Jean Grae

Episode notes

(Photo: Flatiron Books)

Jean Grae doesn’t rap anymore. Before she quit doing it, she put out a handful of albums and dozens of LPs. She collaborated with The Roots, Masta Ace, Phonte and many more.

During her time as an MC, she says she never really felt like she fit in. She loved what she did, most of the time, but why does it have to be just rap? Why is rap the only medium a rapper can use to express themselves?

Aside from rapping, Jean created a stage show where she made up characters, checked with the audience, and left live voicemails for exes. Jean also acts and has appeared on the show 2 Broke Girls, among other things.

She’s also added author to her resume. Her new book In My Remaining Years is a collection of essays written by Grae. In it, she writes about her childhood growing up in New York, via Cape Town. About her parents, jazz musicians Sathima Bea Benjamin and Abdullah Ibrahim. And she’s even included a pretty juicy story about Idris Elba. 

Jean joins us to talk about why she distanced herself from rapping and has never really liked being labeled a “rapper.” She also gets into her upbringing and shares why she thinks her parents traveled back to South Africa for her birth.