Jean Grae grew up in a home full of music, both parents independent artists, creative souls and jazz musicians. Her mother, a singer. Her father, a pianist. Both still struggling, both still performing now and both the supplement for the greatest inspiration to keep trudging along when the trenches seem too deep to dig myself out of. As well as not being from this country. Jean-Grae was born in South Africa, the birthplace of her parents, who had gone into self exile in order to pursue their rights for freedom and music and provide a better life for themselves and their children. Jean Grae's love for writing and literature in general, grew with her avid adoration for music, from jazz to hip hop, to rock, to classical.
After being coined “the cameo queen” by the underground, Jean Grae got a chance to show and prove on her own when close friend and ex Company Flow dj Mr.Len asked her to contribute to his album. She wasn't in a working environment where the ideas where dictated or confined, the collaborations were seamless and the rhymes flowed like rivers. The end result were the tracks “The Hurt”, ‘Love Venom” and the brutal either loved or hated “Taco Day”. Jean Grae wanted to make a point with others in the same game. Not everything had to be a single ready 4 minute tune with catchy hooks. It was an art, it was a story and there is no restraint of time in music. Critically acclaimed and commercially overlooked, Len’s album gave Jean Grae the push to stop waiting for that perfect song in her mind and just put herself out there. She couldn't have done it without that.
So here we are folks, one album recorded mostly in Jean Grae's bedroom later. Tracks contributed out of love for the exchange of love and respect from people that she grew up worshipping and finally had the chance to work with.
