Today’s Vinyl: MC 900 Ft Jesus

Long before the Spike Jonze-directed video for If I Only Had a Brain made him an MTV hit, Mark Griffin was an obscure Dallas MC purveying sample-heavy, mostly instrumental hip hop. I heard Born with Monkey Asses on George Gimarc’s wonderful Rock & Roll Alternative radio show and picked up this self-released EP, which preceded MC 900 Ft Jesus’ full-length debut, Hell with the Lid Off.

Side 1 introduces Griffin’s processed, monotone, slightly unhinged rap style and features some slick turntable work by DJ Zero (Patrick Rollins). The rest of the EP is largely sample-based, a sort of My Life in Bush of Ghosts heavy on scratching and drum machines. Full bio, including an explanation of the extended sample behind Born with Monkey Asses, available here.