How did Grand Daddy I.U. die? Tributes pour in as veteran rapper passes away at 54

Famous rapper Grand Daddy I.U. recently passed away on December 13 at the age of 54. Although the cause of death has not yet been revealed, he reportedly died in his sleep.

I.U.’s representative Raya paid tribute to him in a social media post stating that she was shocked to hear the news. She added that she always had a lot of love and respect for the artist, continuing:

Grand Daddy I.U. was mostly known as a member of the hip-hop group Juice Crew. The hip-hop star is survived by his family members, whose identities are yet to be disclosed.

Rapper LL Cool J took to his Instagram to pay his respects to the late artist by sharing a picture of his friend alongside a moving caption, thus confirming his demise.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Also known as Ayub Bey, the late artist managed to build a huge fanbase in recent years despite releasing limited material. Several netizens paid their tributes on Twitter when they heard about his unfortunate demise:

Grand Daddy I.U. was well-known for his albums and singles

Born on August 23, 1968, Grand Daddy I.U. spent most of his childhood in Hempstead, Long Island. Detailed information about his parents and educational background is not available as he never revealed anything about them.

After being encouraged by his brother Kay Cee, he made his debut in the music industry by joining Cold Chillin’ Records in 1989. Although he gained recognition as a hip-hop artist, he failed to reach the level of other artists who were signed to the record label. The late 54-year-old released four albums since his time in the music industry.

His first album Smooth Assassin and its singles were loved by the audience. However, Grand Daddy I.U. started having a negative opinion of the music industry after Biz Markie received publishing credits for the singles despite the fact that most of the work was done by I.U. and his brother Kay Cee.

He then released his second album, Lead Pipe, in June 1994. The album failed to repeat the success of I.U.’s first release despite being included in the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It had a total of 16 singles. The album’s failure was attributed to the lack of promotion and the end of Cold Chillin’ Records’ collaboration with Warner Bros. Records.

Later, Grand Daddy I.U. took a break from releasing any new work for a long time and changed his focus towards writing songs for other artists. He made special appearances on several albums and after a long break, his third album, Stick to the Script, was released in 2007 under the record label Steady Flow.

The album became famous for guest appearances by well-known faces from the music industry.

He also joined Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard on an album titled Still Hear. Grand Daddy I.U.'s latest album, titled Essence, was released in 2020 and the following year, he released a single, Stay Fly.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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