Oliver ‘Power’ Grant dead at 52: Wu-Tang Clan founding member passes away as tributes pour in

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Oliver ‘Power’ Grant, the business mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, has died at the age of 52.

He died on Tuesday, but the reason for his death is currently unknown.

Immediately after the news, fellow Wu-Tang Clan members like Method Man, RZA, and Raekwon, along with many others in the hip-hop world, shared heartfelt tributes, demonstrating how much Grant influenced people both as a performer and as a person.

Method Man posted a photo with Power on Instagram, wishing him safe travels and expressing how much he’ll miss him. He affectionately referred to Power as ‘Pookie’ and ended with a heartfelt ‘Bruh I am not ok…’

RZA shared his sadness, posting a black square with the Boyz II Men song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” He added the caption ‘5,’ which refers to the Supreme Mathematics of the Five-Percent Nation – a belief system that influenced the nickname of the artist being remembered.

Raekwon shared a message of gratitude and acknowledgment, saying, ‘We’ve achieved a lot… and now you’re seeing success everywhere! May God’s love and mercy be with you.’

The Wu-Tang Clan started in Staten Island, New York, in 1992 and rapidly rose to become a hugely important group in hip-hop.

The group originally featured nine core members: RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa.

Okay, so everyone talks about the Wu-Tang, right? But let me tell you, they wouldn’t be the Wu-Tang without Gary Grant. I mean, I’ve read everything about them, and Gary was RZA’s friend from when they were kids! He wasn’t just some manager, he was absolutely key to taking them from this local rap group in Staten Island to the massive, legendary force they are today. Honestly, he doesn’t get nearly enough credit, and it drives me crazy! He was the one who really helped build the whole Wu-Tang empire, and people need to know that.

Even before it was common for rappers to create their own clothing brands, Grant recognized how music could be successfully combined with fashion and other media.

He played a key role in creating Wu Wear, one of the earliest streetwear brands launched by a rap group. It became incredibly successful, adding significantly to the group’s income and pioneering new ways for artists to earn money beyond just selling albums.

As someone who’s followed the music industry for years, I’ve always been fascinated by Wu-Tang Clan. Everyone remembers hits like ‘Protect Ya Neck’ and ‘Method Man’ – tracks that James ‘Grant’ McMillan really helped get off the ground alongside RZA and Divine. But what people don’t always realize is that Grant’s real genius was in how he approached the business side of things. He basically created a model for how artists could maintain control and build their own empires, and so many have followed that path since.

In a 2011 interview with Passion of the Weiss, he recalled that Wu Wear was their initial step into the fashion world. However, before that, he was already working with RZA to create and promote the very first Wu-Tang Clan records.

We learned through trial and error, figuring things out as we went and learning from those with experience.

‘A lot of it was trial and error,’ he added. ‘There were no models.’

Grant’s influence wasn’t limited to just his close group; artists throughout the hip-hop world recognized his significant contribution.

Cam’ron, a well-known rapper, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, expressing his gratitude and sadness with emojis, and calling the recipient a “legend.” He tagged the official Wu-Tang Brand account in his post.

Man, when I heard about this, it just hit different. DJ Premier, you know, the Premier, said it best – this wasn’t just a loss of an artist, it was like the whole world lost something. He talked about how this artist wasn’t just a musician, but a total movement, someone who really defined hip-hop culture. He was sharing stories about their tours, how much fun they had, and how close they were as friends. It just showed how much of an impact this artist had, not just on music, but on everyone around him. It’s like a piece of the culture is gone, and it’s just… heartbreaking.

As someone who’s been around the music industry a long time, I was really saddened to hear about Power’s passing. I’ve known him since the early ’90s – I signed Wu-Tang to Loud Records back then, and he quickly became like family to me. Honestly, his impact on my life, both in business and personally, was just enormous. It’s hard to put into words how much he meant to so many of us.

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2026-02-25 21:49