muMs da Schemer

Craig Grant (born 1968), known as muMs the Schemer, is an American poet and actor best known for his role as Arnold "Poet" Jackson on the HBO series Oz.[1]

MuMs da Schemer
Born
Craig Grant

1968 (age 52–53)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Other namesmuMs da Schemer
Craig muMs Grant
OccupationActor, poet
Years active1996–present

Biography and career

muMs the Schemer was born in New York City and raised in the Bronx, New York.[2] He first gained 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.

In the book Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz wrote of muMs's time in the poetry slam, 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.[3]"

muMs has gone on to act in films and television shows such as Boston Legal, Bamboozled and Everyday People [4] as well as making an appearance on Chappelle's Show as "Lysol" in the "Mad Real World" skit. He has performed his poetry on seasons 2, 3 and 4 of HBO's Def Poetry. In 2016, muMs was featured as a recurring character, Ricardo, on three episodes of Horace and Pete, a web series written and directed by Louis C.K.

muMs is also a member of the 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.[5] In September 2014, muMs wrote and performed "A Sucker Emcee", hip-hop and slam poetry, based on his personal recollections.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

In 2016 muMs guest-starred in the Netflix series Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Reggie; aka Squabbles.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2017 Good Time Denny Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2017 The Price Iji Upla Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2014 Birdman Broadway Man Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2013 Side Effects Wards Island Orderly Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2008 The Brooklyn Heist Moose
2004 Everyday People Ali
2000 Bamboozled Mau Mau: Hard Blak Credited as Mums
1999 Bringing Out the Dead Voice in Crowd Credited as muMs
1998 SlamNation Himself Documentary

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2020 Hightown Wayne 3 episodes
Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2020 Bull Walter Mora Episode: "Off the Rails"
Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2017–2019 She's Gotta Have It Cash Jackson 4 episodes
Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2016 Horace and Pete Ricardo 3 episodes
Credited as Craig muMs Grant
Luke Cage Reggie "Squabbles" Episode: "Step in the Arena"
Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Eddie Baker Episode: "Beautiful Frame"
2009 Cold Case Zeb 'Zen' Edwards '09 Episode: "Read Between the Lines"
2007 Boston Legal Joseph Washington 3 episodes
Credited as Craig muMs Grant
2006 The Sopranos Mop Episode: "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh"
2003–2005 Def Poetry Jam Himself 3 episodes
2003 Chappelle's Show Lysol "The Mad Real World" skit
1997–2003 Oz Arnold "Poet" Jackson 49 episodes

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

References
  1. Collins-Hughes, Laura. "Versifying Above the Footlights". The New York Times. September 14, 2014. p. AR6.
  2. Soloski, Alexis. "Rescued by Music Long Ago, He Sets His Life Story to Hip-Hop". The New York Times. September 24, 2014. p. C3.
  3. 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. Page 135. ISBN 1-933368-82-9.
  4. "Craig muMs Grant". IMDb.
  5. Isherwood, Charles. "A Shot in the Night and Its Aftermath". The New York Times. p. E3.
  6. Kozinn, Allan. "Craig Grant Show Opens Labyrinth Season". The New York Times. July 26, 2014. p.C2.
  7. Collins-Hughes, Laura. "After Poetic Confessions, Resenting the Applause". The New York Times. February 17, 2015. p. C3.
  8. Brantley, Ben. "Returning Home Is No Escape". The New York Times. February 24, 2015. p. C1.
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