Although born in South Africa, Tsidi Ibrahim will always be a New Yorker by heart. The daughter of two jazz musicians, Ibrahim learned an appreciation for all genres of music at an early age giving her a good foundation on becoming a writer and producer. Then known as What? What?, she was recruited by a rapper named Ocean, who formed Natural Resource in the mid-90s. In 1997, they founded their own record label, Makin' Records, and released the single, "Negro League Baseball", which became an underground hip-hop classic. The group broke up due to creative differences, but the exposure worked towards her benefit. She changed her name to Jean Grae and appeared on a number of songs with artists such as Herbaliser, High & Mighty, the Mumia 911 Project, the Hip-Hop For Respect project, Mr. Len, Da Beatminerz and Masta Ace.