Excerpt from a 2018 Profile on toofab.com.
From Wu-Tang to HBO to Spokesman for the Gods: Inside ‘Oz’ Actor Gano Grill’s Journey to Galactic Enlightenment
For Wu-Tang Clan fans, the name Gano Grills may ring a bell. The former graffiti artist and “Oz” actor’s name was immortalized in one verse by the hip-hop group’s founder RZA, who once rapped, “Have Wu-Tang tagged up on your tombstone by Gano.”
But if you Google him today, your search results will be flooded with Youtube videos advertising a dizzying array of arcane spiritual services at a high premium, all under the banner Galighticus. He’s the figurehead of the growing movement, even telling his students he’s the human incarnation of a god with the power to perform divine miracles.
Grills also racked up dozens of acting credits in his lifetime before becoming the enlightened guru he markets himself as today. From offering magic money that will burn up all of your bad financial karma to chakra cleansings and package deals on “karmic emancipation,” Gano has targeted nearly every demographic in the new age marketplace. He’s even got his own app.
What you are about to read is the story of a hip-hop graffiti artist and character actor who has successfully reinvented himself as a spiritual leader, with hundreds of people literally buying it.
But the saga of the artist now known as SRI Master Gano Grills and his spiritual awakening has an unlikely beginning. This former street artist did not study at the feet of an enlightened sage or at an ashram hidden somewhere in Asia. In fact, the mystical transformation began on stage during a theatrical performance.
TooFab spoke with the self-proclaimed mouthpiece of the gods at length, as well as a dedicated student who swears by his fantastical story, and this is what we learned.
Grills’ reputation as a graffiti artist was immortalized in one line by RZA on his 1998 album “Bobby Digital in Stereo,” but he’s quick to correct a “myth” that he is responsible for creating the iconic Wu-Tang logo. “Mathematics actually did that,” Grills told TooFab, and explained he created the Wu-Wear logo and did a lot of artwork for the clothing brand, as well as the legendary hip-hop group’s music videos.
He also took credit for designing the logo for Method Man —- another member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The rapper, who currently stars on HBO series “The Deuce,” declined to be interviewed for this article.
Grills connected with RZA through the rapper’s older brother, King, who went to school with Grills in the Staten Island, New York area. He told TooFab he was once a rapper himself and a member of RZA’s short-lived group The Five Deadly Venoms, a 1989 prototype of sorts for what would become Wu-Tang.
| Credit Type | Production | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Actor | Salaam Huey Newton, Salaam | 2008-09 Season |