Rapper Greydon Square Is an Atheist Icon

Not that the assault did much to hurt Greydon's popularity. Says one British guy in a YouTube video: "If Grey did beat up Brian Sapient, I don't really care that much. All I care about is that Greydon Square, one of the most amazing rappers I've ever heard, continues making the amazing music he does . . . The geezer is fucking genius."

Actually, after listening to Greydon's records released before and after the split, it's clear the episode helped Greydon evolve. The Compton Effect, which came out before the split with Sapient, whom other even atheists have called a cult leader and compared to David Koresh, is almost entirely about atheism. The C.P.T. Theorem, on the other hand, branches into other political and philosophical territory, with extraordinary results.

courtesy of Greydon Square

Greydon Square: The black Carl Sagan.

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More About

• Brian Sapient
• Compton
• Rational Response Squad
• Hip-Hop and Rap
• Atheism and Agnosticism

"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," says Greydon.

Though Greydon is still "that atheist rapper," he also takes on group home life, the war in Iraq, and race relations. "N Word," following the format of an infamous Chris Rock routine, is as bold a statement as you'll hear from a contemporary rapper. Predictably, Greydon raps, "Niggers believe in God; black people don't." But he gets much more provocative: "A nigger blames white people for slavery, a black knows it was Africans who sold black people into slavery."

That's ground few rappers are willing to tread, but, after tackling the biggest question in the universe, Greydon seems comfortable going there. He seems comfortable going pretty much anywhere, actually, even if it means offending the elderly white liberals at his shows.

"The fundamentalist atheists are not safe, either," he says. "To me, if you run around and you treat non-belief like a religion, then I've gotta get at you, just because you're making everyone else look bad."