Popa Wu Dead At 63
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Popa Wu, a figure who has long been associated with the Wu-Tang Clan, has died. Rolling Stone reports that Popa Wu recently died at home in Brooklyn. No cause of death has been given. Popa Wu was 63.
Popa Wu’s specific role within the Wu-Tang Clan has always been slightly mysterious; he has never, for instance, given his real name. Popa Wu wasn’t a rapper or producer. Instead, he served as a sort of spiritual advisor for the group. Often, he would show up on record intros, talking about Five-Percent Nation Islamic philosophy.
Popa Wu was reportedly an older cousin of Wu-Tang members RZA, GZA, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. He appeared on “Wu-Revolution,” the opening track from the 1997 Wu-Tang Clan double album Wu-Tang Forever, and on albums like Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ghostface Killah’s Ironman. Popa Wu also released two of his own albums, 2000’s Visions Of The Tenth Chamber and 2008’s Visions Of The 10th Chamber Pt. II.
