Cold Chillin’ alumni artist Granddaddy IU took the time out to give us a heads up on what’s been up with him in recent years, what’s took so long to hear from him again and who needs to quit playin around and let him do what he does best. Just one listen to his new releases will let you know that this Hip Hop veteran hasn’t lost a step at all.
For the cats that don’t know who you are tell a little bit about Granddaddy IU.
IU: Um well
This is on the internet so you have no language restriction at all.
IU: Yea yea ha
I was at the Oxygen show when you called in and Oxygen was like oh man you always get me in trouble so yo feel free to say whatever you want.
IU: No doubt. I came in the game like 89 I got signed with Bizmark you know what I’m saying he had a production deal. So nigga had found me in Long Island cause he use to fuck with this cat from the hood and shit. The cat let him hear a tape that had just made and shit so nigga just signed me up whateva. Then that Cold Chillin shit was like a production deal through Cold Chillin and Warner Brothers was the parent label and shit. So my album came out in 1990 and shit then from there we had singles and shit did some recordings Something New, Suga Free and all that shit right there. Then from there I started writing some shit for Shontae producing some shit for her. I did that Big Momma shit I don’t know if you recall that shit where she was dissing all girls other female rappers. Yea. Basically that was Fly Ty idea and that shit caused a lot of fucken drama. Me and a nigga Tretch had beef behind that shit right there and that was when he was runnin with Tupac and all that shit. But um that shit never amount to nothing know what I’m saying a few confrontations but that shit never amount to nothing. Besides that I produced some shit I produced Hot for KRS1 I produced 2 joints on Helter Skelter album, Magnum Force. I produced 2 joints and wrote 2 joints for Biz. I did the shit Raising Hell for um Das FX. I just did some shit called Gangsta Rap for Ice-T.
Ice-T comin out with something new?
IU: Yea he comin out. My man I don’t know if you know this nigga Rock Maus. He down with the UN and um they just got signed to Steve Rifkin label and shit so I did a joint for him. And Definite Dude called Wine and Bitches that about to come out.
Ok so you pretty much cover a lot of basis MC as well as producer and go back a ways to as far as being in the game and Hip Hop. OK question from another MC wanted to know what IU stands for?
IU: It don’t stand for shit that’s my name. That’s my real name.
Oh word. Ok.
IU: No doubt what it is my real name is an Arabic name right and it’s like the teachers or whoever see the shit on paper they can’t pronounce it so I just simplified it you know what I’m saying Ayub so a motha fucka say IU but really AYUB.
So it’s pronounced Ayub.
IU: Yea
I know how that goes with teachers mispronouncing names.
IU: It’s Arabic so back then no nigga had no name like that you know what I’m saying everybody was fucken John, Willy or fucken you know what I mean Bob or some shit they didn’t have no shit like that so they couldn’t fuck with it so I had to simplify it.
Yea. So tell me about the new project. You had your album came out the first one was in 90 and I believe the second was 92 or 94. So now it’s 2005 so how come the lapse in the time.
IU: 94. 15 years later nigga. The lapse in the time was because first of all Cold Chillin you know what I’m sayin they didn’t go out of business til like 98, 99 or something but they didn’t have no business running you know what I’m saying but they didn’t actually fold. So they was like leaving niggas in limbo not letting you go and not giving you no release but they wasn’t doing nothing. You know you can’t do shit you know what I’m saying you still signed to them but they just holding on to you and they finally said fuck it and folded that shit. By that time I had been gone for so long that I didn’t even know like niggas that I knew that were A and R’s and this that and the third from my era. So it was like now niggas lookin at me like I’m an old washed up nigga but they not even knowin that a nigga is still hot, but the shit was just a struggle just to even get a mutha fucka to hear something you know what I’m sayin. But then I had this bitch ass nigga at MCA like yo he about to sign me some nigga called Malau then at the last second this nigga fucken fronted you know what I mean and then the nigga Kedau was suppose to sign me then this nigga fronted at the last second. I think Fly Ty fucked that deal up because he was trying to get like a different check for his self for bringing me there and I guess the check that they was going to give him wasn’t enough for him so he tryin to boost his check up which fucked up the whole shit.
So that left you stuck out again.
IU: Yea again yea so it’s like now it’s been 15 years and niggas ain’t heard nothing you know what I’m sayin. I’ve been doin a little production here and there but that ain’t got nothing to do with if I still can spit. So niggas just don’t know and you know how the game is right now if you ain’t a fucken faggot letting these niggas fuck you in the ass it’s hard or something to get in the circle. Niggas is like whoever is in the position they bringing all they mans in whether they got talent or not and niggas can’t get in. So right now the only thing for me to do is you know what I’m saying is the independent so that’s what we doin. It ain’t going to be a matter of time before niggas get they head in once they hear whoever heard me lately they like oh shit this nigga still got it, of course I still got it what the fuck you think nigga?
Ok so tell me about the new project.
IU: Well the new project it ain’t really I mean it’s just me man workin. I didn’t get no outside production because right now it ain’t no budget like that so I do all my tracks right now you know what I’m sayin.
And you got the single out right now right?
IU: Yea I got the single out right now I got that one joint from Large Professor Mac of the Year. Besides that I mean a lot of niggas are just frontin man like I don’t want to say this nigga frontin but Just Blaze my man you know what I’m sayin but come on man I’m like yo nigga throw me a track I got you I got you. I’m like alright mutha fucka it’s been like a year and some change and I ain’t got shit. And then this nigga Psycho Les from the Beat Nuts you know what I’m sayin he sent me one joint but come on man mutha fucka I ain’t rile off that shit come on man what you fucken tryin to give me. Give me some heat nigga don’t give me just any shit.
So what’s your immediate future plans right now with the single out and I’m assuming an album in the works.
IU: Yea I’m just tryin to finish up an album you know what I’m sayin and in the mean time I’m tryin to work on this mix tape so I want to put this mix tape out before I you know what I’m sayin before I even come with an album. I’m a put this mix tape out and then probably another single and then either an EP or an album, but um and other than that I’m just trying to get more production work to get my paper up.
Now your single is you got that distributed through Redline.
IU: Yea Redline.
No doubt. That’s good to come back.
IU: This shit right here is just a small stepping stone to try to get back in the thick of things man but I gotta start somewhere. I ain’t tryin to start by letting niggas fuck me over again so the best way to do it I got my Steady Flow Enterprises my label distributed by this nigga Jason at Redline from there the shit get to goin and you know and just go to bigger and better things.
Like they say if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself.
IU: Yea no doubt
So the website and all that comin?
IU: Yea right now I got that shit on Myspace whatever that shit is I don’t even know I don’t fuck all that right that.
I.U. spelled out I know the spot.
IU: Yea. So in the meantime until I get the website man. I paid this fucken punk ass nigga to do this website for me and that shit stayed under construction next thing I know the shit is off line and I can’t find this mutha fucka man.
That ain’t cool
IU: That shit ain’t cool at all man.
So being through the things you been through in the game as far as being left in limbo with the label and then with the other deals that fell through with the website and stuff. What can you say about the game as far as what you have learned from all of that.
IU: The game is fucked up and 99.9% of the mutha fuckas in the game are fucken phony man foreally real man. Like you said if you want some shit done man you gotta do it yourself. Basically stick to your fucken you know what I’m sayin stick to the script don’t follow this bullshit because I know it’s like whatever is hot on the radio now the A and R is gonna tell you yea this shit is cool but I want a song that sounds something like such and such. Can you make a Jay-Z song or can you make a fucken Lil John like you know what I’m sayin whatever the radio is playin they gonna want you to fucken transform and get on that shit but you just gotta stick to your guns and do what you do. You know what I’m sayin create your own lane. Somebody gonna appreciate that shit sooner or later when all the hype from that wax shit dies down. Like this dirty south shit right now killin us. Shit, goddamn like yo a lot of niggas from over here tryin man to get on that shit but that shit never work. That shit ain’t never work cause that’s they shit let them do that shit.
So what can people expect from IU.
IU: Expect some real music man. I don’t go outside of my lane just to try to appease mutha fuckas that’s doin that. My shit is mostly laid back smooth shit. My content is always hard no matter how smooth the beat is or what the topic is it’s never no fucken flowers and fucken sunshine you know what I’m sayin real shit.
Is there anything you want the people to know before we finish up?
IUy: Yea just I want niggas to know I’m here and I never went nowhere and I still got it. So when you hear the shit don’t be surprised just go out and cop it you know what I’m sayin support real niggas with real music for real.
Alright and last question why did you drop the Grandaddy off the Grandaddy IU?
IU: Oh that’s because man to me that shit is like so old you know what I’m saying that’s old old. But really right now man I might just reinstate that shit because I can’t escape it everywhere I go whateva they always say Grandaddy IU. Even if I say yo it’s IU niggas just gonna still you know what I mean so fuck it I might as well just go with it. That’s what got me here really right. Fuck it.
Well I appreciate the time definitely. We will do what we can to get the stuff out there play the stuff on the radio on web show and get the interview up on the site as well.
IU: Oh this is gonna be like some audio shit.
It’s going to be audio and it’s gonna be text. It’s gonna be on both cause I do a weekly web radio show and also the text from the interview I put the transcript up on the 1212.com site so cats can read it if they weren’t listening.
IU: And I wanna say to Pete Rock nigga you were suppose to hit me with those tracks Benie Mo B you were suppose to hit me with them tracks nigga. Stop frontin give me the fucken tracks so I can do what I do. Fo real
You don’t pull any punches.
IU: Naw just real shit man.
*Transcribed by Accuclaim Pro
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