Hip-hop is full of artists filling roles, but Ol’ Dirty Bastard never played a character; he was the character in his real life. A folk hero of sorts, never leaving Brooklyn got him the title “Robin Hood of the Hood.” An oddity like this could only arise from an eclectic camp like Wu-Tang Clan.
Russel Jones was a cousin of Gary Grice and Robert Diggs (ODB, GZA, and RZA, respectively). The three cousins shared an affinity for kung fu movies and rap music, going on to form a group called Force of the Imperial Master. The group name later evolved to All In Together Now, adopting the name of an underground hit single that the group released. After adding six more members, the group finally became the Wu-Tang Clan and would go on to make hip-hop history.
Known for his erratic behavior (he was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003), ODB called MTV in 1995 to film him cashing in his welfare check, despite already securing a certified bag from Wu’s album and his own in the same year.
When this incident hit MTV News, ODB’s caseworker immediately revoked his welfare status. Bill Clinton vowed to reform the welfare program, and poverty-stricken neighborhoods felt less stigmatized about claiming government assistance.
While each member was releasing solo projects, ODB dropped his 1995 debut ‘Return to the 36 Chambers’ with the album’s cover showcasing Dirty’s actual food stamp card.
It’s nearly impossible to imagine all the odd experiences Ol’ Dirty Bastard happened to live through. He once saved a young girl from a car crash and interrupted a Grammy win the same week. Dirty witnessed the crash from a recording studio window and organized a group of onlookers to lift the vehicle off of a four-year-old girl trapped under the car. Though Dirty didn’t identify himself to the girl’s parents, they recognized him and released the story to the media. ODB referenced this in his drunken speech at the 1998 Grammy’s as he interrupted Shawn Colvin.
Upset by Wu-Tang’s loss in the Best Rap Album category, ODB professed, “Wu-Tang is for the children… Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best.”
By the time he passed away in 2004, he’d lived a life of substance, good or bad. He had been shot multiple times, arrested numerous times, and charted on Billboard multiple times.
Ol’ Dirty Bastard was a spectacle wherever he appeared. An urban legend, his stories of police shootouts, fugitive escape from rehab, and stealing $50 shoes with $500 in his pocket add to his enigmatic persona.
ODB cultivated a rap sheet that many rappers couldn’t dream of replicating. In 1993, he was convicted of 2nd-degree assault, and a year later suffered a gunshot in the stomach after arguing in the street with a local New York rapper.
For years, Dirty was involved in legal troubles for neglecting to pay child support, missing court hearings, and assaulting his children’s mother, Icelene Jones.
In 1998, ODB was shot amid a home invasion at his girlfriend’s apartment. The bullet entered his back and exited his arm, leaving no severe damage. Jones got treatment at a hospital, ignored the doctor’s request for an overnight stay, and simply walked out later that night.
While one legal trouble died down, another was constantly being born. Shoplifting, multiple counts of terroristic threats, traffic violations, indecent exposure; the list goes on.
By the year 2000, it became clear that ODB was addicted to substance abuse, and he needed help. Jones was made to check into a rehab facility, but he escaped with only two months to serve. While on the run, he recorded some music with RZA and appeared at a Wu-Tang record release party. A few days after his appearance at the release party, ODB was arrested in a Philadelphia McDonald’s parking lot while signing autographs for fans.
From featuring on a Mariah Carey single and turning up to the video shoot drunk and reckless to accidentally appearing (equally drunk and reckless) on Pras’ “Ghetto Superstar,” ODB’s true self always shined through, especially when held beside other artists’ fabricated characters.
As the name suggests, there is no father to ODB’s style, but his influence has produced countless offspring who look to captivate the game in the same way.