Biography
Who is U-God?
Early life and real name
Lamont Jody Hawkins was born in Brooklyn, United States, on October 11, 1970. He grew up in Brownsville and later moved to Staten Island as a youth. Before joining the famous group, he was a beatboxer for Cappadonna and received mentoring in rap. He used the alias Golden Arms, which was inspired by the Kung-Fu movie Kid with the Golden Arm. He later changed his stage name to U-God, which is short for his Five-Percent Nation righteous name Universal God Allah.
Wu-Tang Clan career
U-God has been with the Wu-Tang Clan since its inception. He was convicted on firearm and drug possession charges on April 17, 1992, and paroled in January 1993. This incarceration kept him from attending most recording sessions for the group debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). His contributions to that release consisted of a short bridge on the single Protect Ya Neck and the opening verse of Da Mystery of Chessboxin'.
After his release, U-God became known for his rugged flow and bass-like voice on tracks like Winter Warz and Black Jesus. He was featured heavily on the group second album Wu-Tang Forever and recorded the solo track Black Shampoo. He was the eighth member of the group to release a solo album, issuing Golden Arms Redemption in 1999 through Priority Records. The album featured singles like Dat's Gangsta and Bizarre, and the track Rumble was used in the video game Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style. Despite the record label shutting down, the album achieved Gold sales.
Later albums and autobiography
U-God released his second album Mr. Xcitement in 2005. He followed this with the album Dopium in 2009, which featured the lead single Wu-Tang with Method Man, along with guest appearances by Sheek Louch, Jim Jones, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Cappadonna, Killah Priest, and Scotty Wotty. In 2013, he released The Keynote Speaker through RZA label Soul Temple Records, featuring production and executive production by RZA.
In December 2016, U-God released the song Venom through Babygrande Records. He later announced his autobiography titled Raw: My path Into The Wu-Tang, which was released alongside his new album Venom in March 2018. The album debuted at number thirty four on the U.S. Rap Albums Chart. He also released a free mixtape titled Bring Back God II in February 2018 through the DatPiff platform.
Family and personal life
Around the time of the release of Wu-Tang Forever, U-God experienced a major family tragedy when his two-year-old son Dontae was struck by a stray bullet on his way to a birthday party. The incident caused permanent damage to his son's kidneys and hands. U-God documented this painful ordeal on the Wu-Tang Clan track A Better Tomorrow. His son later became a hip-hop artist known as iNTeLL.
Birthday and age
U-God was born on October 11, 1970, which makes U-God 56 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. U-God shares the date with 54 other famous people.
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