The RZA is known for his uninhibited embrace of social media and interviews to express his opinions. The outspoken leader of the Wu Tang Clan has voiced his views on a number of issues, and recently discussed problems he sees within the black youth of America.
He told Bloomberg, "If I'm a cop and every time I see a young black youth, whether I watch them on TV, movies, or just see them hanging out, and they're not looking properly dressed, properly refined, you know, carrying himself, conducting himself proper hours of the day-things that a man does, you're going to have a certain fear and stereotype of them."
His comments have earned backlash from a number of critics who accuse him of hypocrisy after selling Wu Wear "street-clothes" marketed after his hip-hop group, or of victim blaming for innocent black youths. The RZA responded to these comments on Twitter.
The RZA wrote, "How can a original black man be a coon &sell out? You best look deep into my words &make an assessment. Do you still think pork is healthy? I don't expect agreement with everything I say. I speak honestly from my own perspective &evaluation from my space time experience. I could never condone police brutality or any form of injustice and oppression. Knowledge of self means studying self to improve self. Peace. I'm not condemning the kids for their garments. We live we should learn and evolve. When are we men at 21 or 41?"
The incident harkens back to the platitudes of Bill Cosby who constantly implored black youths to "pull up their pants" and participate in respectability politics. Many see this as a patronizing judgment of African American cultural expression, and a fault of society at large to expect alternative modes of dress.
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