Ayub Bey (August 23, 1968 – December 13, 2022), known as Grand Daddy I.U., was an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

who was a member of the hip-hop group

Juice Crew The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York-based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Cre ...

in the 1980s.

Career

Grand Daddy I.U., born in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, was raised in

Hempstead, Long Island The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...

, and encouraged to begin performing by his brother, also known as Kay Cee. He recorded a demo tape and gave it to

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

, who signed him to the label

Cold Chillin' Records Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg (d. November 4, 2010), ...

in 1989. In 1990 he released his debut, '' Smooth Assassin'', which spawned two Rap Chart hits: "Something New" (#11) which sampled

James & Bobby Purify James & Bobby Purify were an R&B singing duo, whose biggest hits were "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966, which reached number six in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and in a re-recorded version number 12 in the UK Singles Chart (in May 1976), and ...

's "

I'm Your Puppet "I'm Your Puppet" is a song written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham; the best known version is the one recorded by James & Bobby Purify which reached #5 on the US R&B chart and #6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1966. The single was nominated fo ...

", and "Sugar Free" (#9). He became noted for his high-end tailored attire, always appearing in public wearing a suit and tie. Grand Daddy I.U.at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Grand Daddy I.U. appeared as a guest on several hip hop albums in the 1990s, including

Big L Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper and record executive. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Coleman became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ...

's '' Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous'' and

Positive K Positive K (sometimes stylized as +K) (born Darryl Gibson on August 9, 1967) is an American MC and songwriter from the Bronx, New York City, New York, and one of the original artists of the First Priority Music camp. He is best known for his hi ...

's ''

The Skills Dat Pay da Bills ''The Skills Dat Pay da Bills'' is Positive K's debut album, which was released November 3, 1992. With "I Got a Man" making waves on the radio, he was doing underground compilation appearances, guest spots on other hip-hop artists' albums, and wor ...

''. Grand Daddy I.U. did

ghostwriting A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...

and production work for Markie and

Roxanne Shanté Lolita Shante Gooden (born March 8, 1970), better known by her stage name Roxanne Shante, is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects of Queens, New York City, Shante first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and w ...

but became disenchanted with Markie over a dispute involving publishing credits for the tracks on his debut. He released a sophomore effort, ''Lead Pipe'', in 1994. Its lead single "Represent" charted modestly on the US Dance Singles Chart. The album received little promotion, so after the standalone single "All About Money" in 1996, Grand Daddy I.U. quit rapping for nearly a decade. Grand Daddy I.U. continued to do production work in hip-hop for

Das EFX Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books and Boogie Bang, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named the ...

Heltah Skeltah Heltah Skeltah was an American hip hop duo which consisted of rappers Jahmal "Rock" Bush and Sean "Ruck" Price. The two were also members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. Biography He ...

, KRS-One, and Ice-T among others. He issued a third album, ''Stick to the Script'', in 2007, featuring production from Large Professor and Marco Polo and appearances from

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, DV Alias Khryst, and Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard. In 2017 he reunited with long-time collaborator Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard on the album ''Still Hear'' by Long Island emcee Lantz. The pair featured together on two songs, "Til The Casket" and "Yesterday". In 2020 I.U. released an album ''The Essence'', which featured artists

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

, Lil Fame,

Sadat X Derek Murphy (born December 29, 1968), better known as Sadat X, is an American rapper, best known as a member of alternative hip hop group Brand Nubian. Originally known as Derek X, Sadat takes his name from former Egyptian president Anwar Sad ...

Craig G Craig Curry (born March 24, 1973),Hess, Mickey (2009) ''Hip Hop in America: a Regional Guide: Volume 1 - East Coast and West Coast'', Greenwood Publishing Group, , p. 55Bry, David (2001) "Something in the Water", ''Vibe'', March 2001, p. 80 bette ...

, Large Professor, and a host of other artists. The album was composed of songs all produced by I.U. and showcased his beat making talents. After a short break from releasing music, Grand Daddy I.U released a new single "Stay Fly" under Get@Em Recordz on July 2, 2021. Bey died at age 54 on December 13, 2022.

Personal life

I.U.'s daughter is the indie soul singer Yaya Bey.

Discography

Albums

Singles

* 1990 "Something New" (US Rap #11) * 1990 "Sugar Free" (US Rap #9) * 1990 "This Is A Recording" * 1990 "Pick Up The Pace" * 1994 "Represent" (US Dance #54) * 1994 "Don't Stress Me" * 1996 "All About Money" * 2005 "I Be Thuggin'" * 2021 "Stay Fly" (with Shawn Haynes & Monsta Mook) * 2022 "Trust Me" (with Paula Perry & Da Inphamus Amadeuz)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Daddy I.U 1968 births 2022 deaths People from Hempstead (town), New York People from Queens, New York Rappers from New York City 21st-century American rappers Juice Crew members