Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard (abbreviated ODB) was born Russell Tyrone Jones on November 15, 1968 in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. ODB was known as much for his distinctively erratic and playful rap style as he was for his chaotic and frequent legal troubles. Raised in New York City, he was very close to his cousins Robert Diggs and Gary Grice. Together they joined forces with six additional rappers and formed the Wu-Tang Clan, a reference to the martial arts movies they enjoyed together growing up. Russell Jones reportedly cultivated the moniker Ol' Dirty Bastard for their debut because his unorthodox style had no father. When the Wu-Tang Clan released their debut album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" (1993) the public took immediate notice. It would go on to be considered one of the most influential albums of the 1990s. In 2020, Rolling Stone listed it at #27 in the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Following this success, ODB released his first solo album "Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version" (1995). The album reached number 7 on the US Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Rap Album. The Wu-Tang Clan then released their most commercially successful album, "Wu-Tang Forever" (1997) with ODB contributing his gritty, raw vocals to multiple tracks. Despite being at the height of his fame, Ol' Dirty Bastard's legal troubles and chaotic behavior mounted to a point of distraction from his talent in the media. Shoplifting and drug charges, missing court dates, frequent traffic violations and highly publicized eccentric outbursts led to periods of mandated rehab and jail time starting in the late 1990s. Amidst it all, ODB released his sophomore solo album "N***a Please" (1999) which shot up to #10 on the Billboard 200 in its first week. In 2003, he signed a deal with a new record company and began work on a third album. Ol' Dirty Bastard never finished the album and tragically lost his battle with drug addiction with a lethal overdose on November 13, 2004 in New York City.