MC GQ, whose real name is Gary Francis, grew up in Hackney, London, and first performed under the name MC Juice, MCing over hip-hop at school. He also became part of the Squadron sound system. His parents are from St Lucia, which he has described as his second home. As a teenager, he and DJ Spoony performed together as Tom & Jerry, with GQ DJing while Spoony MCed. GQ moved from hip-hop through acid house and hardcore into jungle and drum & bass, and developed a distinctive approach, adapting his delivery to the DJ and music.
GQ became closely associated with AWOL, where he was a resident MC at the Paradise Club. His work alongside Randall, Micky Finn, Kenny Ken, Dr S Gachet and Cool Hand Flex helped define the night, and his partnership with Randall became known for its musical chemistry. He has also performed alongside leading jungle and drum & bass DJs, including Grooverider, Fabio, DJ Marky and Break. He has MCed for more than three decades.
In 1999, GQ founded Emcee Recordings, a drum & bass label that helped develop Jubei, SP:MC, Breakage, Sabre and Clipz. His collaborations have included Danny Byrd, Mandidextrous and Harriet Jaxxon, as well as the single Guernsey Airport Bubbler, made with Whiney and released in 2020 on Hospital Records. In 2021, he joined Danny Byrd and Remarc for the Hospital Records single Salute (Remarc Remix), and worked with Roska on Kaboom!, a single for Roska Kicks & Snares. The following year brought Find A Space, a single on Souped Up Records.
In 2024, he joined Paul T and Edward Oberon on the V Recordings single Kamikaze. His 2025 single Step Pon Babylon, made with Hurrian, appeared on Emcee Recordings.
