Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae (formerly What? What?), is an American rapper. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international fanbase. Grae's unique music and lyrical style have earned the artist recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots. Early life Jean Grae was born Tsidi Ibrahim, in Cape Town, South Africa on November 26, 1976. The child of South African jazz musicians Sathima Bea Benjamin and Abdullah Ibrahim, Jean was raised in New York City, where the family moved after Jean's birth. Grae studied Vocal Performance at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, before studying a Major in Music Business at New York University; dropping out after three weeks of class. Musical career 1996–1998: Career beginnings In 1995, Jean was discovered by George Rithm Martinez when he recruited the artist for a five-song demo in his group Ground Zero. The demo earned "Unsigned Hype" honors in The Source in March 1996. Jean later joined a hip hop group called Natural Resource along with rapper Ocean and disc jockey James "AGGIE" Barrett. In 1996, they released two 12-inch singles on their label, Makin' Records. They appeared on singles by Pumpkinhead and Bad Seed, as well as on the O.B.S. (Original Blunted Soldiers) double 12-inch single. They produced much of the material released under pseudonym "Run Run Shaw". 1998–2004: Solo career Natural Resource dissolved in 1998, after which Jean changed her stage name from What? What? to Jean Grae, a reference to the X-Men character Jean Grey. Jean released the LP, Attack of the Attacking Things, on August 6, 2002, and released This Week on September 21, 2004. Jean has recorded with major hip-hop artists such as Atmosphere, The Roots, Phonte, Mr. Len, Pharoahe Monch, and The Herbaliser. Grae recorded an album with North Carolina producer 9th Wonder, entitled Jeanius; the unfinished recording was leaked online, and work stopped. However, at a release party for 9th Wonder's Dream Merchant Volume 2, Jean stated that Jeanius was still going to be released. It was released on June 24, 2008 on Zune Live Marketplace, then on disc on July 8, 2008. Jean's rapping was described by Robert Christgau as "remarkable for its rapidity, clarity and idiomatic cadence. The writing has a good-humored polysyllabic literacy." 2005–2008: Blacksmith Music