Members of Wu-Tang Clan are mourning the death of their associate and mentor Popa Wu, who died of as-yet unknown causes at 63 years old. Popa Wu, also known as Freedum Allah, was the older cousin of the group’s de facto leader RZA and played a role in the group’s formation in the early ’90s. He appeared on a number of Wu-Tang’s projects, sharing the Five Percenter philosophy that guides the band and underpins much of their musical output.
Members of the crew and their various affiliates, such as producer Mathematics and ODB’s son Young Dirty Bastard, posted expressions of disbelief and grief on social media, highlighting the mentor role he played in their lives, with YDB calling him “teacher.” Mathematics reminisced about Popa Wu, writing, “Right now I don’t even know what to say or to how to feel, our history goes back almost 35years, me as a young God and you the older God. I can still hear you loud as hell saying “NOW CIPHER!!” Coming from the back of the parliament cause someone said something wrong in the front.”
Meanwhile, the core members of Wu-Tang like RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface, and Method Man also shared reflections of the importance Popa Wu had to the group. RZA wrote, “We will continue to hold on and build strong,” while Ghostface asked Popa Wu to “tell Dirt we love and miss him.”
See more responses from Wu-Tang’s members below.
