Way Back: P.I.M.P. (Paper Is My Priority) (2015)
“Hey yo, chuck the deuces, f*ck excuses,
street smarts combined with the mind of Confucius”
-Grand Daddy I.U. on “Listen Scratches”
Rare is the rap career that can sustain bouts with labels, industry titans, anonymity, and the gradual stylistic shift from north and west to south. That describes Grand Daddy I.U.. Debuting in a decade that saw Nas, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang carry on New York’s legacy, I.U. still had one of the strongest pens to come out of the Empire State.
Some believe he was blackballed in the mid 90’s for ghostwriting a track for Roxanne Shante that dissed a slew of female MC’s. Though he was rumored to have quit rapping for nearly ten years, his creativity never disappeared. He continued releasing music well into the next millennium on his own label, Steady Flow. It’s strictly been an underground affair, but that hasn’t lessened the quality of the music at all. It only shows that some of the best talent will always fly under the radar.
In February 2015, he released P.I.M.P. (Paper Is My Priority) on his label, Steady Flow Enterprises. It was his seventh album overall, and the fifth since his return to the industry in the mid-2000’s. Yes, Grand Daddy was (and is) still a lethal MC, but those literary skills are going to come with a gutter themes and tones. If you loved his work in the 90s, just know that nothing changed.
The first of three videos from the album was for “She Said” featuring Brand Nubian’s Sadat X.
I.U. may’ve taken some time away from the game, but it wasn’t to change his style. On “Listen Scratches”, he doubles down on his hardcore persona.
“I’ll do that bid, been through that kid
Last n*gga tried to cross me it flew that wig
I’ll whoop ass don’t make me unscrew that lid”
His absence from the game is a big deal for someone with a pen so mighty. He addresses that a few times on the album, most notably on “We Here Now”.
It’s only one I.U.
One n*gga alive do that sh*t I do
Provide for my fam, ride for my crew
If you can’t prove me wrong then it must be true.
The back end of the song finds I.U. clearing up rumors on what happened during his hiatus. Over the xylophones and boom bap drums, he reminds listeners that he didn’t fall off.
There’s been a lot of speculation on where I was
In jail, f*cked up, or strung out on drugs
Well, sorry to disappoint you ,wasn’t none of the above,
I'm still standing tall, granddaddy of em all”
Shawn Haynes sings the hook on “My Neck of the Woods”. This track uses the same Lonnie Liston Smith sample that Digable Planets used more than 20 years prior on their debut album. IU is his most vulnerable here when speaking on the ills of his neighborhood, a struggling dancer, and the loss of a close friend.
And never let nann n*gga beat me
When Rick died I swear it hurt deeply
Til’ this day I still cry discretely
Yea, thugs do that too, it’s nothin’ new
Imagine losin’ the n*gga you was closest to
While they waitin on the kitty that was overdue
I’m Chasin’ Remy wit a brew tryna numb the pain
Since he been gone, sh*t ain’t been the same
“Uptown Saturday Night” sounds like a party joint from the 80’s with I.U. smoothly reminding listeners that he’s the coolest cat wherever he’s at. “Bottles in Da Air” is the banger on this project. I.U. brings all his bravado to the table for one of the more upbeat tracks.
Your hard stares and whispers they don’t affect me
You aint gotta like me but nigga you gon’ respect me
If ever you were a fan of 90s rap and that classic New York sound, Grand Daddy I.U.’s latest effort is worth a listen. It’s all the talent and style of his contemporaries with minimal fanfare.
