90’s hip-hop heroes the Wu-Tang Clan are among the most notable exports from the New York City borough of Staten Island. Now, the crew’s native neighborhood will officially bear their name. At a ceremony on Saturday, members of Wu-Tang Clan and the city council unveiled a new street sign at the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and Targee Street which officially dubs the Park Hill area the “Wu-Tang Clan District.”
Several members of the Wu-Tang Clan were on hand to celebrate the district’s re-naming including Raekwon, who shared a video of the new street sign’s unveiling. You can watch the clip below:
As North Shore Councilwoman Debbie Rose noted in her address at the Wu-Tang Clan District dedication ceremony, “This is a great day where we have an opportunity to honor our own hometown heroes, the young men who put Staten Island on the map internationally. They overcame all types of challenges, to not only become rap artist[s] and hip-hop artist[s] but to inspire and challenge the music world.”
According to the Staten Island Advance, Wu-Tang member Cappadonna reciprocated the appreciation toward the Staten Island community at the ceremony, noting “The real value is in the love, to help you see all things clearly.” The honor was also celebrated with the reveal of a number of new graffiti murals marking the occasion.
#WuTangClan street dedication #WuTangClanDistrict #Parkhill pic.twitter.com/myvduBObQw
— NYPD 120th Precinct (@NYPD120Pct) May 4, 2019
Thank you to all from near and far who joined us today to official create the Wu-Tang Clan District here in ParkHill / Stapleton. @WuTangClan #WuTangClanDistrict pic.twitter.com/48DMzqEESg
— Debi Rose (@CMDebiRose) May 4, 2019
Wu-Tang Clan is preparing to head out on an extensive worldwide tour in honor of the 25th anniversary of their monumental debut album, 1993’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). First, they’ll head to Europe alongside Public Enemy and De La Soul for the Gods of Rap tour this month. At the end of May, they’ll return to the States for a run of headlining U.S. shows. For a full list of upcoming Wu-Tang Clan dates, see below. For more information and ticketing details, head here.
[H/T Consequence of Sound]