Hip-hop was born in the South Bronx, but thanks to the Wu-Tang Clan, Staten Island is where it came of age.
When the collective emerged in 1993 with their debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),” the genre was given a harder edge due in part to the experience of various members growing up in New York’s forgotten borough. In the Wu-Tang’s own lyrical mythology, they gave Staten the nickname “Shaolin.”
Wu-Tang are releasing their new album “A Better Tomorrow” on Tuesday. And though founding member RZA (a k a Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) now lives in New Jersey and California, he’s still a proud ambassador of his hometown borough. This is his Staten Island.
Park Villa II, formerly at 70 Beach St.
“I remember when Eric B. and Rakim, KRS-One, Doug E. Fresh and other hip-hop celebrities started coming to Staten Island in the ’80s, this is the venue they would [play]. They would have rap battles there, and some of the members of the Wu-Tang would battle each other to win prizes!”’
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
“Back in the mid-’80s, times were tough and we had to hustle. The traffic was bad on the Verrazano Bridge, so there were always guys selling newspapers. That was me. I was about 13, and I’d be with my brothers, or Raekwon from the Clan. At one point, there was me, my brother and my mother out there selling papers. New York Post, baby! That was our main seller! We made maybe $80 between us, which helped out with the groceries or rent.”
67 Warren St.
“That was my first apartment. I was 18, and I lived there for around three years. It was where I set up my first demo studio, and that’s where the Wu-Tang formed. A lot of the guys would come over to my apartment and we’d cut demos. The foundations to a lot of the songs that went on to be on ‘36 Chambers,’ like ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ and ‘Tearz,’ were laid right here.”
Brother’s Pizza, 750 Port Richmond Ave.
“It’s been there since I was in high school, and the pizza is still great. It really captures the spirit of Staten. I’ve got a home and studio out in South Jersey, where we recorded some of the new Wu-Tang album. While we were there, a buddy of mine brought us out two pies and all of the Clan was like ‘Brothers! Yeah!’ ”
The Staten Island ferry
“Last Christmas, I took my son to Staten Island for the first time. He was actually born in California, and he was only 8 at the time. He’s not really familiar with my music, but he saw what I mean to my community. The staff on the ferry all came over and said, ‘Man, you’re a Staten Island legend, come meet our captain.’ They let me and my son up in to the captain’s desk, and they let him blow the horn!”
A&P, formerly at 375 Tompkins Ave.
One of my favorite memories of ODB [Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a k a Russell Jones, former Wu-Tang member and RZA’s cousin who died in 2004] was when we were kids. He would come stay at my house for the summer, and on Saturdaymornings, we’d pack groceries at the A&P for tips, and then at the end of the day we’d take turns pushing each other around the neighborhood in the shopping carts.”