Grand Daddy I.U. - Smooth Assassin
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Grand Daddy I.U.Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-01-30
Music Label: Traffic Entertainment/Cold Chillin'
Soundtracks:
- The U Is Smooth
- Pick Up The Pace
- Something New
- I Kick Ass
- Mass Destruction
- Gals Dem So Hot
- Girl In The Mall
- Kay Cee Is Nasty
- Nobody Move
- Dominos
- Behind Bars
- Soul Touch
- This Is A Recording
- Sugar Free
- Phuck 'Em Up U
- Sugar Free (12" Remix/"Old School Beat")
- Shout Outs
Free Music Notes for Smooth Assassin
Free Music Review: IT'S NOT PARKAY, IT'S THE ONE DADDY U
Hit: 5 Stars
Grand daddy I.U. is so Smooth, he'll make Dove soap feel like sandpaper. There's rappers past and present who kicked pimp s*it, but very few can swing it as well as the U. He has a nonchalant charisma that suggests he's a Mack by nature. In other words, it doesn't sound forced. Where as other rappers claim to be pimps, Grand Daddy I.U. doesn't really have to because he has a natural presence that's missing from a lot of MC's who claim to have had a stroll. Rather than me sell you on that game, I'm going to let you know how I.U. sells his game on "Smooth Assassin".
Case in example is the opening track where he flows over a familiar sample. "The U is Smooth" comes across so elegant that he sounds like a guest host at The Cotton Club in 1920's Harlem. On "I Kick A.." he throws more joints than a double header main event as he displays a funky type of gangsta wit that make him sound like Tommy Gibbs
with rap lyrics. Mass Destruction shows I.U. as a one man natural disaster with devastating lines like " Destruction/ whenever I come/ There ain't nothin' left when I'm done/ The only thing that remains is ashes and dust/ Blood Stains and veins from brains that I bust/Cities and towns burned down to the ground/ Blows and echoes- screams in the background/ All feel the wrath of a psychopathic/ Death scenes are graphic/ stopping all traffic/ As I demolish MC's/ When I'm gone, ain't nothin' standing, not even the trees. With a mellow jazzy loop backing him, I.U. is a human tornado sweeping a quiet village where fake MC's retreat. The raunchiness kicks in with the reggae tinged "Girls Dem So Hot" and "Girl in the Mall". The latter makes Too $hort look like Mr. Rogers as he lays down the details of his booty call from a cashier he meant at....you guessed it- the Mall! The Chronological detailed pattern in which he tells the story make you feel like a pet in Virginia's apartment with your eyes glued to the action (Virginia is the woman that he lays). "Kay Cee is Nasty" finds his DJ gettin his shine on. The record is one of the funniest and most memorable DJ solos I ever heard as he uses a series of Richard Pryor excerpts to tell you how nasty he is on the turntables. Especially funny is the repetitious chant of f*ckin' is good! .That track alone comes close to outdoing the U on his own record until he takes control back with "Nobody Move". The laid back jazzy bassline and Daddy U's trademark smoothness punctuates a robbery tale that sounds like a deleted scene from Hoodlum as he holds up a gambling spot, bank, and end up behind bars. The laidback bass line gives the song an old fashioned gangsta feel from the great depression era. Think of Bumpy Johnson planning a heist with his crew and you'll get the feel behind "Nobody Move". "Behind Bars" is one of the best cautionary tales ever made about the perils of drug and prison life. At the surface it may sound like a rip off from Kool G Rap's "Rikers Island" but I.U.'s tale breaks down prison life from a fallen Drug Dealer's perspective as to how it affects him inside as well as outside the prison walls- as opposed "Rikers Island" where G. Rap breaks down the dangers of internal prison life and what's necessary for survival. Though "This is a Recording" serves a summarization of who he is as a MC - it's a afterthought compared to "Sugar Free" where his intentions with women is summed up with a line that goes:...So it's a dead issue for you to pursue/ cuz boo, I love you but I love others too! He has a Pimp's honesty that's real, but it's so subtle to the point where you really can't get mad at him for womanizing. At least he's an honest one. The R&B vocals is probably one of the vainest examples of musical indulgences I heard since Isaac Hayes "Joy" ,but it does add a unforgettable charm as she sounds like one of many heartbroken women who as Grand Daddy would say "Sugar Free".
There are some songs that are better than others, but I.U. is frequently on target with "Smooth Assassin". While the laid back stoned beats may be a bit too leisure for some, it complements his flow perfectly. In fact, between the three records he released, this is the album that defines his style best. Having heard this album, I don't understand the comparisons with Big Daddy Kane. Sure I.U. kick battle rhymes and pimped out lyrics with a flamboyant appearance like Kane, but there's a major difference that separates the two MC's. I.U. thrives on self confidence while Kane thrives on vanity. When I.U. spits, he's not tryin so hard to make you believe he's a smooth mutha...., it just rolls off of him like water from a shower and you end up believing him because he (I.U.) believes him. When Kane spits, he goes out his way to show you why he's a smooth mutha.... - and by the end of the record, you're sold. Not to put Kane down, or to say one is better than the other, but if you listen closely to both men's flow, you'll notice that both are different ingredients in the same pot of soup.
If you're a serious hip hop head, you'll pick up "Smooth Assassin" because the U's so smooth, he'll make you "believe it's not butter".
Smooth Assassin Poster
In 1990 Grand Daddy I.U., the Barry White of Hip Hop, had cats shook with his dope yet underappreciated debut album "Smooth Assassin". NYC radio showed I.U. love rotating "Sugar Free", because the song had that modified-new-jack-swing sound that exploded between `89 and `92. After his brother, DJ Kay Cee, convinced him to make a demo, I.U. was signed to Cold Chillin' Records. I.U.'s association with the Juice Crew (Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Kool G Rap, Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, Masta Ace and Craig G) gave people an idea of his capablities. "Smooth Assassin" dropped and emerging NY rappers saw a glimpse into raps' future that placed clever rhymes ahead of showmanship and gaudy clothing. "Something New" is genius. In 1966 James and Bobby Purify hit number six on the pop charts with "I m Your Puppet". Thirty-four years later Cutmaster Cool V and Biz Markie freaked "Puppet" and a generation of b-boys and b-girls got down to a loop their parents sock-hopped to. Lyrically I.U. wrecked the competition with punchy lines that bounce on Markie's drum pattern and float over these classic piano keys. "Soul Touch" is NY scratch rap at its roots and its best. I.U.'s brother Kay Cee provided the cuts and probably found the chorus sample. I.U. is great on this track. Line after line he commands rap cliches before they could be called cliches. The man raps, "So let the soul be heard, `cause it s preferred and that's word to Big Bird", I.U. had this on record way before anyone else. "Smooth Assassin" was entirely produced by the legendary Biz Markie with help from his DJ Cutmaster Cool V, recorded at the infamous Power Play Studios in Queens and engineered by DJ Doc of B.D.P. fame. If you've ever wondered what I.U. stood for, well it's his real name. If you ever wondered when this rare yet classic album from the Cold Chillin' vaults would get the reissue it deserves, well, the time is now.Pop Music CDs
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