Grand Daddy Obituary, Death – In a year already marred by tragedy, hip-hop has learnt of yet another heinous act. Grand Daddy I.U. of Long Island, New York, according to recent sources, has died. A number of renowned individuals, including LL Cool J, Pete Rock, Diamond D, and Bumpy Knuckles, have publicly mourned the passing of the MC and producer. At this moment, no information about the cause of death has been released. Furthermore, TMZ validated the allegation. I.U. was reported to be 54 years old at the time. Grandpa I.U. is originally from Hempstead, Long Island, and was born Ayub Bey.
This is the same city that brought the world artists like Prodigy, Roc Marciano, A+, and others. Biz Markie of The Juice Crew mentored I.U. during his career in the 1980s. Later, I.U. signed with Cold Chillin’/Warner Bros. Records, where he recorded his debut album, Smooth Assassin, produced by Biz and released in 1990. Biz was escorted by I.U. Years later, I.U. claimed that he was the producer of many of the songs attributed to the late MC, DJ, and producer who died in 2022. Grand Daddy I.U., along with his label partner Kool G Rap, helped to build a sophisticated fashion style that was blended with slick-talking tales of life on the East Coast streets.
After Epic released Cold Chillin’, I.U. returned in 1994 with Lead Pipe. This album was produced by Grand Daddy’s brother, Kaycee, and was distributed by Epic. During this time, he also served as an MC for Big L and produced music for Das-EFX, Heltah Skeltah, KRS-One, and Ice-T. He also collaborated with Ice-T around this time. In the 2000s, I.U. was successful with their independent content, such as P.I.M.P. (Paper Is My Priority), which was released in 2015 and starring Sadat X. In addition, he appeared in series such as Diamond’s “The Diam Piece,” Large Professor’s “Professor @ Large,” and Marco Polo’s “The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo,” among others.
He appeared on the 2022 episode of “Rumble” alongside Shorty Sha and Drawzilla. I.U. is in charge of re-releasing vintage songs under the Steady Flow Enterprises label. Premiere of “The Game,” a Diamond D and Grand Daddy I.U. collaboration, and Talk First (Video) Ambrosia For Heads extends heartfelt sympathies to Grand Daddy I.U.’s family, friends, and fans on his passing.
