Brothers Grym
Encyclopedia
Brothers Grym was a New York hip-hop group formed by Too Poetic (born Anthony Berkeley on November 15, 1964 - died July 15, 2001) and his two younger brothers, lyricists Brainstorm (born Joel Berkeley in 1969) and R&B hip-hop producer E# (born Edward Berkeley in 1971, aka E Sharp, Goalfingaz).
, Long Island, New York, although the family grew up in Wyandanch
, Long Island. The family of four brothers (Anthony, Richard, Joel, and Edward) and one sister (Dawne), of which Poetic (Anthony) was the eldest, were born to Trinidadian parents who moved from Trinidad and Tobago
in 1971, making their first residence in Queens, New York for a short time, then moving to Wyandanch. John Berkeley (a pastor and a local businessman) and Ela Berkeley (a homemaker, cook-nutritionist, and teacher) were both singers and artistic in general, and they encouraged artistic expression in their five children. The family was well-rounded musically, singing gospel
and R&B up to their early teens all around New York, other states, and Canada as "The Berkeley Singers". Anthony (Poetic), Dawne, and Joel (Brainstorm) sang, accompanied by Richard on the drums and Eddie (E-Sharp) on the piano or keyboard.
Poetic began rhyming in his early teens in Wyandanch, and was known by many names, the first of which was MC Supa Flea of the Wyandanch Crew The Phantom Squad, rolling with many other local crews of the era and building a name for himself as a lyrical battle MC. He changed his name to Poetic around 1985, and in 1986 he formed the crew known as Too Poetic, who in 1988-89 released a modestly popular single called: “God Made Me Funky/Poetical Terror”, under the DNA/Tommy Boy Music imprint. The group was composed of his two DJs and childhood friends - DJ Capital K (Fred Cox) and DJ Woody Wood (Randy Woods) — Too Poetic alluded to “Two DJs and One Poet”. The radio personality called DNA had been his manager and the host of the Hank Love & DNA Radio Show on 105.9FM WNWK of hip-hop underground radio fame. The group’s relationship with Tommy Boy Records
eventually panned out for various reasons, scrapping the album and making Poetic very displeased, an early casualty of the politics of the music business. Many artists who are not marketed properly have this attitude with their former labels.
While Poetic was just beginning his formal hip hop career in 1987-1989, Brainstorm was attending college at the State University of New York
at Farmingdale, Long Island, where he was the roommate of Brooklyn’s own Super DJ Richie Rich (who had been in Third Base, Clark Kent’s Supermen, and the movie Juice). The college based MC-DJ party collective called The Group Home Posse was loosely formed with Brainstorm and DJ Richie Rich to include his childhood friend The DJ-Rapper J.A.T. (Thomas Allen James), DJ Nike, Diamond Jay AKA “Americas Favorite DJ” (EPMD, Gravediggaz, Beyonce Knowles), and Diamond Shell (Biz Markie
’s brother) — all of whom attended Farmingdale University between 1987-1989. The university was host to many Hip Hop Artists as visitors for parties and to do shows like Rakim, EPMD, Producer-Super DJ Clark Kent, and Biz Markie.
After Brainstorm finished his college run in 1989, he took time to learn many aspects of the music business and attempted to record a solo demo with Marcy Projects’ Rapper-Producer The JAZ (Big Jaz, mentor of Jay Z), and was found in many rap circles with Long Island's KMD
and other “conscious” MCs of the time, but in 1989 he and Poetic mutually decided to pair up with a hardcore lyrical edge, original word play, and acute metaphors, after many collaborations between them since 1985. Thus, Da Bruthas G.R.Y.M. was born shortly after Too Poetic’s deal with DNA/Tommy Boy had soured. The energy and high chemistry between these true by-blood brothers at the time was, simply put, natural.
These cassette tape “dubs” floating around the NY streets in the late 80s and early 90s and their demo eventually made their way to the seasoned musical ear of fellow Amityvillain Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggaz) from his association with the local Long Island artists who had met the brothers and saw their raw talent. He was hooked on the brother’s metaphoric flare—all living in Amityville, Long Island at the time. In 1990 Prince Paul decided to fund and executive produce further demos, finding various other known and up-and-coming producers for the unnamed project, as well as being the tentative DJ for the group, after which they were very close to closing a deal reaching seven figures within a year's time, with bidding by well-known record companies propositioning for their lyrical artistry.
Then the unfortunate happened — being disenfranchised by the politics and games of the music business and life in general, Brainstorm just quit altogether for “personal enlightenment”, before any formal deal could solidify. According to him, “it was not about the money, it was about my personal growth and spiritual maturity”. Poetic understood about Brainstorm’s personal path at that stage in his life, but was silently devastated because they were so close to sealing a major record deal that would have propelled them further into Hip Hop history. Prince Paul was even more puzzled, not fully realizing the reasoning of Brainstorm’s sudden move — but he was still optimistic that a future project would be possible. Their original demo, even today, is still one of Prince Paul’s favorites. It was not until 1992 that Poetic, after Brainstorm quit pursuing a Hip Hop Career in 1991, that it is said that Poetic “fell on hard times”, including a short period of homelessness. Brainstorm would continue to write for leisure and therapeutic reasoning, but never to seriously pursue a music career, moving to Brooklyn New York and later down south to various states; in fact, Brainstorm was so “finished with Hip Hop” that he gave Poetic all of his original rhyme books to use at his own discretion — some lyrics ending up on Gravediggaz projects.
. Prince Paul (“The Undertaker”), The RZA (Prince Rakeem, Wu Tang Clan’s Abbot, “The RZArecta”), Frukwan
(Stetsasonic, “The Gatekeeper”, Sunstar) along with Poetic (“The G.R.Y.M. Reaper”, Tony Titanium), all X-Tommy Boy Artists, recorded their demo between 1992–93 and got their deal with Gee Street/Island Records
in 1994 — releasing their first classic single “Diary of a Mad Man” featuring Killah Priest
and Shabazz the Disciple
of the rap group Sunz of Man
(Wu Tang Camp). Their first single, which made them an instant fixture on the rap scene, was said to be a parody of the group’s trial for the murder of “Tommy's Boy”, a broader symbolism for all the record labels who rejected them, or counted their early careers as dead.
Brainstorm was still present for many of the recordings and mastering of the album Six Feet Deep at Fire House Studios, although he had moved out of Brooklyn down to New Orleans, Louisiana
and Columbus, Georgia
in 1992, then to Birmingham, Alabama
1994. They were still recording songs here and there as Bruthas Grym and as you can well note, Poetic left the original form of the name-acronym G.R.Y.M. to mean “Ghetto Repaired Young Mind” to refer back to Da Bruthas G.R.Y.M. — so it is clear that the seed of his unorthodox style started with the original Bruthas Grym recordings. Poetic, still optimistic despite the turn of events, waited patiently to reunite with Brainstorm to spark the old-school Golden-Age of Hip Hop Flavor that made him hone his original following. Almost viewing the Gravediggaz group-project as a vehicle to do just that. Bruthas Grym was no so-called “horrorcore” group, they were graphic story-tellers as there moniker suggests, and their purpose was always cultural awareness.
The Gravediggaz’ album Six Feet Deep
(also known as Niggamortis),was Certified Gold and received rave reviews for their original and much misunderstood “horrorcore” angle, spawning countless groups and admirers of the genre in the mid to late 90s. some of which will still acknowledge the impact of the Gravediggaz first album. Gravediggaz did not originate the term “horrorcore”; however, they did become one of the most successful of the genre. Some well known early horrorcore groups were: Russell Simmons
’ nephew Redrum’s (Jamel Simmons) group The Flatlinerz, also featuring Omen [OMN 999], a later inductee into Gravediggaz camp, under Poetic's Sharpshooters Regime on his label Plasma Records.
and Georgia
at the time, forming a short-lived group of three MCs called Ptahetic Poets with two MCs: Mind Bender AKA Reign Supreme and Sound Wave. The Sharpshooters’ compilation was being created by a whole regime of artist-soldiers for the project, Poetic was dubbed “General G.R.Y.M.” and the self-titled “The Horrorcore Father”. Among them were their brother E-Sharp (Eddie “Goalfingaz”), Flatlinerz-Gravediggaz Omen (now known as OMN 999), Sun of Man’s Shabazz The Disciple
, Shaqueen (Ma Barker), Amaze, Malik, Smuggler, Rhyme Valor, singer-songwriter Bell Muhammad, and others. Brainstorm and their cousin Prince (Self X-Planatory) crafted all of the skits of the groundbreaking album that was consequently never released. It was then that Poetic and Brainstorm recorded a few songs under the Bruthas G.R.Y.M. name again—most notably, “Buildin; In The Buildin'” produced by their brother E-Sharp.
The youngest of the brothers, known as E-Sharp then, although not a part of the original Brothers G.R.Y.M. crew, had been working closely alongside Poetic on the first Gravediggaz LP and more closely on their second LP “The Pick, The Sickle, And The Shovel”, as well as the Sharpshooters-Plasma Records compilation along with another cousin and sound engineer Big Winst. E-Sharp and Big Winst (Gravediggaz) had both attended Five Towns College
together to pursue careers as audio engineering and production. After graduation, E-Sharp quickly became a Top-Ten R&B Producer under the name “Goalfingaz” with Kay Gee’s (Naughty By Nature
) Divine Mills Label, gaining production credits and crafting such notable R&B hits like: the Divine Mills’ group Next’s “Wifey”, Divine Mills’ crooner Jaheim
’s “Just In Case” and “Fabulous”, Ideal’s “Whatever”, Faith Evans’ “Good Life”, the late Gerald Lavert’s “Made To Love You”, and various other gold and platinum hits, working with many Hip Hop and R&B groups and soloists since the mid 90s. He is currently working with Reign Supreme, American Idol’s Brittenum Twins, and 112
’s Slim and Q. By far, he is the most musical of the brothers.
Early years
The first incarnation of the group was formed around 1989 in AmityvilleAmityville, New York
Amityville is a village in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,441 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Long Island, New York, although the family grew up in Wyandanch
Wyandanch, New York
Wyandanch is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 10,546 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Long Island. The family of four brothers (Anthony, Richard, Joel, and Edward) and one sister (Dawne), of which Poetic (Anthony) was the eldest, were born to Trinidadian parents who moved from Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
in 1971, making their first residence in Queens, New York for a short time, then moving to Wyandanch. John Berkeley (a pastor and a local businessman) and Ela Berkeley (a homemaker, cook-nutritionist, and teacher) were both singers and artistic in general, and they encouraged artistic expression in their five children. The family was well-rounded musically, singing gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and R&B up to their early teens all around New York, other states, and Canada as "The Berkeley Singers". Anthony (Poetic), Dawne, and Joel (Brainstorm) sang, accompanied by Richard on the drums and Eddie (E-Sharp) on the piano or keyboard.
Poetic began rhyming in his early teens in Wyandanch, and was known by many names, the first of which was MC Supa Flea of the Wyandanch Crew The Phantom Squad, rolling with many other local crews of the era and building a name for himself as a lyrical battle MC. He changed his name to Poetic around 1985, and in 1986 he formed the crew known as Too Poetic, who in 1988-89 released a modestly popular single called: “God Made Me Funky/Poetical Terror”, under the DNA/Tommy Boy Music imprint. The group was composed of his two DJs and childhood friends - DJ Capital K (Fred Cox) and DJ Woody Wood (Randy Woods) — Too Poetic alluded to “Two DJs and One Poet”. The radio personality called DNA had been his manager and the host of the Hank Love & DNA Radio Show on 105.9FM WNWK of hip-hop underground radio fame. The group’s relationship with Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Entertainment is an independent record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman.-History:...
eventually panned out for various reasons, scrapping the album and making Poetic very displeased, an early casualty of the politics of the music business. Many artists who are not marketed properly have this attitude with their former labels.
While Poetic was just beginning his formal hip hop career in 1987-1989, Brainstorm was attending college at the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
at Farmingdale, Long Island, where he was the roommate of Brooklyn’s own Super DJ Richie Rich (who had been in Third Base, Clark Kent’s Supermen, and the movie Juice). The college based MC-DJ party collective called The Group Home Posse was loosely formed with Brainstorm and DJ Richie Rich to include his childhood friend The DJ-Rapper J.A.T. (Thomas Allen James), DJ Nike, Diamond Jay AKA “Americas Favorite DJ” (EPMD, Gravediggaz, Beyonce Knowles), and Diamond Shell (Biz Markie
Biz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...
’s brother) — all of whom attended Farmingdale University between 1987-1989. The university was host to many Hip Hop Artists as visitors for parties and to do shows like Rakim, EPMD, Producer-Super DJ Clark Kent, and Biz Markie.
After Brainstorm finished his college run in 1989, he took time to learn many aspects of the music business and attempted to record a solo demo with Marcy Projects’ Rapper-Producer The JAZ (Big Jaz, mentor of Jay Z), and was found in many rap circles with Long Island's KMD
KMD
KMD was an American hip hop trio in the early 1990s, best known for launching the career of acclaimed rapper and producer MF DOOM, who at the time was known as Zev Love X. Other members of the group were Rodan and DJ Subroc–Zev Love X's younger brother...
and other “conscious” MCs of the time, but in 1989 he and Poetic mutually decided to pair up with a hardcore lyrical edge, original word play, and acute metaphors, after many collaborations between them since 1985. Thus, Da Bruthas G.R.Y.M. was born shortly after Too Poetic’s deal with DNA/Tommy Boy had soured. The energy and high chemistry between these true by-blood brothers at the time was, simply put, natural.
The 1989-1992 years
In the first Bruthas G.R.Y.M. era (circa 1989-1992), the brothers Poetic (Brother One) and Brainstorm (Brother Two) garnered much respect on the underground Hip Hop scene of NY — whose “dubs” from underground radio shows were boasting lyrics beyond what was known at the time. Their first official demo featured the underground bangers “Bruthas G.R.Y.M.”, “Circle-Circle-Dot-Dot”, the politically charged “Popcorn” and “Livin’ In Hell (Had To Survive)”, the name-calling “Turtle Soup”, and a neighborhood favorite, the battle rhymes of “GRYMnastics”. The demo featured production mastering by Nate "NATO" Tinsley, their in-house producer Semi-Automatic (Pedro Sims, Mr. Semi, Gravediggaz), and the brothers themselves. After blazing underground radio and live shows around NYC with their lyrics and knowledge of self-based content, they were listed in THE SOURCE MAGAZINE as the best unsigned rap group of 1989. The crew was then managed by long time friend Jack Pope (Jack Sprat, Starving Artists Entertainment) who later became the road manager of the Gravediggaz. They acquired many long term relationship from Poetic’s various musical ties, as well as with Amityville locals like DJ-Cut Monitor Milo of Leaders of the New School (“The Case of the PTA”), Posdonous of De La Soul, and Doo Doo Man Records’ Crew (Prince Paul’s Def Jam Imprint) Resident Aliens.These cassette tape “dubs” floating around the NY streets in the late 80s and early 90s and their demo eventually made their way to the seasoned musical ear of fellow Amityvillain Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggaz) from his association with the local Long Island artists who had met the brothers and saw their raw talent. He was hooked on the brother’s metaphoric flare—all living in Amityville, Long Island at the time. In 1990 Prince Paul decided to fund and executive produce further demos, finding various other known and up-and-coming producers for the unnamed project, as well as being the tentative DJ for the group, after which they were very close to closing a deal reaching seven figures within a year's time, with bidding by well-known record companies propositioning for their lyrical artistry.
Then the unfortunate happened — being disenfranchised by the politics and games of the music business and life in general, Brainstorm just quit altogether for “personal enlightenment”, before any formal deal could solidify. According to him, “it was not about the money, it was about my personal growth and spiritual maturity”. Poetic understood about Brainstorm’s personal path at that stage in his life, but was silently devastated because they were so close to sealing a major record deal that would have propelled them further into Hip Hop history. Prince Paul was even more puzzled, not fully realizing the reasoning of Brainstorm’s sudden move — but he was still optimistic that a future project would be possible. Their original demo, even today, is still one of Prince Paul’s favorites. It was not until 1992 that Poetic, after Brainstorm quit pursuing a Hip Hop Career in 1991, that it is said that Poetic “fell on hard times”, including a short period of homelessness. Brainstorm would continue to write for leisure and therapeutic reasoning, but never to seriously pursue a music career, moving to Brooklyn New York and later down south to various states; in fact, Brainstorm was so “finished with Hip Hop” that he gave Poetic all of his original rhyme books to use at his own discretion — some lyrics ending up on Gravediggaz projects.
Work with the Gravediggaz
Poetic, under the guidance of Prince Paul, later transformed into the distinguished G.R.Y.M. or Grym Reaper in the most well-known Horrorcore Super Group GravediggazGravediggaz
Gravediggaz is an American hip hop group from New York City, well known for its dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes. The group was formed in 1994 and was effectively a supergroup, bringing together Prince Paul , Frukwan , Too Poetic and RZA...
. Prince Paul (“The Undertaker”), The RZA (Prince Rakeem, Wu Tang Clan’s Abbot, “The RZArecta”), Frukwan
Frukwan
Frukwan Sun-Star Allah-Bey is a Moorish American hip hop musician. He is best known as The Gatekeeper from the hip hop group Gravediggaz and was a member of the pioneering hip hop band Stetsasonic.- Early life :...
(Stetsasonic, “The Gatekeeper”, Sunstar) along with Poetic (“The G.R.Y.M. Reaper”, Tony Titanium), all X-Tommy Boy Artists, recorded their demo between 1992–93 and got their deal with Gee Street/Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in 1994 — releasing their first classic single “Diary of a Mad Man” featuring Killah Priest
Killah Priest
Walter Reed, better known as Killah Priest, Iron Sheik from the Middle East, or Masada, is an American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant & Brownsville neighbourhoods in Brooklyn. He is known for intensely spiritual lyrics loaded with metaphors and religious...
and Shabazz the Disciple
Shabazz the Disciple
Shabazz the Disciple or Scientific Shabazz, is a rapper from the Red Hook Houses of Red Hook, Brooklyn. He is an original member of the Sunz of Man and Da Last Future.- Biography :...
of the rap group Sunz of Man
Sunz of Man
Sunz of Man is a Wu-Tang Clan affiliated group that currently consists of Prodigal Sunn, Hell Razah, 60 Second Assassin, Shabazz the Disciple and Killah Priest. The group's first incarnation also included 7th Ambassador and Supreme...
(Wu Tang Camp). Their first single, which made them an instant fixture on the rap scene, was said to be a parody of the group’s trial for the murder of “Tommy's Boy”, a broader symbolism for all the record labels who rejected them, or counted their early careers as dead.
Brainstorm was still present for many of the recordings and mastering of the album Six Feet Deep at Fire House Studios, although he had moved out of Brooklyn down to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
in 1992, then to Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
1994. They were still recording songs here and there as Bruthas Grym and as you can well note, Poetic left the original form of the name-acronym G.R.Y.M. to mean “Ghetto Repaired Young Mind” to refer back to Da Bruthas G.R.Y.M. — so it is clear that the seed of his unorthodox style started with the original Bruthas Grym recordings. Poetic, still optimistic despite the turn of events, waited patiently to reunite with Brainstorm to spark the old-school Golden-Age of Hip Hop Flavor that made him hone his original following. Almost viewing the Gravediggaz group-project as a vehicle to do just that. Bruthas Grym was no so-called “horrorcore” group, they were graphic story-tellers as there moniker suggests, and their purpose was always cultural awareness.
The Gravediggaz’ album Six Feet Deep
Six Feet Deep
Six Feet Deep was a Christian metal band from Cleveland, Ohio.They released two albums, Struggle and The Road Less Traveled, before disbanding in the late 1990s. Myk Porter, the lead singer for the band went on to form the indie band Brandtson along with guitarist Matt Traxler....
(also known as Niggamortis),was Certified Gold and received rave reviews for their original and much misunderstood “horrorcore” angle, spawning countless groups and admirers of the genre in the mid to late 90s. some of which will still acknowledge the impact of the Gravediggaz first album. Gravediggaz did not originate the term “horrorcore”; however, they did become one of the most successful of the genre. Some well known early horrorcore groups were: Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
’ nephew Redrum’s (Jamel Simmons) group The Flatlinerz, also featuring Omen [OMN 999], a later inductee into Gravediggaz camp, under Poetic's Sharpshooters Regime on his label Plasma Records.
Reformation of The Bruthas Grym
The second incarnation of Bruthas Grym was after the first Gravediggaz album when Poetic reached out again to Brainstorm to get back into music through his Sharpshooters Regime and his label Plasma Records in 1996 where he recorded the hard-edged song “Bayaa!” produced by Poetic, and other notable jams with various MCs in the Sharpshooters Regime and Ancient Entities. Brainstorm had been living between AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
at the time, forming a short-lived group of three MCs called Ptahetic Poets with two MCs: Mind Bender AKA Reign Supreme and Sound Wave. The Sharpshooters’ compilation was being created by a whole regime of artist-soldiers for the project, Poetic was dubbed “General G.R.Y.M.” and the self-titled “The Horrorcore Father”. Among them were their brother E-Sharp (Eddie “Goalfingaz”), Flatlinerz-Gravediggaz Omen (now known as OMN 999), Sun of Man’s Shabazz The Disciple
Shabazz the Disciple
Shabazz the Disciple or Scientific Shabazz, is a rapper from the Red Hook Houses of Red Hook, Brooklyn. He is an original member of the Sunz of Man and Da Last Future.- Biography :...
, Shaqueen (Ma Barker), Amaze, Malik, Smuggler, Rhyme Valor, singer-songwriter Bell Muhammad, and others. Brainstorm and their cousin Prince (Self X-Planatory) crafted all of the skits of the groundbreaking album that was consequently never released. It was then that Poetic and Brainstorm recorded a few songs under the Bruthas G.R.Y.M. name again—most notably, “Buildin; In The Buildin'” produced by their brother E-Sharp.
The youngest of the brothers, known as E-Sharp then, although not a part of the original Brothers G.R.Y.M. crew, had been working closely alongside Poetic on the first Gravediggaz LP and more closely on their second LP “The Pick, The Sickle, And The Shovel”, as well as the Sharpshooters-Plasma Records compilation along with another cousin and sound engineer Big Winst. E-Sharp and Big Winst (Gravediggaz) had both attended Five Towns College
Five Towns College
Five Towns College is a for-profit institution of higher learning located in Dix Hills, Long Island, New York . Founded as a business school in 1972 by Stanley G. Cohen, Ed.D...
together to pursue careers as audio engineering and production. After graduation, E-Sharp quickly became a Top-Ten R&B Producer under the name “Goalfingaz” with Kay Gee’s (Naughty By Nature
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
) Divine Mills Label, gaining production credits and crafting such notable R&B hits like: the Divine Mills’ group Next’s “Wifey”, Divine Mills’ crooner Jaheim
Jaheim
Jaheim Hoagland is an American R&B singer and formerly a rapper performing under the mononymous name of Jaheim. He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000, and released his debut album Ghetto Love in 2001. His second effort, Still Ghetto, was released a year later,...
’s “Just In Case” and “Fabulous”, Ideal’s “Whatever”, Faith Evans’ “Good Life”, the late Gerald Lavert’s “Made To Love You”, and various other gold and platinum hits, working with many Hip Hop and R&B groups and soloists since the mid 90s. He is currently working with Reign Supreme, American Idol’s Brittenum Twins, and 112
112
Year 112 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Cornelius...
’s Slim and Q. By far, he is the most musical of the brothers.