Lil' Fame (Jamal Grinnage; born April 9, 1975) grew up in the neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn and formed a gang called Mash Out Posse. With a desire to rap, he formed a hip-hop group named after the gang Mash Out Posse. Fame always had a gift for making hip-hop music, with his talent ranging from being an emcee / producer, to silently being skilled on the turntables. His music became his form of therapy when his older brother was gunned down in his neighborhood.