, Kool G Rap, Wu, etc...

On a side note, Grimm was NEVER a member of KMD, that was Zev Luv X(MF Doom), Subroc(Doom's brother), and Onyx whom was only a part of the Mr. Hood album. And when they are referencing Gravediggaz, it was with him and Roc Raida, not the Rza's Gravediggaz. He's Grim Reaper, MF Grimm, GM Grimm or Superstar Jet Jaguar from MIC and that's it.

This album is an overview of MF Grimm's earlier musical output. Some of it is definitely in keeping with the Constipated Monkey and Monster Island early '90s kind of sound---fast-moving, plain ol' good new york hip-hop.

It is also a document of Grimm's life during the time span covered. The compilation is interspersed with radio interviews of Grimm on topics relevant to the songs. There's two Grimms here: the one that was living those experiences (the songs), and the one reflecting on them (the interviews). It's a compilation, but it tells his story, coming off as a strong personal statement in the process.

One thing I'm curious about is that the version of "Scars and Memories" that is on this album seems a little different from the one I was familiar with on Bobbito's "Farewell Fondle'Em" compilation. I liked the Fondle'Em version better, and I am kind of curious to know if the song was re-recorded, or if both versions stem from the same time period, or what. I wonder if many of the other tracks are different versions from ones that were released in the past...if so, then this compilation is far from definitive.

Either way, it's a great introduction to the story of MF Grimm, and one of the more essential pieces for anyone interested in the artist. Grimm is definitely one of the more personal and introspective artists I've come to familiarize myself with, but this correlates with his experiences.

this album is mad ill,i love albums like this. basically what it is it's an album filled with his underground singles from the 90's.the album itself has dark productions,dark streets beats,if u see this in stores buy it.it's worth your money.for those who don't know mf grimm, he's mf doom's boy, they were in a group called KMD back in the early 90's. in this album it talks about how he got paralyzed and it has interesting interviews. if ur a big fan of mf grimm or 90's hip hop or u wanna know what he was like back in the 90's,then this is your album.if you're into commercial hip hop and that krunk or reggaeton crap then this isn't for you.support real hip hop.