Official Biography (courtesy of Mo & Grazz)
Kindred souls from opposite poles. A shared melody set to different rhythms. Two loves – music, and each other. Music brought Philadelphia-bred songstress Monique Harcum and Belgian turntable pioneer DJ Grazzhoppa together in more ways than one – first as friends, then as husband and wife, and now as the duo known as Mo & Grazz, flexing a unique sound that fuses hip-hop,funk, jazz, gospel and classic r&b, to create a sound that goes beyond any musical genre.
Mo started out her career in the States as a dancer, and was featured in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X biopic before touring with the European adaptation of the Broadway hit musicals Little Shop Of Horrors and Hair. Mo has also toured with Grammy Award winning R&B artist Jill Scott and can be heard on the live album Experience Jill Scott+360. Grazz is the 1991 European DMC Champion and the bronze medalist in the 1998 ITF World DJ Championships. An accomplished producer as well as a deejay, he has worked on mediums from the theater to the studio with talents like De Puta Madre, Omni, Cage, MF DOOM, Blade, Greedy-Fingers and AKA Moon to name a few. Considered by some to be the godfather of Belgian hip-hop, Grazz has released over 100 records on vinyl and CD.
Mo was touring the U.S. in 2003 as a background singer for the Afropean R&B duo Les Nubians when they shared a bill with the globally respected Zap Mama, who Grazz was deejaying for at the time. Nature took its course, and only a year later Grazz had created DJ Grazzhoppa’s DJ Bigband, a turntable extravaganza featuring 12 deejays, saxophone player Fabizio Cassol, and Mo on vocals. On January 27 2005 they broke a well-established record by being the only hip-hop group ever to play before a sold-out crowd at the famed La Monnaie/ De Munt opera house in Brussels . All the while, Mo & Grazz were busy perfecting what has come to be their trademark sound: a fusion of gospel, hard-hitting hip-hop grooves and infectious vocal melodies.
In 2006 Mo &Grazz released their debut album Falling Upon Def Ears. A ferocious live act, they routinely switch between an eight-piece band and good ol’ two-turntables-and-a-microphone. They have been the supporting act for acts like Angie Stone, Roots Manuva and Guru of Jazzmatazz. In 2007 they had the honor of opening for ‘70s soul legends Sly & The Family Stone at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Gent , Belgium . Mo & Grazz are currently touring with their sophomore project Gemini, out on Featherperm Records.
