Craig muMs Grant, Oz And Luke Cage Actor, Dies At 52

Craig 'muMs' Grant, the renowned poet and actor known for roles in HBO's Oz and Netflix's Luke [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

Craig "muMs" Grant, the renowned poet and actor known for roles in HBO's Oz and Netflix's Luke Cage has died at the age of 52, of apparent natural causes. Word of muMs' death spread throughout the NYC and hip-hop communities, with The Real World star Keven Powell giving Grant's fans notice about his passing: "I am just speechless right now. Any of us who came up in New York poetry/spoken word scene of 1990s or 2000s know name Craig "Mums" Grant. Got word this morning he passed while making a film or tv project in ATL. Mums was mad gifted with words, and acting, and more. HUGE LOSS."

Craig Grant was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He gained acclaim in the arts scene as a poet called "muMs da Schemer". Grant and other prominent poets of the 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team (Saul Williams, Beau Sia and Jessica Care Moore) became stars of the screen thanks to the documentary SlamNation, which documented their competition in the 1996 National Poetry Slam. Grant's poetry would make him a major gues star of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, during its run in the mid-2000s. Poetry would be Grant's most distinguishing characteristic during his acting career, often being utilized for the characters he played onscreen.

After the documentary, Grant became a breakout character in HBO's prison drama Oz, where he played an artistically gifted inmate named "Poet" - a role that often showcased his raw spoken-word poetry skills. Like so many in the cast of Oz, Grant went on to have a bigger TV career in the 2000s - 2010s, with appearances in Chappelle's Show, The Sopranos, Boston Legal, Cold Case, Law & Order: SVU, Luke Cage, and the TV adaptation of Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It. He also had minor film roles in films like Bringing Out the Dead, Side Effects, and Birdman.

Craig muMs Grant was without a doubt one of the more unique and talented artistic actor types - and a face that lingered in the minds of many viewers long after seeing him. He will be missed.

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