Lamont Jody Hawkins (born November 10, 1970), better known as U-God, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and member of the hip hop collective

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

. He has been with the group since its inception, and is known for his deep voice and rhythmic flow that can alternate between gruff and smooth.

Early life

Hawkins was born in Brownsville,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City. He moved to

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

as a youth. He was originally a beatboxer for

Cappadonna Darryl Hill, better known by his stage name Cappadonna, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan and is a member of the rap group Theodore Unit together with Ghostface Killah. Career Cappadonna (also know ...

, and was friends with future members

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

Inspectah Deck Jason Richard Hunter (born July 6, 1970), better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He is a member of the groups Wu-Tang Clan and Czarface. He has acquired critical praise for his intricate lyri ...

and childhood friend of

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

. Sometime before the members united, U-God was mentored in rap by Cappadonna. He soon became friends with

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

and

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

, and he began rhyming under the alias Golden Arms, based on the Kung-Fu movie ''

Kid with the Golden Arm ''Kid with the Golden Arm'' (original title: 金臂童, pinyin: ''Jīn bì tóng'') is a 1979 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and produced by Mona Fong. It is one of the few Venom Mob films to include Wei Pai (Snake Venom). Pl ...

''. Later on he changed his name to U-God (which is short for his

Five-Percent Nation The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE/NOGE) or the Five Percenters, is a Black nationalist movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, ...

righteous name "Universal God Allah").

Career

''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' / ''Wu-Tang Forever''

U-God was convicted on the grounds of

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

and

drug possession The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...

charges on April 17, 1992, and was paroled in January 1993. His incarceration prevented him from attending the group's debut album ''

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York Cit ...

'' recording sessions for the most part, his input on the seminal LP consisting of only a short

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

on the group's debut single "

Protect Ya Neck "Protect Ya Neck" is the debut single by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, originally released December 14, 1992 through Wu-Tang Records and later re-released May 3, 1993 through Loud Records. The song appears on the group's debut studio album ...

" as well as the fan-favorite opening verse of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'". Nevertheless, after his release he quickly became known to fans for his rugged flow and bass-like voice on Wu tracks such as "Winter Warz", "Knuckleheadz", "Investigative Reports", and "Black Jesus". He was featured heavily on the group's second album ''

Wu-Tang Forever ''Wu-Tang Forever'' is the second studio album of American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997, on Loud/RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects fro ...

'', on which he was one of only four of the group to get a solo track – "Black Shampoo" (the others being

with "The City",

with "Sunshower" and

Ol' Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily fr ...

with "Dog Shit").

''Golden Arms Redemption''

U-God was the eighth member of the group to record a solo album, releasing ''

Golden Arms Redemption ''Golden Arms Redemption'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper U-God. It was released on October 19, 1999 via Wu-Tang/Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Quad Recording Studios, at Studio 57, at Unique Recording Studio ...

'' in 1999 on Priority Records, which displayed a wide variety of sounds from gritty

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

to urgent string sections, and featured guest appearances from several Wu-Tang members and affiliates. It had two singles in "Dat's Gangsta" and "Bizarre". The song "Rumble" was used as the main song for the video game '' Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style''. Bizarre debuted #7 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

, but soon after Priority Records was on the verge of shutting down. Still, the album managed to go Gold in sales. Based on the initial success, U-God was able to open his own label, Suppa Nigga Productions. He released his second album ''

Mr. Xcitement ''Mr. Xcitement'' is the second solo studio album by Wu-Tang Clan member U-God. The album was released on September 13, 2005. Background He left Priority after the label shut down and signed with Free Agency Recordings. It is his first album to ...

'' in 2005.

''Dopium'' and ''The Keynote Speaker''

In 2009 U-God released the album ''

Dopium ''Dopium'' is the third solo studio album by Wu-Tang Clan member U-God. The album was released on June 23, 2009. The album features guest appearances from Method Man, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Killah Priest, Raekwon, Cappadonna, Jim Jones, Large Pro ...

'' and had the lead single "Wu-Tang" featuring

. The album featured guest appearances by

Sheek Louch Sean Divine Jacobs (born September 30, 1976), better known as Sheek Louch, is an American rapper best known as a member of The Lox, The LOX and founder of D-Block Records, along with Styles P and Jadakiss. Personal life and career At around ...

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

GZA ''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

Killah Priest Walter Reed (born August 16, 1970), better known by his stage name Killah Priest, is an American rapper, member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, Brooklyn. He is known for his inten ...

and Scotty Wotty with production by Bloody Beat Roots, Felix Cartel and

Large Professor William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...

. In 2013 U-God announced a new album ''

The Keynote Speaker ''The Keynote Speaker'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member U-God. The album was released on July 23, 2013, by Soul Temple Records. The album features guest appearances from GZA, Method Man, Styles P, Inspectah Dec ...

'' with production by

who also served as the albums executive producer. The album was released on July 23, 2013, by RZA's

Soul Temple Records Soul Temple Records is an American record label founded in 2012 by hip hop recording artist RZA and Bob Perry after the release of the RZA directed ''The Man with the Iron Fists''. The label's first release was The Man with the Iron Fists (soundtr ...

with guest appearances from

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss. ...

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool ...

, RZA,

and

''Venom'' and autobiographical book

On December 13, 2016, U-God released through Babygrande Records'

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

account a song "Venom" and announced that his new album, also called ''

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

'', would be released soon. On September 25, 2017, he added a tweet in which he announced that he had finished his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

entitled '' Raw: My Journey Into The Wu-Tang'' and it would be released along with his new album in March 2018. On February 2, 2018, he released a free mixtape ''Bring Back God II'' through

DatPiff DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Media ...

platform. ''Venom'' was released on March 30, 2018 and debuted at #34 on the U.S. Rap Albums Chart.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1999) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2013) * ''

'' (2018)

Collaboration albums

* '' UGodz-Illa Presents: The Hillside Scramblers'' with The Hillside Scramblers (2004)

Personal life

Around the time of ''Wu Tang Forever'', his two-year-old son Dontae (now a hip-hop artist as iNTeLL) was struck by a stray bullet while on his way to a birthday party, suffering permanent damage to his kidneys and hands, an ordeal U-God documented on the Wu-Tang Clan track "A Better Tomorrow".

Bibliography

References

External links

*
NPR interview, March 2018
{{Authority control 1970 births Living people 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers American people convicted of drug offenses East Coast hip hop musicians Five percenters Musicians from Brooklyn People from Brownsville, Brooklyn Priority Records artists Rappers from New York City Wu-Tang Clan members