Grimm’s last decade of life has been nothing short of tumultuous. It began in 1994 when he was shot ten times and confined to a wheelchair. From there, he did time for conspiracy to distribute narcotics and was just recently let out. Somewhere in between this time period, MF Grimm (his previous moniker) found space to create a potentially notable rap career. He guest appeared on tracks with KMD and Kool G Rap , but was arrested on his way to the studio when he was scheduled to guest appear on the now infamous track “Live at the Barbecue.” With all of this, one would think that Grimm would just say “fuck it” and give up. Nah kid, not by a long shot. Besides his collaborations with MF Doom, Grimm managed to lock himself in the studio and crank out an extremely solid album. The Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera was a concept album of sorts that captivated many. But now on the cusp of being released from prison, Grimm delivers his long awaited sophomore LP as Jet Jaguar (a sci-fi monster in Godzilla vs. Megalon) with Digital Tears: E-mails from Purgatory.

      Within the walls of Purgatory, lies a tormented soul with tales of struggle and pain. Grimm’s rarely changing style is distinctive throughout. The combination of haunting strings and wailing sax provide the perfect backdrop for Grimm to drop gems on the jump off joint “All Ya’ll”. And Grimm has a lot to get off his chest. Pinpointing the pitfalls of life it becomes almost depressing, yet magnetic, especially when J-Zone falls through with two jewels, it makes Grimm’s tales a rather enjoyable experience. Both “Taken” and “Dancin’” utilize that signature J-Zone thump that keeps heads noddin as Grimm sets forth his braggadocio. “Voices” also shines as Grimm grapples with the multiple voices in his head. Grimm also tackles the passions of the opposite sex on “Love Jones” even though the vocals of Jihad come off a tad annoying, the track still works. “Ying & Yang” features Mr. Voodoo and is a guilty pleasure with its syrupy hook and lovey dovey aura, but still works.

      It ain’t all peaches and cream though. The problem doesn’t lie with Grimm’s vocals, which rarely switch up in style and pitch, but more so the production which is scattered at best. The hooks for one are annoying. The fact of the matter is Grimm could have fared well without hooks, as both “Black Helicopters” and “Superstar J.J.” suffer from this. From a production standpoint, “Happy” is sadly spoiled as some simply horrific production drowns Grimm’s message out, while much of the rest of the production as just so average that it takes away from the album as a whole. If the album were shaved down a few tracks it would have been a much more solid effort, but with the few missteps aside Grimm will still have many chomping at the bit awaiting his collab effort with MF Doom. Besides a few average tracks, its pretty much a solid GM Grimm effort, which in the end provides the perfect setup for when the Grimm and Doom collide for the much anticipated sequel to Operation Doomsday. But until then…?