WU-TANG CLAN'S RZA SPEAKS ON THE DEATH OF ERIC GARNER!

As the mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA is one of the most famous natives of Staten Island. We spoke to him about the death of fellow Staten Islander Eric Garner, police brutality, and the path to a better tomorrow.

RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan have been dutiful ambassadors from Staten Island — or Shaolin — for 20 years now. In late 1993, when they released their, to date, most-successful single "C.R.E.A.M.," from their first album "Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers," it was a snapshot of the Staten Island they grew up in. In the background of the video for the somber, darkly-rollicking track was a friend to the Wu-Tang — a young black man named Case who, according to RZA, was choked to death by a cop in the Park Hill projects shortly after the video came out. "This was 20 years ago, and he wasn't a white cop, he was a black cop and he choked Case til he died," RZA said. Police brutality, is nothing new, Inspektah Deck rapped about in the last verse of the same song:

To learn to overcome the heartaches and pain

We got stickup kids, corrupt cops, and crack rocks

And stray shots, all on the block that stays hot

Leave it up to me while I be livin' proof

To kick the truth to the young black youth
After a Grand Jury failed to indict the police officer who killed Eric Garner about a mile or two away from where RZA grew up, the now actor-producer-director-MC spoke with me about race in America, violence, power and how — after 20 years of squabbles, incarcerations, death and love — the Wu-Tang sound has evolved. Last month, the group released their latest album, "A Better Tomorrow," with a video featuring footage from the protests erupting after Eric Garner's death.

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