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Craig Grant

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Craig Grant
Born
Craig O'Neil Grant

(1968-12-18)December 18, 1968
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died (aged 52)
Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
Other namesCraig muMs Grant
Occupation(s)Actor, poet
Years active1996–2021

Craig O'Neil Grant (December 18, 1968 – March 24, 2021), also known as Craig muMs Grant and muMs da Schemer, was an American poet and actor best known for his role as Arnold "Poet" Jackson on the HBO series Oz.[1]

Life and career

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Grant was born in New York City and raised in the Bronx.[2] His father, Samuel, was a locksmith and carpenter at Montefiore Hospital, and his mother, Theresa (née Maxwell), was a teacher.[3] He attended Mount St. Michael Academy High School, Bronx, New York. He first gained widespread attention as a poet and performer when he was featured in the documentary SlamNation, which followed him and the other poets of 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team (Saul Williams, Beau Sia and Jessica Care Moore) as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam.[4]

Grant took the name "muMs" when he was 20 and performing in a rap group. Due to retaining traces of a childhood lisp, a friend suggested he call himself “Mumbles”, which Grant shortened to "muMs", as an acronym for "manipulator under Manipulation shhhhhhh!"[3]

In Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz wrote of Grant's time in slam poetry, noting his writing "was street poetry at its purest. Thoughtful, precise but not without humor, his work spoke honestly about the life he and his friends and family lived and the city that he loved."[5]

muMs performed his poetry on seasons 2, 3 and 4 of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, and was a member of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company. In October 2007, muMs played a role in A View from 151st Street, a play about people trying to reconstruct their lives after gunfire.[6]

In September 2014, muMs wrote and performed "A Sucker Emcee", hip-hop and slam poetry, based on his personal recollections.[7]

In February 2015, muMs' play, titled Paradox of the Urban Cliché, about a young couple living in Harlem, was performed at the Wild Project as part of the Poetic Theater Productions's Poetic License festival.[8]

In February 2015, muMs played a role in The Insurgents, a play about rage among the free, brave, and disenfranchised, produced by LAByrinth Theater Company.[9]

Grant guest-starred in the 2016 Netflix series Luke Cage as Reggie "Squabbles", and was featured as a recurring character, Ricardo, on three episodes of Louis C.K.'s web series Horace and Pete.[citation needed] He appeared in two films by Steven Soderbergh, and had supporting roles in films including Bringing Out the Dead, Bamboozled, Birdman, and Good Time.

Death

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Grant died in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 24, 2021, aged 52. His manager, Sekka Scher, said the cause was complications of diabetes.[3][10]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1999 Bringing Out the Dead Voice in Crowd
2000 Bamboozled Mau Mau: Hard Blak
2002 Morning Breath Grant Short
2004 Everyday People Ali
2005 Dark Water Platzer's Backseat Client
On the One Sharif
Winning Yesterday Delivery Man Short
2007 Interview Cab Driver
Rhyme Animal Shiva Short
2008 Asylum - Short
Ball Don't Lie Fat Chuck
Showdown of the Godz Bernard Short
The Brooklyn Heist Moose
2009 An Englishman in New York DJ
The Good Heart Judge
Breaking Point Buster Biggs
2011 Identical Chief Grant
2013 Side Effects Wards Island Orderly
Heads Up Foster Short
Ice Doughboy Short
2014 Birdman Broadway Man
Lazarus Rusty
2016 A Northern Star Edna's Nurse Short
Invisible Museum Guard Short
2017 The Price Iji Upla
Good Time Denny
Sketch Delivery Man Short
The Middlegame Jonathan Short
Love Beats Rhymes MuMs da Schemer
2018 Monsters and Men Uncle Bobby
Love Magical Loan Officer
The Great Pretender Barry
BlacKkKlansman Jabbo
Hover John
2020 The Whistler Coach Keickman Short
2021 No Longer Suitable for Use - Short
No Sudden Move Jimmy
The Scrapper Leon
2022 Life After You Terry Wright
Bitcon -

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1997–2003 OZ Arnold "Poet" Jackson Recurring Cast
2002 Hack Omar Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
2003 Chappelle's Show Lysol Episode: "Mad Real World & Ask A Gay Dude"
2003–05 Def Poetry Jam Himself Recurring Guest
2004 The Jury Curtice Redding Episode: "Last Rites"
2006 The Sopranos Mop Episode: "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Cousin Chet Episode: "To the Bone"
2007 Honesty Mailman Episode: "Black Mailman"
Boston Legal Joseph Washington Recurring Cast: Season 4
2008 Law & Order Freddie Episode: "Challenged"
2009 Cold Case Zeb 'Zen' Edwards '09 Episode: "Read Between the Lines"
2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Eddie Baker Episode: "Beautiful Frame"
East Willy B Ray Episode: "Operation Strike Team"
2014 The Knick Hernia Patient Episode: "The Busy Flea"
Blue Bloods Leon Bendix Episode: "Under the Gun"
2015 Nurse Jackie Wayne Episode: "Deal"
2016 Horace and Pete Ricardo Recurring Cast
Luke Cage Reggie "Squabbles" Episode: "Step in the Arena"
2017–19 She's Gotta Have It Cash Jackson Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2
2019 NCIS: New Orleans Larry Episode: "Reckoning"
City on a Hill Truancy Officer Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"
2020 High Maintenance Cedric Episode: "Screen"
Bull Walter Mora Episode: "Off the Rails"
The Last O.G. Reggie Episode: "Warning"
2020–21 Hightown Wayne Grasa Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2
2021 All the Queen's Men Paul Harold Recurring Cast: Season 1

Video Games

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Year Title Role
2005 The Warriors Additional Soldier
2008 Midnight Club: Los Angeles Ian
Grand Theft Auto IV The Crowd of Liberty City
2009 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned DeSean

Documentary

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Year Title Role
1998 SlamNation Himself

References

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  1. ^ Collins-Hughes, Laura. "Versifying Above the Footlights". The New York Times. September 14, 2014. p. AR6.
  2. ^ Soloski, Alexis (September 23, 2014). "'A Sucker Emcee,' a Rhyming Autobiography". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (March 27, 2021). "Craig muMs Grant, Actor and Slam Poet, Dies at 52". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Fay Watson (March 26, 2021). "Craig 'muMs' Grant dead: How did the Oz actor and poet die?". The Daily Express. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam. Soft Skull Press, pg. 135; ISBN 1-933368-82-9
  6. ^ Isherwood, Charles. "A Shot in the Night and Its Aftermath". The New York Times. pg. E3
  7. ^ Kozinn, Allan. "Craig Grant Show Opens Labyrinth Season". The New York Times. July 26, 2014, pg. C2
  8. ^ Collins-Hughes, Laura. "After Poetic Confessions, Resenting the Applause", The New York Times. February 17, 2015. pg. C3
  9. ^ Brantley, Ben. "Returning Home Is No Escape". The New York Times. February 24, 2015. pg. C1
  10. ^ Barnes, Mike (March 27, 2021). "Craig MuMs Grant, Actor Who Played Poet on 'Oz,' Dies at 52". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
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