Werner Interviews Grand Daddy IU! (Part 2)

...continued from the previous post.

And then, in the late ‘90’s, you came out on Universal Records as a part of the Juice Crew 3rd Millennium. What was the deal with that project?|

I don’t know. That was Fly Ty and Mr. Magic; that was their shit. They called me up like, “yo. We need you to produce a track. We’re gonna do this, um, Juice Crew shit and whatever whatever.” I was like, “I-ight.”

And was there, at one time, ever going to be a whole Juice Crew 3rd Millennium album or something?

Nah… (Laughs) Fly Ty and Mr. Magic were some funny cats. They were wheelin’ and dealin’, you know what I’m saying? They had somehow got up in somebody’s ear in Universal and got them to give them a budget. But they ain’t had no artists, no acts! So they just threw some shit together and were like, “yo, this is gonna be the… Juice Crew 3rd Millennium or whatever. Let’s just put some shit together and let’s get these checks.”

Yeah, because on the label, it mentions a Mr. Magic sampler album called Mr. Magic's Greatest Flavors, that never came out.

Yeah, it never came out. They ain’t pushed that single! And the single was hot. They could’ve done something, but they just was in it for the check. Niggas was just tryin’ to get their checks, that’s all.

And Oz who was on that track… was he the same Oz from your independent 12”, “Oz’s Track?”

Yeah, from Hempstead, Terrace Ave. Me, him, and my other cat who’s locked up now… we was gonna do something, but they couldn’t get along. So that shit never panned out.

But he wasn’t ever actually considered part of Steady Flow, was he?

Yeah…

Who exactly was? And who is now?

Big Snow, Chapelle, Oz, my brother… like, a lot of motherfuckers. DuQuan. But now everybody just went their fuckin’ separate ways. Now, it’s just a few niggas left holdin’ it down.

And are any of them involved with the music, really, now? Like, are any of them going to turn up on the next Grand Daddy IU project, or…?

Nah, they just roll with me.

‘Cause I saw Big Snow had, like, a track or two up on his myspace…

Yeah, he’s still doin’ it. A little something.

Now, who was that on your first album, talking on like “Sugar Free” and…

Ah! Easy Rick the playa! (laughs) He’s alright… He’s sick now. Got cancer; all kinds of wild shit… in the kidney…

Damn. …Well, then you had… when the Marco Polo LP came out on Rawkus, he had a song with you on the promo CD, called “Veteran?” But it never came out on the album.

Yeah, ‘cause the album was already done by the time we linked up. He was just doin’ a mix-tape for his shit.

Oh, ok. So is there a chance that’ll wind up on the B-side to his next 12” or something?

“Veteran?” That shit’s gonna be on my joint that’s coming out.

Ok, yeah, I was gonna ask that. You got an album coming out? What’s the go with that?

Yeah, it’s on Steady Flow… through Red Line Distribution. It’s called Stick To the Script, and I believe it’s… October 23rd, or some shit like that? October twenty-something, I don’t even know, but shit is hot. Strictly hip-hop, you know what I’m sayin’? The “Veteran” track is gonna be on there, one or two of the tracks that’s on my myspace are probably gonna be on there… “Take Off Your Clothes” and “Regrets.” It’s nineteen joints, mostly done by me; I did thirteen or fourteen.

And who did the other ones?

DJ Doom did one: “Regrets.” Freedom did “Take Off Your Clothes;” he’s some piano cat from out here in Queens. Chucky Madness did “Fuck With I.U.” Blunt did “Double Remy” and, damn… somebody else did one more. Oh, I’m buggin’. Marco Polo! And I also can’t forget: Large Professor did “Mack Of the Year.”

Oh, I thought I read an interview with you saying the tracks from that 12” were gonna be, like, that 12” only.

It was. But the cat from the distributor, Jameson, he wanted that motherfucker put on there. So I was like, “whatever.”

So is he putting on both of the tracks, or just the B-side?

Just “Mack Of the Year.”

So, you had an online only EP, Long Island’s Finest. Are any of those tracks… I think you sort of mentioned… will any of those songs be on the new album?

Nah. I ain’t putting any of that shit on that.

Ok, so is there any chance of that material getting any kind of a physical release? A CD or vinyl?

Nah. Or... nah; I don’t believe so. I don’t know anything about that shit. I’m trying to move on. Keep it movin’.

I heard some of it, though; and there was some good stuff. Like that track with Pudgee…

Oh shit! That was on there? “Back In the Days?” Damn, I be buggin’. Well, that’s gonna be on the album, though. I ain’t know that shit was on there. Damn…

Yeah, I thought it was cool you hooked up with Pudgee again, because he was another really talented rapper, who had a great first album but then really didn’t have the push from his label for his later stuff. But he’s stayed in the game, putting out material.

Yeah, he be floatin’ around, here and there. He be writin’ R&B songs and all kinds of shit.

And you had one other - pretty rare, actually – album. I just found one online site that’s been selling it, just called I.U. Volume 1.

Huh?

I.U. Volume 1? It would’ve been, like, 2003 or something like that maybe?

Wow. I don’t know nothing about that.

It’s like a full album, not like a mix-CD or anything. Nineteen tracks, including one with 2Pac, and yeah… none of them were previously released anywhere else.

And they were selling that shit online? Get the fuck out of town!

Yeah, I think it’s still available. I can send you the link…

Yeah, please do that. Oh shit! Oh shit! Wow. Yeah, definitely send that shit tonight, because I gotta find out who this is, because they’re definitely getting’ their ass robbed.

Damn, I thought you just put that out yourself, because it’s even got “Steady Flow” written on the CD like it came out on the Steady Flow label…

Wow… Who in the fuck did that? That’s crazy. Somebody dipped in my stash. Wow… Holy shit.

So, that’s about it for my questions… Is there anything you want to add, say to the people reading this?

Just cop that shit. October 23rd, that Tuesday, Stick To the Script. Cop that. Hot shit, nah’ mean?

Is there any chance we’re gonna get a vinyl of that?

Well, that’s what the distributor wanna do, but I don’t know. That vinyl shit ain’t really worth it nowadays. You know what I’m saying? Maybe. Maybe a vinyl EP.

Well, it probably works better for a more old school MC with a little roots, you know? Like, kids will just be like, “let me download whatever the latest G-Unit track is to my I-Pod,” but us older heads are still buying the vinyl.

Yeah, I might do that. Do a vinyl EP and add an extra track that’s not on the album. We’ll see.

Tags: Grand Daddy I.U.