Something Special & "The Tao of Wu"

Something happened to me this afternoon that has actually happened to me on several occasions throughout my life. It's nothing serious and I usually think nothing of it when it does occur, but today I finally realized that it's actually quite special. While walking down Smith Street in Brooklyn after eating brunch with my girlfriend and two thugged-out dogs, a black man walked right up to me (a Caucasian man) and simply said "Wu-Tang"!!! He made the comment because he saw the Wu-Tang winter hat I was wearing on my head. I responded, "all day, every day." He then extended his hand giving me dap, said "peace," and continued walking in the opposite direction that I was. A simple interaction between two men who know nothing about each other.

What is special about what happened today, is that hip-hop and specifically the Wu-Tang Clan and their music somehow is able to connect people who otherwise would have absolutely no connection. I would imagine the RZA would describe us as "A-alikes" (a 5% Nation belief). We are A-alikes because we B-alike and C-alike. In other words, two strangers who can have a mutual respect for one another because of their like-mindedness.

For a hip-hop group that promotes the teachings of the 5% Nation of Islam (which clearly state that the white man is the Devil and the black man is God, or has God within himself) in all of their music, they have had an uncanny way of uniting black, white, and Asian people across the world through their music. The Wu-Tang Clan probably has the most diverse group of fans out of any hip-hop group or solo artist. I think this is true because, despite their music being very gritty, raw, graphicly violent, and what may appear to be ignorant to the untrained ear, their music is much, much more. Their music uniquely preaches knowledge, wisdom, and understanding through describing hardships that black men deal with growing up in America and specifically the projects. Hardships of any kind are appealing because everyone can go through difficulties and everyone can learn from others' experiences.

A lot of what I'm writing is better explained and deciphered by the RZA in his new book "The Tao of Wu." I just finished it today and was thoroughly impressed by his incites and his willingness to discuss some very personal experiences he's gone through in his own life. Wu-Tang hasn't put out a platinum selling album in some years now, but based on my experience on Smith Street today, I think the RZA was really on to something when he asked, "how can hip-hop be dead when Wu-Tang is forever?"