It’s official! The Park Hill section of Staten Island is officially renamed the “Wu-Tang Clan District” after an unveiling ceremony Saturday afternoon (May 4).
The ceremony comes four months after the New York City Council unanimously voted to name the Park Hill district after the legendary Staten Island-based hip hop group. The city wanted to celebrate Wu-Tang Clan’s contributions to Staten Island and in hip hop.
“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,” New York City Councilwoman Debbie Rose told The Staten Island Advance. “They overcame all types of challenges, to not only become rap artist and hip hop artist but to inspire and challenge the music world,” she continued.
RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and Cappadonna were all in attendance. “The real value is in the love, to help you see all things clearly,” Cappadonna said. Bar-son Jones (aka Young Dirty Bastard) represented his late father Ol’ Dirty Bastard at the revealing, sporting his father’s classic braided hairstyle.
The last week has been busy for the legendary rap group. On April 25, Wu hosted a screening of their Mass Appeal-produced docuseries “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men” at the Tribeca Film Festival. Following the screening of the Sacha Jenkins-directed film, Wu-Tang along with Young Dirty Bastard performed a half a dozen of their legendary singles.
“Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men” focuses on the career of the group from their founding to the group’s massive success. The film also covers the various solo careers of RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa.
The film features talking-head interviews, archival footage, and anecdotal stories, which helps bring the almost 30-year career of the iconic group to the screen.
The four-part docuseries will debut on Showtime on May 10.