I.O.U., an acronym for Inside Our Universe, is an American hip hop duo from

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

who remixed

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

hit song

Black and Yellow "Black and Yellow" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa from his third studio album, '' Rolling Papers''. It was released on September 14, 2010, as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Khalifa, along with Stargate, who pr ...

to the tune of Black and Scarlett, Rutgers' official colors. The song was a hit on YouTube and the duo started working full-time on music. Since then they've opened for the likes of

Far East Movement Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is an American Hip hop music, hip hop and electronic music group based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and as of August 2018 consists of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), DJ Virman (Vi ...

and

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

History

Andrew Buckner and Isaiah McNeill founded the band in 2008 and upon graduating started working full-time on their music. The group was formerly known as Deuce1's and has since been renamed to I.O.U.

Musical style and influences

The duo rose to preeminence under the stage name Deuce 1's during their freshman year of college when they released ‘Rutgers State of Mind’, their take on Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ ‘Empire State of Mind.’ The song became a Rutgers anthem, and the following year Andrew and Isaiah linked up to record ‘Black and Scarlet,’ their take on Wiz Khalifa's ‘Black and Yellow’ which landed them the unofficial title of ‘Rutgers’ Official Rap Group’ by the student government. A few months later, the duo changed their name to I.O.U., a name they felt was more meaningful, and produced and recorded their self-released album ‘Breaking Our Mind Barriers’ or ‘B.O.M.Bs.’ released in summer of 2011 on their website. Since B.O.M.Bs., Andrew and Isaiah have opened for

Long Island, NY Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th- ...

late September 2011, have performed at

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amu ...

' Frightfest in

Jackson, NJ Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township population was 58,544. A portion of the township is located within the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Roughly equidistant be ...

in early October 2011 and have released their second mixtape Love,Great.Humans in November 2011. They have also performed at the

Under Armour Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports equipment company that manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel. Under Armour's global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional offices located in Amsterdam (European hea ...

3rd Rail Jam Festival in

Sunday River, ME Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

late December 2011.

Discography

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2009 American hip hop duos Musical duos from New Jersey East Coast hip hop groups Musical groups from New Brunswick, New Jersey