U-God

U-God (born Lamont Hawkins, November 10, 1970 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, USA) is an African American rapper and member of the hip hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. Though not as well known as other Clan members such as Method Man and Ol' Dirty Bastard, he has been with the group since not long after its inception, and released his debut solo album Golden Arms Redemption in 1999.

Being jailed for narcotics possession prevented him from featuring heavily on the group's debut album Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, his input on the seminal LP consisting of only a short bridge on the group's debut single "Protect Ya Neck" as well as the now-famous opening verse of "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin". Nevertheless, after his release he quickly became known to fans for his rugged flow on Wu tracks such as Winter Warz, "Knuckleheadz" and "Black Jesus" and featured heavily on the group's second album Wu-Tang Forever (on which he was one of only three of the group to get a solo track) . Around this time his young son was accidentally shot and injured, an ordeal the rapper documented on the Wu-Tang Clan track A Better Tomorrow.

U-God was the eighth (out of nine) member of the group to record a solo album, releasing Golden Arms Redemption in 1999, which displayed a wide variety of sounds from gritty blaxploitation funk to urgent string sections, and featured guest appearances from several Wu-Tang members and affiliates.

After a high-profile disagreement with Wu leader RZA in 2004 over royalties, which included a heated phone conversation on live radio, U-God released a new album under the alias UGODZ-ILLA entitled Ugodz-illa presents the Hillside Scramblers, which featured U-God and his team of Inf Black, Leatha Face, Black Ice and King Just. Shortly before the Ugodz-illa presents the Hillside Scramblers album was released, U-God released a DVD entitled Rise Of A Fallen Soldier. In the DVD, U-God talked about his problems with RZA and other members of the clan, plus spoke his opinions on the current situation of the rap game. The DVD also included a sampler of Ugodz-illa presents the Hillside Scramblers. However U-God and RZA appeared to put aside their differences soon after, and they were soon both together on stage as part of the Clan for their European and American tour during summer 2004.

U-God released his second solo album, titled Mr. Xcitement on September 13, 2005, on Free Agency Recordings. Shortly after this, U-God reignited the dispute between himself and the Clan in an interview, blaming RZA for his reputation and denouncing his fellow Wu-Tang members for treating him poorly due to his light skin. However, an upcoming tour that promises to feature all of the remaining Wu-Tang Clan members indicates that U-God may have once again put aside his differences with RZA. In march 2006, U-God was featured on the track "9 Milli. Bros" from fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah's latest release, "Fishscale". The rest of the Wu-Tang Clan was also featured on the track, and it indicated that U-God finally had made peace with his fellow clansmen.

Aliases
4-Bar Killer
Baby U
Universal God of Law
Golden Arms
Lucky Hands
UGodz-Illa

Albums
1999 Golden Arms Redemption
2004 U-GODZILLA presents the Hillside Scramblers
2005 Mr. Xcitement

Singles and EPs
1999 "Dat's Gangsta"
1999 "Bizarre"
2002 "Supa Nigga EP"
2005 "Bump"

DVD releases
2004 "Rise Of A Fallen Soldier"

Appears On
1993 Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
1995 "Knuckleheadz" (from the Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)
1995 "Investigative Reports" (from the GZA album Liquid Swords)
1996 "Black Jesus" & "Winter Warz" (from the Ghostface Killah album Ironman)
1996 "If It's Allright With You" (from the soundtrack for the movie The Great White Hype
1996 "Semi-Automatic Full Rap Metal Jacket" (from the soundtrack for the movie High School High
1997 Wu-Tang Forever (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
1997 "Intellectuals" (from the Sunz Of Man album The Last Shall Be First)
1998 "Supa Ninjaz" (from the Cappadonna album The Pillage)
1998 "Element Of Surprise" (from the La the Darkman album Heist Of The Century)
1998 "Grand Prix" & "Longevity" (from the Inspectah Deck album Uncontrolled Substance)
1999 "Killa Hill Niggaz" (from the Cypress Hill album Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom)
1999 "Mr. Onsomeothershits" (from the Methods Of Mayhem album Methods Of Mayhem)
2000 "Cherchez La Ghost" (from the Ghostface Killah album Supreme Clientele)
2000 The W (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
2001 Iron Flag (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
2001 "Militant" (from the Killarmy album Fear, Love & War)
2003 "Always NY" (from the Mathematics album Love, Hell & Right)
2004 "Digi Warfare" (from the Masta Killa album No Said Date)
2004 "Rock Steady" (from the Tony Touch album The Piecemaker 2)
2004 Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1 (album by the Wu-Tang Clan)
2005 "Break That" (from the Mathematics album The Problem)
2005 "Spot Lite" (from the Mathematics album The Problem)
2005 "Still Grimey" (from the Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture compilation)
2006 "9 Milli Bros." (from the Ghostface Killah album Fishscale)