Oliver “Power” Grant (1973–2026)
The architect of the Wu-Tang empire – a life behind the curtain
Oliver “Power” Grant died at the age of 52. He wasn't a rapper, not a producer on the microphone - and yet he was one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history. As co-founder of the Wu-Tang business model, founder of Wu-Wear and executive producer of all Wu-Tang albums, he proved that legends are also created behind the scenes.
Oliver Grant was born in Jamaica on November 3, 1973 and grew up in the Park Hill Projects in Staten Island, New York. There he formed close bonds with Mitchell “Divine” Diggs, the older brother of the future RZA. Over a chess game, two founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan gave him the name “Power” – because that is the strength needed to accomplish work.
As RZA began to gather a group of talented lyricists - including Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah - Power was there from the start: as an early financier, as a strategist and as a man who others trusted implicitly. This trust was the real starting capital of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Grant provided crucial early financing that enabled the clan to independently release their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993. Together with Divine, he built the business infrastructure that gave the clan an unprecedented position in contract negotiations with Loud Records: each member was allowed to sign solo contracts with other labels. A precedent in the music industry.
His name appears in the liner notes of all Wu-Tang classics as executive producer - from Enter the Wu-Tang to Wu-Tang Forever to The W. Power wasn't the one who built the beats or wrote the rhymes. He was the one who made sure the beats were heard and the rhymes were paid for.
In 1995, Grant founded Wu-Wear – one of the first artist-driven streetwear brands in the world. What started with mail order orders grew into an empire: four stores of its own in the USA, a presence in department stores like Macy's, annual sales of up to $25 million at the height of the Wu-Tang era.
Power understood sooner than almost anyone that hip-hop wasn't just music, but a culture you could wear. Wu-Wear was proof. Long before Kanye West took over the fashion sector with Yeezy or Jay-Z with Rocawear, Power had already proven that rappers could own their own fashion infrastructure. In 2008, he renamed the brand “Wu-Tang Brand” before relaunching it with Live Nation in 2017.
Power also surprised people outside of the hip-hop business. As an actor, he appeared as "Knowledge" in Hype Williams' cult film Belly (1998) and appeared alongside Method Man in Black and White (1999). In April 2000, he won the 24th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, California - defeating the likes of filmmaker George Lucas and NFL legend John Elway.
The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. Method Man, who knew Power since childhood and worked with him in two films, wrote on Instagram: "Paradise my brother safe travels!!" – Words that express the depth of a loss for which there is hardly any language.
Power Grant stands for a principle that sounds self-evident today, but was not for a long time: artists can and should own their own infrastructure. His blueprint – independence, ownership, brand identity – inspired an entire generation of musicians and entrepreneurs. He doesn't have to have ever been on a stage to do that.
Oliver “Power” Grant • November 1973 – February 2026
Rest in power.
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