Taking the name MC 900 Ft. Jesus from an Oral Roberts' sermon, Dallas native Mark Griffin began recording his psychotic-neurotic brand of hipster hip-hop in the late 1980s, concocting bracing fusions of rap, industrial, and spoken word, with hints of jazz. He became a favorite on college radio, although he never established much more than a cult following for his early records. Things picked up in 1994, when the goofy video for the funky narrative "If I Only Had a Brain" was picked up by MTV and he had a minor modern rock hit. However, with success came disillusionment with the music industry and Griffin retired later that year.