Percy Carey’s life story has all the elements of a compelling cinematic drama—conflict, tragedy and the path toward redemption. It’s not surprising that the 37-year-old rapper, better known to the hip-hop world as MF Grimm, caught the attention of DC Comic’s Vertigo imprint to document his joys and pains in a recently released graphic novel entitled Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm.

The book’s title is a play on several of Carey’s life experiences—including his early love for reading, his lifelong musical passion, his criminal past and incarceration, his paralysis—the result of a drug-related shooting, which landed him in a wheelchair—and his commitment to turning his life around. Hip-hop provides Sentences with a unique backdrop, allowing readers to witness the nascent development and various transformations of hip-hop culture through Carey’s own experiences. Artist Ronald Wimberly’s illustrations capture the raw, gritty and revealing tone of Carey’s narrative.

PW Comics Week chatted with Carey, who currently runs his own entertainment company, Day by Day, about becoming a debut author, hip-hop invading the comic book world and the importance of patience in book publishing and in life.

PW Comics Week : How did you get hooked up with DC Comics?

Percy Carey : Through Mr. Casey Seijas, he’s an editor at Vertigo. He’s a fan of my music and asked me if I ever thought about doing my life as a graphic novel. I told him “no,” but it opened a brand-new door for me. At first I didn’t know how to turn my life into a book. I thought my life was kind of boring. But he showed me that it was similar to the way that I express myself through my music, except that I had to write it down.

PWCW : Growing up in Harlem, you had a love for reading at a young age. Did you ever think then that you would go on to write a book?

PC : I have to say no. I really wanted to be a television producer ever since I was five. Being on Sesame Street [Carey appeared on Sesame Street when he was about 7], I would pay a lot of attention to how the show was put together. It was amazing to me that my friends at school believed everything was real. I always knew I wanted to do that. But as a kid, my mother would always bring me these pamphlets about how to write a book. So for some strange reason, she always knew I would, but I was the last to find this out.

PWCW: Were you a fan of comics as a child?

PC : I grew up with Superman and Batman. Outside of that, I was also an Incredible Hulk fan.

PWCW: Do you read comics now?

PC : I read comics now, but I’m all over the place. Mostly, though, I’m studying Krypton and the DC Universe.

PWCW : How did the collaboration process work with Ron Wimberly, the illustrator?

PC : Casey showed me a couple artists’ work and when I saw Ron’s work, I couldn’t resist it. I wanted to work with him. We got together and I think it was a perfect match.

PWCW : Did your songwriting experience help you with writing Sentences?

PC : At first, I felt like it was hindering me. Because when I’m writing a song, I can write very covert, change things up, and I know what I’m talking about but others have to figure it out. But when you’re writing a story like this, and it’s about your life, you can’t do that. I had to negotiate with myself to just write it and tell it like it is.

PWCW : What was the writing process like? How long did it take you to write Sentences?

PC : I’ve been working with DC Comics since 2005. I completed the book and felt confident with it in early 2006, when I turned in the full 130 pages. There were a lot of things that I kept changing and a lot of things that I took out of the book. That was the biggest problem. I had to make sure that I didn’t alter things or mess up the story. And there were a lot of things that I couldn’t talk about.

PWCW : You were really pretty open and honest telling your story. Do you think writing Sentences was therapeutic?

PC : I felt like it needed to be that way. I really tried not to beat around the bush. I knew that there were a lot of things that I couldn’t discuss.

PWCW : Your life as a hip-hop artist parallels the growth of hip-hop as an art form and social phenomenon. Did you plan to do the book as an informal history of hip-hop as seen through your eyes?

PC : I didn’t necessarily plan it. Hip-hop is a part of the book because it is such a deep part of my life. But hip-hop, like many things in my life, was something that I took for granted.

PWCW : You’ve seen a lot of violence in your life—from fist fights to shootings. How do you think Sentences addresses the stereotype of violence and hip-hop?

PC : I don’t want it to look like hip-hop is bad. It’s not hip-hop itself. Hip-hop is beautiful. Sentences is just the perspective of a tainted person trying to get at something so pure.

PWCW: Do you see Sentences as a cautionary tale?

PC : Yes, I do. I think it shows that you don’t have to necessarily give in to temptation to get what you want. It pays to fly straight and not give in to temptations because they will lead you down the wrong path. And sometimes you won’t be able to come back from it.

I’m not trying to make myself out to be some superhero, but I am a very fortunate, misfortunate person because I’ve always been given the opportunity to come back every time that I’ve led myself astray. These are blessings that not everyone can have. So if I can show people my faults and humiliating moments, maybe that will wake someone up.

PWCW : When you think about hip-hop, specifically visual aspects of the culture like graffiti, do you think the graphic novel is a medium that complements hip-hop, and vice versa? Do you think we’ll see more hip-hop-inspired graphic novels?

PC : Definitely. I think that there are so many people whose lives could be transformed into a graphic novel. I could see a lot more from the hip-hop realm coming into graphic novels.

PWCW : Who do you think is the audience for the book?

PC : That’s interesting, because when I was writing it, I didn’t think about audience. I didn’t look at it as everyone in hip-hop is going to buy it because basically people in hip-hop don’t know who I am anyway. And when you’re bringing something like this into the medium of the comic book world, most people who read graphic novels or comic books are usually set with whatever styles of comics that they are familiar with. And this is unfamiliar. So just like my music, I just threw it out there. And whoever can get something from it, God bless them.

PWCW : What has been the reception to the book so far?

PC : I’ve gotten a great reception to the book so far, which I’m thankful for. It’s been nothing but kind words and appreciation.

PWCW: What about in the hip-hop community?

PC : I have a MySpace site and I’ve gotten love there. People have told me they’ve gotten the book. But not much more outside of that.

PWCW : Do you see parallels between book publishing and the music industry?

PC : Yes, without question. The more and more I’ve learned about the book publishing industry, it’s like a twin with the music industry. They’re basically both based on supply and demand, retail, publicity. I think I had a little step up when dealing with the book publishing industry because I was a music distributor and I understood how things worked.

PWCW : Are you working on additional graphic novels?

PC : Yes. Right now I’m focused on the animation for a project called Krummz with Mr. Preston Holmes and his daughter Niema Holmes, which I also want to be a graphic novel. I’m also trying to work with DC Universe’s characters. But I’m still studying.

PWCW: What is Krummz?

PC : Krummz is a parallel universe where everything is made from sugar, candy, cakes, snacks, different types of junk food. You can be made of chocolate, candy bars, coffee cakes, or whatever. It’s a cross between The Sopranos, The Wire and Entourage, but it’s animation.

PWCW: How did you come up with this world?

PC : By having a little bit too much time by myself.

PWCW : Are you going to slow down with your music to concentrate on your animation projects?

PC : No, I have four new albums coming out, including one based on Krummz called The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man. I’m going to have to be buried with a microphone in my hand. I’m never going to stop.

PWCW : After writing Sentences and looking back over your life, what have you learned from your experiences?

PC : Patience is everything. I feel that is what I learned the most. Looking back at everything, all I had to do was wait and I could have achieved all my goals legitimately. That’s part of the reason why I think I’m sitting in this wheelchair, to learn patience.