The 100 replicas of the “Wu-Tang Clan District” sign on Staten Island, where the group was formed in 1992, were gone in less than two hours.
New York celebrated the Wu-Tang Clan by releasing on Thursday 100 replicas of the street sign on Staten Island named for the group. They were all snapped up in less than two hours.
The Wu-Tang Clan was formed in Staten Island’s Park Hill neighborhood in 1992, and went on to become one of hip-hop’s most beloved and influential acts. The city named an intersection in Park Hill “Wu-Tang Clan District” and unveiled the sign in 2019.
The commissioner of the city’s Transportation Department, Ydanis Rodriguez, called the group “a legendary part of Staten Island’s North Shore,” in a statement replete with puns and references to Wu-Tang’s music.
The department began monthly releases of limited-run replicas in June to honor famous New Yorkers and events. The proceeds go to the city’s general fund. The first one marked Pride Month with a sign reading Christopher Street/Stonewall Place, where a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, set off unrest in 1969. That replica sold out in under three hours.
The replicas, which the Transportation Department sells for $75, are produced by the shop that makes New York City’s street signs. The department has compared them to limited-edition sneaker drops.
The other releases include replicas of the signs honoring the Brooklyn hip-hop superstars the Notorious B.I.G. and the Beastie Boys, and Mariano Rivera, the Yankees legend. All the releases sold out quickly.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
