Popa Wu, the spiritual leader and longtime advisor of iconic hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan has passed away at the age of 63.
For any hip-hop fan, the origins of the Wu-Tang Clan are well-known, with a group of Staten Island musicians coming together to form a new collective that merged impressive lyricism with – as the RZA explained – “Eastern philosophy […] picked up from kung fu movies, the watered-down Nation of Islam preaching […] picked up on the New York streets, and comic books.”
Before long, the group were making waves for their music, style, and themes, picking up a strong following along the way. However, as the group’s members will tell you, none of this would have been possible without the vision and guidance of Popa Wu.
Also known as Freedum Allah, Popa Wu not only served as a relation to Wu-Tang Clan members RZA, GZA, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, but helped to influence the structure and philosophy of the group, going on to be given the title of “the Father of the Clan.”
A follower of the teachings of the Fire Percent Nation, Popa Wu helped influence the group’s members in such a way way, and would go on to not only feature on various records by the Clan and its members, but also organise compilation records featuring affiliates of the group.
Sadly, as Rolling Stone reports, the group’s spiritual leader has now passed away at the age of 63.
While no cause of death has been given at the current time, members of the Wu-Tang Clan have taken to social media to express their grief at the loss of such an influential figure.
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“Can’t believe your [sic] gone!” shared Raekwon, while Ghostface Killah wrote, “Rest in paradise my brother. Forever. Tell Dirt we love and miss him.”
In related news, it was recently revealed that there are talks of opening a Wu-Tang Clan theme park in South Korea. While the concept is reportedly in its early stages, we can’t help but feel this is what Ol’ Dirty Bastard meant when he said “Wu-Tang is for the children”.
Check out Popa Wu on ‘Wu-Revolution’ by the Wu-Tang Clan:
