When you're part of a nine-man group, it's hard to stand out—especially when that group is the legendary Wu-Tang Clan and your co-conspirators are as diverse and universally loved as Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface, Raekwon, Method Man, GZA, and RZA. U-God is kind of the forgotten soldier—he was barely featured on 36 Chambers due to a jail bid, he was the eighth Clansman to finally release a solo album, and he filed a lawsuit against Wu-Tang Music Group over unpaid royalties. Despite the drama, he's continued to record both with the crew and on his own; The Keynote Speaker is his fourth solo piece since 1999, though he gets verbal assists from GZA, Meth, and Inspectah Deck on "Heads Up," "Fire," and "Mt. Everest," respectively. U-God's distinct voice sounds as good as ever, though the production (from RZA, Steve Reeves, DJ Homocide, and Teddy Powell) is somewhat hit-or-miss. Overall, it's a decent effort from the one they call Golden Arms.