Elder High School’s faculty is full of diverse and fascinating people. Beyond their academic careers, some teachers have taken on second jobs or volunteer positions to pursue individual passions. When Mr. Alig isn’t teaching freshmen the ins and outs of the English Language, he is working as a pharmaceutical technician. When Mr. Louis isn’t teaching geometry, you might just find him in the press box on Friday nights as the voice of Elder football. With this said, however, no staff member has a more intriguing hobby than Mr. Grimm: rapping.

Eric “Easy E” Grimm is an English teacher here at Elder, but when he isn’t discussing logical fallacies or rhetorical analysis, he can be found spitting hot fire in the bowels of Our Lady of Visitation Parish. Yes, that is right, Mr. Grimm exhibits his rhythmic talents every Thursday at Visi’s evening Rap Battle. While these rap battles run “free style”, they are occasionally guided by a theme like “Halloween” or even simply “Cold”. Easy E has embraced this free style idea, citing it as the sole reason for his lack of a record label. Not having to worry about contractual obligations, world tours, or business decisions, Easy E has been able to focus more on his craft, bustin’ rhymes at a voracious pace.

Beating some of rap’s biggest names over the years, Grimm has evidence to back up his greatness. Victories over Wayne (Lil Wayne’s older brother) and Kay Z (Jay Z’s younger brother) have cemented Easy E’s dominance on the West Side.

Grimm, while flourishing in Western Hills, has yet to branch out into the wide expanse of Cincinnati rap culture. The East side boasts many big names, including Hyde Park native Skyttle (a close friend of Eminem), who would pose a suitable challenge for the inexperienced artist. Grimm may want to tread lightly, however, because we all know what happened last time the East and West had a rap feud…

The fact of the matter is this: Mr. Grimm has a gift, a gift that not many appreciate. If his teaching career doesn’t pan out, Mr. Grimm will always have a future in the music industry, going from a class that is an easy A to a rap moniker of Easy E.