Greydon Square
Eddie Collins (born September 28, 1981), better known by his stage name Greydon Square, is an American West Coast hip hop emcee, producer and sound engineer from Compton, California. He is a former U.S. Army soldier and Iraq War veteran who is also an outspoken atheist and promotes discussion about it through music.[1]
Greydon Square | |
|---|---|
 Greydon Square at the Great American God-Out in Manhattan, November 15, 2007. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eddie Collins |
| Also known as | Apocalypse |
| Born | September 28, 1981 |
| Origin | Compton, California, US |
| Genres | West Coast hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, rapper, songwriter, audio engineer, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004-present |
| Associated acts | Canibus, Tombstone Da Deadman, Adil Omar |
| Website | https://greydonsquare.bandcamp.com/ |
Early life
Collins grew up an orphan in Compton, where he was raised in foster homes in the Department of Children and Family Services system[2] and became immersed in gang culture.[1][3] He was incarcerated at the Sylmar Detention Hall at age 17, on a weapons-related charge.
"I was basically watched, not raised."[4]
— Greydon Square
Collins enlisted in the United States Army after his release, in 2001[4] and then served in the Iraq War, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division.[5] Collins mentioned in an interview he has post-traumatic stress because of his time in Iraq.[3]
After his discharge, Collins began attending college in Phoenix, Arizona. While in college, Collins began questioning his religious beliefs and eventually became an atheist.[3]
"I could easily be just another gangster rapper. That's not where I am. (...) I went to Iraq, I saw people die. It's not a game to me."[1]
— Greydon Square
Music career
CPT: 2004-2009
Collins taught himself to play piano as a child[3] and has been expressing himself through rap under his stage name of Greydon Square since 2004. Among his influences are Rakim, Phil Collins, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Stanley Clarke, Cedric Williams, and The Bee Gees.[6][2] His first album, Absolute, was released under the name Apocalypse in 2004. The album is no longer available. His follow-up album (his first under the name Greydon Square) The Compton Effect, was released in 2007. After being approached by several independent record labels, Collins created his own company to distribute the record.[6] In 2008, he released his second album The C.P.T. Theorem. The titles of these two albums are references to the city of Compton where he grew up, to the Compton effect and the CPT Theorem from physics. His music deals with philosophical and political issues, the war in Iraq and his experiences as a soldier, and his childhood which was spent in group homes. His atheistic views are very present in the albums of this period.[3]
"I don't care what you believe in, just consider the questions I'm asking. Think for yourself. Your life and destiny are in your hands."[4]
— Greydon Square
Kardashev Scale Trilogy: 2010-2015
In 2010, he released the first of a trilogy of albums, The Kardashev Scale, along with an EP titled Serpents of Eden in collaboration with Adil Omar. The song titled "War Porn" from that album was performed in collaboration with hip hop artist Canibus.[7] He is also a guest on Omar's debut solo album The Mushroom Cloud Effect alongside Kool G Rap on a song titled "Summertime".[8] Type II : The Mandelbrot Set was released in 2012. In mathematics, the Mandelbrot set is a set of complex numbers used to create fractals. Omniverse : Type 3 : Aum niverse was released in 2015, completing the trilogy.[9]
Greydon Squared is one of the artists featured on Low Technology's LTGU album, released August 8, 2017.[10]
Compton Scattering: 2017
On November 5, 2017, he released his next album, Compton Scattering.[11] This album which closer reflects his earlier works, discusses topics such as politics, cryptocurrency, and antinatalism.
Related projects
He is a member of the international secular hip hop activist movement and The Anti-Injustice Movement (aka AIM Clika). With others, he founded the Grand Unified Theory organization, which uses creativity to educate people about science and rational thinking.[12][3]
With rapper Tombstone da Deadman, Greydon is working on a science-fiction comic named Extropy and Entropy, illustrated by Joseph Arnold, for a Fall 2017 release.[3] The comic is meant to be accompanied by music tracks by Greydon and Tombstone.
In 2013, he appeared in the documentary film Contradiction.[13]
Conflict with RRS' Brian Sapient
Once an active member of the Rational Response Squad, Square was put on probation in 2008 after he punched leader Brian Sapient[2] at a public event in Washington D.C. The incident was allegedly sparked by a disagreement over CD sales.[1]
"It never ceases to amaze me that when people join a group, they just accept the group position on everything. And I did that, with the Rational Response Squad. I accepted their methods and I accepted their beefs."[1]
— Greydon Square
Discography
Solo albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Absolute |
|
| The Compton Effect |
|
| The C.P.T. Theorem |
|
| Type I: The Kardashev Scale |
|
| Type II : The Mandelbrot Set |
|
| Omniverse : Type 3 : Aum niverse |
|
| Compton Scattering |
|
Collaboration albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Ryuken Vs - Round 1: Super Arts |
|
| LTGU |
|
References
- Cizmar, Martin (April 30, 2009). "Rapper Greydon Square Is an Atheist Icon". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- Skepticality #082 - Rationalist Rap - Interview: Greydon Square (Podcast). Skeptic Magazine. July 28, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- Greydon Square (Interview) RTR #191 6-4-2017 (Television, Youtube). RoadToReasonTV. June 18, 2017.
- Haithcoat, Rebecca (November 14, 2012). "Greyson Square is the atheist rapper". LA Times. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- Pakman, David (December 3, 2012). David Pakman Show [Atheist Rapper Greydon Square on Religion, Serving in Iraq, Black Americans & Religion] (Television, radio, Youtube). Pakman, David.
- Rausch, Andrew (March 22, 2016). "Secular by Nature blog - An Interview with Atheist Rapper Greydon Square". Secular by Nature. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- Piel, Chris (February 27, 2011). The "Kardashev Scale refers to the method of measuring a civilization's level of technological development. "Canibus at Club Red Last Night". Phoenix New Times.
- "Angry Atheist: An interview with Greydon Square", Angry Atheist, January 5, 2010
- "Greydon Square: Music". Bandcamp. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- "LTGU by Low Technology". Bandcamp. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- "Greydon Square: Music". Bandcamp. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- "Grand Unified Theory (Official)". Facebook. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- "IMDb: Contradiction (2013)". Internet movie database. IMDb.com. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
