I.U. in Hotlanta

Sticking with Grand Daddy IU for my next update - my interest in him resparked by his recent comeback - this 12" is actually just a recent discovery for me; until just recently I'd never heard of it. "All About Money" b/w "Check It Out" came out in 1996, placing it right in that dead space between Lead Pipe and his self-released white labels. Curiously, it's on an indie label I've never heard of (and I can't find any other releases from online) based out of Atlanta, GA.

Both songs are co-produced by IU (I believe this is his first release without the "Grand Daddy" prefix, by the way) and Anothony Papamichael, aka Tony P, who also plays the guitar and keyboards. The basis, then, is live instrumentation rather than sampling... the results aren't outstanding, but they're pretty cool and have a nice, organic feel. There's also a remix, which puts the emphasis on a strong bassline, again played live by Tony P. Both versions feature a hook sung by Alfreda Gerald, and the b-side features an MC named X-Filez, who holds his own with that 90's indie NY style that sounds like it came straight out of the Dolo Records vault. Lyrically, IU comes with the kind of hardcore thug raps with a bent towards clever rhymes you'd expect if you're familiar with any of his post-Smooth Assassin material: "I keep the code of the streets, play for keeps, ain't no repentin'. I buck and I don't give a fuck if you was Bill Clinton. If I ain't heard of you, I'ma murder you with a thirty-two inserted through your neck, then jet in a phat convertible."

I dunno how IU wound up on a small record label from Atlanta... I'm guessing Z (or Zee, it's spelled both ways on the label) Records is Tony P's label (IU's production is credited as "for Steady Flow Productions," while Tony's is credited as "for Zee Records"). And while this is the first I'd heard of Tony P, a little Googling shows he's no stranger to the New York hip-hop scene, receiving recording and engineering credit on albums like Main Source's Breaking Atoms, Big Daddy Kane's Taste of Chocolate and Living Colour's Vivid. At any rate, it's an interesting little addition to the IU oeuvre.