Bars, Beats, & Business: A Definitive Guide To Navigating The Hip Hop Industry

Jamal Grate was born in Queens, New York, in 1982 to Lisa and Harold Grate. Harold Grate was a member of the Jamaica Queens-based funk band “The Firebolts” in the 1970s. Growing up, Jamal would see various musicians from all over New York come to his family's music studio on Remington St. in Jamaica, Queens. Artists like Ben E. King, Prince Markie Dee, Mr. Cheeks, Bernard Wright, Larry Smith, Frick and Frack, Donald Blackman, and Corey Rooney would frequent the studio location. Jamal would also sit in on several studio sessions for the Prince Markie Dee and the Soul Convention "Free" album. During this time, young Jamal would listen to all of the music industry stories and discussions about the music business and how all of the various moving parts work together to make things happen. Jamal became consumed with all of the knowledge he was learning and intrigued by the music business. Jamal began to get more involved in the music-making process, started a few rap groups throughout his life such as Oraganazation, Splintah Cell, Baritone Brothas, and continued to pass on all of the knowledge he gained about the music industry. Artist development became a level of expertise for Jamal, which is why he composed this powerful tool for navigating through the hip-hop music industry.