Uyoata Udi is a rising Nigerian actor blessed by God to have a chance at doing what he enjoys, which is acting.
Wu-Tang: An American Saga season two features Udi starring as Inspectah Deck who was originally played by Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ in season one. The man who coined the phrase “music is the weapon” used that phrase throughout his process to figure how he could impact people with his music and life advice.
Udi explained to BSO on Sept. 8 how he found out about getting the role in the Hulu TV series from his manager on the phone.
“She said it’s Kim Coleman, let me click you guys over. She has something great to share with you. I clicked over and she was like hey I wanted to let you know are your bags packed? Because you’re going to New York City. I was speechless,” Udi said. “Kim Coleman casted me for the role. It was an amazing opportunity to play such an honorable iconic role such as this. I was at home, chilling and praising God.”
In his earlier days before being seen in the pilot of HBO’s Watchmen and the season premiere of NBC’s This Is Us, Udi proved he could fulfill one of his stepping stones to greatness.
“It started off when I was in high school. I graduated high school and then I jumped into a Broadway show next year. Funny story, my high school English teacher…shout out to her,” Udi said. “She had an assignment and I was a rebel which is an interesting parallel to the character I’m playing now. In a respectful way but just very rebellious at most times. I had an English teacher who told me you have to do this assignment, but I told her this assignment doesn’t really reflect what I’m going to be doing in my career. I’m going to be on Broadway. She was like…if you’re going to be on Broadway, I’ll buy a ticket to your first show. Literally the next year, I graduated high school and she was in the front row seat at the show.”
Hip Hop is a cultural expression via Black experiences told by rappers who come from impoverished neighborhoods. Like fans of music, Udi even noted a few of his favorite Hip Hop groups of all-time.
“I’ll say NWA, OutKast and Wu-Tang really as the greatest. But my personal favorite for sure is OutKast. I think that’s based off of my time,” Udi said. “I’ll put Jada in there (The Lox).”
Inglewood raised a true warrior in Udi who’s embracing the chance to fulfill his dream. According to Hulu, Wu-Tang: An American Saga will return for its third and final season on Hulu.
