Searching for Jerry Garcia
Searching for Jerry Garcia is the only studio album by Detroit rapper Proof, a member of D12. It was released on August 9, 2005, on Iron Fist Records, Proof’s own independent label. The album is named after Grateful Dead member Jerry Garcia, and its release date lined up with the ten-year anniversary of Garcia’s death.
Proof says he found inspiration in Jerry Garcia after watching a Jerry Garcia documentary. He explains that Garcia’s idea of never performing the same show twice and focusing on making fans happy, not just selling records, influenced his own approach. The Garcia estate gave permission to use the name, and no money was asked for the rights.
The album’s artwork includes several homages to Garcia. The cover shows a skeleton, a common Grateful Dead motif, and the inner art features Proof partly skinned among roses, drawing on a 1900 image that appears on Grateful Dead merchandise. The album also pays tribute to Kurt Cobain in the closing track, titled “Kurt Kobain,” which is presented as a rap in the form of a suicide note. Proof has said Cobain’s death is a mystery to him, and the outro of the song reflects his thoughts about the case.
Death is a running theme throughout the record. In the interlude “When God Calls,” Proof is shown as being killed, followed by “Forgive Me,” where he confesses his sins to God. The album also nods to other famous deaths and references members of the 27 Club. Less than a year after the album came out, Proof was shot and killed in Detroit on April 11, 2006.
“Pimplikeness,” the final track featuring Eminem and D12, is Proof’s last studio appearance with them. Some songs were recorded as early as 2002, with most completed in 2004 and 2005. A limited edition of the album included a bonus DVD called High World, with unreleased footage from D12’s 2004 European tour, behind-the-scenes looks at making songs, and cameos from D12, Obie Trice, Busta Rhymes, B-Real, King Gordy, and Method Man.
The album debuted at number 65 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:17 (CET).