Babygrande is proud to announce the new album Venom, which will arrive in early 2017 from U-God of the seminal hip-hop supergroup, the Wu-Tang Clan. The DJ Homicide & 1200 Warriors-produced lead single from the album also entitled “Venom” is a bass-heavy banger that showcases U-God’s versatile flow as he weaves between a laidback delivery and double-time rhymes. The song premiered today via Billboard.
Brownsville, Brooklyn native U-God moved to Staten Island as a youth. Growing up on the Island in Park Hill not far from his cousin Method Man, Inspectah Deck and Raekwon were his childhood friends. He later became good friends with Cappadonna, then RZA and Ghostface, and he began rhyming under the alias Golden Arms, based on the Kung-Fu movie The Kid with The Golden Arms. Later on, his incarceration prevented him from featuring heavily on the group’s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), although he helped finance some of the Clan’s early recording sessions, 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, he quickly became known to fans for his rugged flow and bass-like voice on future Wu tracks “Winter Warz”, “Knuckleheadz”, “Investigative Reports”, and “Black Jesus”.
U-God stayed off the streets and avoided incarceration for the group’s 4x platinum sophomore album Wu-Tang Forever. On the Clan’s third effort, The W, U-God was featured on hit single “Gravel Pit.” The track would become a worldwide hit and the highest charting Wu-Tang song in the group’s twenty year history.
U-God’s solo career got off to a late start, becoming the eighth member of the group to record a solo album, releasing Golden Arms Redemption in 1999 on Priority Records, 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. The song “Bizarre,” a single from the album, debuted #7 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles, propelling the album to Gold status, in spite of Priority Records being on the verge of shutting down.
In 2009 U-God released the album Dopium, his first album with Babygrande, the lead single “Wu-Tang” featured Method Man was an underground smash. The album featured guest appearances by Sheek Louch, Jim Jones, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Cappadonna, Method Man, Killah Priest and Scotty Wotty with production by Bloody Beetroots, Felix Cartel and Large Professor. In 2014, U-God released the acclaimed album The Keynote Speaker. The album featured artists including Styles P, Elzhi, and Kool Keith as well as Clan members GZA, Method Man, and Inspectah Deck.
U-God’s fifth studio album, Venom, is slated to hit stores in early 2017 via Babygrande Records.
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About Babygrande Records
Established in 2001, Babygrande Records is one of the premier independent labels that pioneered the landscape. The company is currently celebrating its 15th year anniversary. Babygrande has maintained a unique perspective within the industry, prospering during the most volatile period in the history of recorded music. The label has been influential in launching the careers of new artists while at the same time working to nurture the careers of seasoned veterans.
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