Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm [Hardcover]

Percy Carey (Author), Ronald Wimberly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2007

Underground hip-hop icon Percy Carey, a.k.a. M.F. Grimm, tells the true story of his life in the game, from dizzying heights to heartbreaking losses, in this raw, brutally honest graphic novel memoir.

In SENTENCES, Carey chronicles his life in the sometimes glamorous, often violent, world of hip-hop, from the first time he picked up a microphone at a block party to the day he lost the use of his legs to gang violence, from his incarceration to his rise to the top of his game as a hip-hop grandmaster. No questions are left unanswered and no apologies are made, resulting in a truly groundbreaking graphic novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Black, white and gray are the appropriate palette for this somber autobiographical narrative. Carey covers his experiences from his years as a child performer on Sesame Street through hip-hop stardom as MF Grimm. His simultaneous life as a dope dealer leads to a darker turn, as a drug-feud ambush leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. The story follows his subsequent time in prison and his current career as an entertainment producer. Along the way, he gives glimpses of the mother who fiercely defended him and the neighborhood that nurtured him, but he gives more stress to his exploits as a thug, his meetings with hip-hop stars he considered rivals and/or peers, and the hunger for money and recognition that led him to take dangerous risks. Wimberly's art reinforces Carey's raw script—solid dark masses engulfing graceful, jittery linework in the style of Eduardo Russo's 100 Bullets, but the full impact of Carey's experiences doesn't come through. So many things are happening that it's hard to remember who's doing what to whom, and why it matters. That's unfortunate, because Carey wants to make his life meaningful as he urges young readers to choose something besides guns ands crime. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Born and raised in Manhattan, Percy Carey has been a part of the hip-hop community since the early 1990s. He was known for being a fierce battle MC, and was pondering several record deals when an attempt was made on his life in 1993. He was left paralyzed from the neck down but eventually regained the use of his arms. From his wheelchair, Carey rebounded into his music, releasing classic underground singles on Bobbito Garcia's Fondle Em Records as well as his legendary recorded work with MF Doom and The Monster Island Czars. After serving time and beating a life sentence for conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Carey created Day By Day Entertainment to promote and develop musicians across the rock and hip hop spectrum.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (September 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401210465
• ISBN-13: 978-1401210465
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.6 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engagingly real, September 13, 2007

By 

J. Michael (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm (Hardcover)

From everything I'd read, this is an autobiographical work by a hip-hop artist who came upon some misfortune, and that's putting it lightly. I started this with "from what I'd read..." because I researched the story before I pre-ordered it. I wanted a *real* story -- written by someone who'd been there, whether it was true or not. I'm about as white as they come, but I have a certain respect for this culture. I recognize hip-hop as an art form, although one I personally can't listen to in large quantities. It's poetry, and even though the message is often beyond my understanding or approval, it takes a certain amount of talent to produce this kind of work.

I wanted a real story, and I got one. I have to believe that Percy Carey had some assistance on the writing side, but it's an engaging and moving ride. (I mention "assistance" such as writing a comic script in the form we've seen in GN supplements, not such as translation to English from Ebonics.) The events and people are familiar to me -- at least, a few of them are, and the rest feel that way because I bonded that much with the main character (Carey) almost from the beginning. It's that well done.

The art is rich and fluid. Occasional altered perspectives remind me of early Mad cartooning, and the use of gray tones and high contrasts give just the right amount of lighting effects and maintain the mood. It feels inconsistent at times -- sometimes it's not easy to recognize someone from one page to the next, but this is one of those cases where the writing covered for that. Ordinarily, I admire the art while the words get in the way. This is not one of those cases.

So this isn't your standard offering from Marvel or DC, and it's even a little different than I expected from Vertigo. It's certainly not for everyone -- it's foul-mouthed and violent (but not gory) -- but it's one of the best reads I've had in recent memory.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Hip Hoppers, December 7, 2008

By 

Benjamin D. Lapointe "fordracer40" (Amherst, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sentences: The Life Of M.F. Grimm (Paperback)

This is a must read for fans of Hip Hop. That being said, I don't know if can recommend it for Graphic Novel readers in general (reason for 3 stars). Percy Carey grew up in the middle of Hip Hop, and he tells his unbiased story here.

5.0 out of 5 stars A good lesson, July 15, 2011

By 

John D. Carling "JDCARLING" (Orlando, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm (Hardcover)

I read this and was impressed not only by the art work, but how the images really brought me to feeling like I could understand a bit about this guys life. Usually those feelings and emotions only come to me through the text, but somehow this graphic story increased my imersion instead of derailing it as is the case with many graphic books.