Craig Grant

American poet and actor (1968–2021)

Craig O'Neil Grant (December 18, 1968 – March 24, 2021), also known as Craig muMs Grant and muMs da Schemer, was an American poet and actor best known for his role as Arnold "Poet" Jackson on the HBO series Oz.

Grant was born in New York City and raised in the Bronx. His father, Samuel, was a locksmith and carpenter at Montefiore Hospital, and his mother, Theresa (née Maxwell), was a teacher. He attended Mount St. Michael Academy High School, Bronx, New York. He
first gained widespread attention as a poet and performer when he was featured in the documentary SlamNation, which followed him and the other poets of 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team (Saul Williams, Beau Sia and Jessica Care Moore) as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam. Grant took the name "muMs" when he was 20 and performing in a rap group. Due to retaining traces of a childhood lisp, a friend suggested he call himself “Mumbles”, which Grant shortened to "muMs", as an acronym for "manipulator under Manipulation shhhhhhh!" muMs performed his poetry on seasons 2, 3 and 4 of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, and was a member of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company. In October 2007, muMs played a role in A View from 151st Street, a play about people trying to reconstruct their lives after gunfire. In September 2014, muMs wrote and performed "A Sucker Emcee", hip hop and slam poetry, based on his personal recollections. In February 2015, muMs' play, titled Paradox of the Urban Cliché, about a young couple living in Harlem, was performed at the Wild Project as part of the Poetic Theater Productions's Poetic License festival. In February 2015, muMs played a role in The Insurgents, a play about rage among the free, brave, and disenfranchised, produced by LAByrinth Theater Company. Grant guest starred in the 2016 Netflix series Luke Cage as Reggie "Squabbles", and was featured as a recurring character, Ricardo, on three episodes of Louis C. K.'s web series Horace and Pete. He appeared in two films by Steven Soderbergh, and had supporting roles in films including Bringing Out the Dead, Bamboozled, Birdman, and Good Time.

Grant died in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 24, 2021, aged 52. His manager, Sekka Scher, said the cause was complications of diabetes.

Year Title Role Notes 1997–2003 OZ Arnold "Poet" Jackson Recurring Cast 2002 Hack Omar Episode: "My Brother's Keeper" 2003 Chappelle's Show Lysol Episode: "Mad Real World & Ask A Gay Dude" 2003–05 Def Poetry Jam Himself Recurring Guest 2004 The Jury Curtice Redding Episode: "Last Rites" 2006 The Sopranos Mop Episode: "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh" Law & Order: Criminal Intent Cousin Chet Episode: "To the Bone" 2007 Honesty Mailman Episode: "Black Mailman" Boston Legal Joseph Washington Recurring Cast: Season 4 2008 Law & Order Freddie Episode: "Challenged" 2009 Cold Case Zeb 'Zen' Edwards '09 Episode: "Read Between the Lines" 2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Eddie Baker Episode: "Beautiful Frame" East Willy B Ray Episode: "Operation Strike Team" 2014 The Knick Hernia Patient Episode: "The Busy Flea" Blue Bloods Leon Bendix Episode: "Under the Gun" 2015 Nurse Jackie Wayne Episode: "Deal" 2016 Horace and Pete Ricardo Recurring Cast Luke Cage Reggie "Squabbles" Episode: "Step in the Arena" 2017–19 She's Gotta Have It Cash Jackson Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 2019 NCIS: New Orleans Larry Episode: "Reckoning" City on a Hill Truancy Officer Episode: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" 2020 High Maintenance Cedric Episode: "Screen" Bull Walter Mora Episode: "Off the Rails" The Last O. G. Reggie Episode: "Warning" 2020–21 Hightown Wayne Grasa Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 2021 All the Queen's Men Paul Harold Recurring Cast: Season 1