Oliver “Power” Grant, the business mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, has died at the age of 52.
News of Grant’s passing was made public on Tuesday (February 24), although a cause of death is currently unknown.
Tributes have poured in from various Wu-Tang members as well as the wider hip-hop community, with Method Man sharing a photo of him and Power on Instagram along with a heartfelt message.
“Paradise my Brother safe Travels!! [broken heart emojis] [angry face emoji] #pookie #power Bruh I am not ok .. [raincloud emoji],” he wrote.
RZA expressed his grief by posting a black square soundtracked by Boyz II Men‘s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” and accompanied by the caption “5” — a nod to the Five-Percent Nation’s Supreme mathematics which inspired Power’s nickname.
“POWER we been everywhere …. now you everywhere ! [crying face emoji] [prayer emoji] the most high is merciful love you,” Raekwon added.
A childhood friend of RZA’s, Oliver Grant helped build the infrastructure that turned the Wu-Tang Clan into a global cultural phenomenon.
Alongside RZA’s brother Mitchell “Divine” Diggs, Grant heavily invested in the Staten Island rap collective during their early days, helping to fund and market classic releases like “Protect Ya Neck” and “Method Man.”
Grant’s biggest and most famous contribution to the group’s success was creating Wu Wear, which was not only one of hip-hop’s first artist-owned streetwear brands but became a hugely lucrative and influential venture.
Understanding the value of merging music with fashion, multimedia and ownership, Power laid the blueprint for countless others to follow and helped redefine the business of hip-hop.
“Wu Wear was pretty much like our entry in the fashion biz, but before I was in Wu Wear, I was making and marketing the first Wu records with RZA,” he told Passion of the Weiss in 2011. “Everything that we learned was hard knock life. You figure it out as you go along and take cues from those that are actively doing things.”
He added: “A lot of it was trial and error. There were no models.”
Underscoring his impact on hip-hop and culture at large, Cam’ron paid tribute to Oliver Grant by writing on Instagram: “Damn man!! [crying emojis] [prayer emojis] thank you for everything legend @wutangbrand.”
Alongside a photo of the two of them together, DJ Premier eulogized: “You certified a worldwide movement. A PIONEER for The Culture… WU-TANG IS FOREVER… I had some fun times touring with you and our mutual connections kept us in touch.
“May the universe welcome you with open arms. Thank you for your iconic contributions. Condolences to the entire WU family. Rest Easy Oliver ‘POWER’ Grant. Love You Brother.”
Music executive Steve Rifkind, who signed the Wu-Tang Clan to Loud Records in the early ’90s, said in his own tribute post: “Power I can’t believe this. We met in May of 1993 and have been brothers since. The laughs the cries we traveled the world together. Strongest Handshake and Hug anybody can give.
“I’m at loss of words keep on looking over us the way you always looked out for all of us when you were here. My condolences to you and your family and the WuTang Family just remember we made History. Going to miss you like crazy rest in peace. #wutangforever.”
HipHopDX sends its condolences to Oliver “Power” Grant’s family, friends and fans.
