Lamont "U-God" Hawkins, a Founding Member of the Wu-Tang Clan, to Write a Memoir

Lamont “U-God” Hawkins, a founding member of the WuTang Clan, will write a memoir detailing his difficult childhood and revealing the untold story of the rise of the Wu-Tang Clan. North American rights to RAW: My Journey into the Wu-Tang Clan were acquired by Stephen Morrison and Pronoy Sarkar, who will edit the book, from Marc Gerald and Kim Koba of UTA, on behalf of U-God’s long-time collaborator and manager Domingo Neris of DNES Marketing. Publication is planned for March 2018, coinciding with the 25th anniversary tour of the Clan and a new solo album from U-God entitled VENOM, released by Babygrande Records. Meredith Miller of UTA sold UK rights to Faber & Faber UK—publisher of Quentin Tarantino, Junot Diaz, Billy Bragg, and Moby, who will publish simultaneously—and will sell worldwide rights.

The Wu-Tang Clan are considered hip-hop royalty. Rolling Stone called them the “best rap group ever,” and their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Since 1992, the group has released seven gold and platinum studio albums, with global sales of more than 40 million copies. In addition, nearly all the original members have gone on to have their own solo careers. Remarkably, none of the founding members have told their story—until now.

Lamont “U-God” Hawkins was born in Brownsville, New York in 1970. Raised by a single mother in Brooklyn and Staten Island, Lamont learned from an early age how to survive in some of New York’s most ignored and destitute districts. Along the way, he met and befriended what would eventually form the Clan’s core: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Masta Killa. Raised by the streets and bonded by their love of hiphop, they pursued the impossible: music as their ticket out of the ghetto. The rest is rap history.

Hawkins says of RAW: “It’s time to write down not only my legacy, but the story of nine dirtbomb street thugs who took our everyday life—scrappin’ and hustlin’ and tryin’ to survive in the urban jungle of New York City—and turned that into something bigger than what we could possibly imagine, something that took us out of the projects for good, which was the only thing we all wanted in the first place.”

Stephen Morrison, Publisher and Vice President of Picador US: “RAW is an incredible piece of writing. When Lamont’s manuscript came into the Picador offices, we were immediately floored by it. His voice is propulsive and powerful. The stories of his early life and of New York in the 70s and 80s, of his friends and future Wu-Tang members, and of the development of his own artistry—both in music and in life—make for an incredible read. Readers will find the book rich and rewarding—whether as lovers of great memoir, Wu-Tang fans rabid for glimpses of their origin story, or anyone looking for the story of a life lived with grit, creativity, humility, and attitude.”

RAW is the explosive, never-before-told story behind the historic rise of the Wu-Tang Clan and a compelling look at New York City in the golden age of hip-hop.

About Picador

Since its launch in 1995, Picador has rapidly established itself as one of the leading trade imprints for fiction and nonfiction in the country. In addition to publishing original titles in hardcover, paperback original, and eBook, Picador is the literary trade paperback imprint for Macmillan, publishing paperbacks from Farrar Straus & Giroux, Henry Holt & Co., and St. Martin’s Press.

About Macmillan

Macmillan Publishers is a global trade book publishing company with prominent imprints around the world. Macmillan publishes a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

U.S. publishers include Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Picador, St. Martin’s Press and Tor Books. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer and Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.

Macmillan Publishers is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. www.macmillan.com