U-God, member of rap and hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, spoke to students and media at Durham College in November. The rapper, along with other members of the Grammy-nominated group, are currently on tour promoting their newest album, 8 Diagrams.
He was almost an hour late, but most in attendance will tell you it was well worth it when U-God and his entourage strolled into the Marketplace Cafeteria.
U-God, one of eight members of the wildly successful rap group Wu-Tang Clan, paid a visit to the Durham College Oshawa campus on November 30 and received a rousing ovation from the many fans and media who packed the eating space. Additional Wu-Tang members Raekwon and GZA were also scheduled to attend but were delayed at the airport as they entered the country.
That didn't seem to bother those who came to get a glimpse of one of the nine founding members who put together one of rap music's most successful collective efforts. Based in New York, the group was gradually assembled in 1992 and has released four albums, three of which have gone multi-platinum in record sales.
U-God, born Lamont Hawkins, is currently on a Canadian and 22-state American tour with Raekwon and GZA to promote the band's newest release, and first in six years, 8 Diagrams. The album goes back to the group's hardcore roots and U-God guarantees that fans will not be disappointed.
"The scenery of the rap industry has changed, but we haven't," U-God told the crowd. "We have roots like a family. Raekwon and I have known each other since we were four. That closeness comes through on this (album); we're taking it back old school."
The 37-year-old rapper, who chooses Wu-Tang Forever as the favourite of his group's albums, answered numerous questions from the crowd, including his reaction to the 2004 death of fellow bandmate, Ol' Dirty Bastard. While U-God notes that he is definitely missed, he is not forgotten and is present within some of the new album's songs.
U-God also entertained the crowd with tales of his songwriting habits - "I wrote a song in Starbucks yesterday" - and his surprisingly wide range of musical influences.
"There are so many - Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Mos Def, The Beatles, that dude who sang The Copacabana… Barry Manilow," he said. "Y'all shouldn't laugh, that guy's talented! They all had lyrics, poetry."
While U-God cites many artists as inspirational to his musical career, fans in attendance feel Wu-Tang is in a class of its own.
"They are the originators of hip hop," said students Jason Kabir and Sean Mason. "They created the culture and are the reason that rap evolved into a mainstream type of music. It's exciting to see them back on the scene."