Published: Saturday - January 12, 2008
Words by Allen Starbury
U-God (Photo: Scott Council)
The inner-turmoil within the Wu-Tang Clan's camp continues. This time, it's not Raekwon or Ghostface in the middle of it -- it's U-God.
U-God (real name: Lamont Hawkins) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday (January 8) in the U.S. District Court of New York against the Wu Music Group, claiming he is owed $170,000, for back royalties and tour money, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.com.
He also claims he wasn't paid advance money due, via a contract he signed in May 2007, for the latest group album, 8 Diagrams.
In the suit, the rapper claims he is owed at least $50,000 dollars for his involvement in last year's Rock The Bells tour, $60,000 dollars for the BMG publishing advance and approximately $40,000 dollars for the Wu-Tang Clan album advance.
"Defendant has failed and/or refused to pay certain monies currently due and owing to plaintiff, despite plaintiff's repeated demands that it do so," the lawsuit reads.
It also accuses the Wu Music Group of intentionally breaching its contract with him willfully and intentionally, "without justification."
Additionally, U-God is seeking 9% interest to be calculated by the filing date of the lawsuit, as well as attorney fees.
This isn't the first time, U-God has publicly ousted his group. In March 2004, he went public, via an interview with MTV, claiming group head, the Rza, was the cause of the lack of Wu-Tang albums released as of the interview (see "U-God Blames Rza for No Wu-Tang Albums").
He also revealed that he was fed up with Rza when it came to helping him put together his long awaited solo debut, which he said he waited over seven years to release.
"When I was doing my first album, I told RZA, 'You only get one chance to mess my stuff up, bro. You don't rock me right, you ain't getting another chance.' He didn't rock me right, so I'm like, 'Next,' " explained U-God in March 2004. "For like 10 years, I've been a loyal soldier to RZA. He was able to tell who's gonna come out, who's not, who's gonna sit by the side and wait. 'Ghost is gonna come, Meth is coming, but U-God, nah, you ain't coming.' I got fed up and got on my own sh--. What I'm doing right now is for me. I'm a grown-ass man right now. So, basically I had to put my own situation together."
The recent lawsuit is just the latest in the ongoing public feud within the Wu camp. Both Raekwon (see "Raekwon Supports 8 Diagrams, But Still Has Problems With Rza ") and Ghostface Killah expressed their disliking for how Rza artistically quarterbacked 8 Diagrams, and revealed tension during the recording process.
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