Russell Tyrone Jones,  aka Ol' Dirty Bastard (usually shortened to ODB)  - one of the founding members of the famous Staten Island hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan - died on this day exactly three years ago (Nov 13th, 2004). Had he lived he would have celebrated his 39th birthday in two days, on Thursday November 15th.   But it was exactly three years ago when the big news broke that the unique gravely voiced emcee, who took his rap name from a 1980 kung fu film entitled Ol' Dirty & The Bastard,  collapased at Wu-Tang's studio, 36 Records LLC on West 34th Street, after a day of reportedly having difficulty breathing and been complaining of chest pains.


The Wu Tang member, who also was successful recorded as a solo artist, will best be remembered as perhaps one of hip-hop's most eccentric personalities. What other rapper can you think of that filmed a video in their boxer shorts as the ODB did for his video for "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (scroll down). Then of course there were the ODB's seemingly endless legal troubles.  These legal woes included being arrested for public drunkenness on  many occasions (Ol' Drunk Bastard  was what he was labeled by Bill Bellamy at the VIbe awards one year due to his inebriated condition) and being thrown in jail (2001) for possession of crack. ODB was also convicted of second degree assault for an attempted robbery, He even got himself shot after an argument with a fellow rapper.  And, in a well publicized case, got in trouble for failure to pay child support for three of his thirteen children.  The list of legal woes goes on, and on, and even includes being arrested for shoplifting a pair of $50 shoes from a Foot Locker store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, ironically at the time the rapper had a wad of $500 cash in his pocket!. 

An eccentric individual for sure was the ODB who even had a myriad of other names that he bestowed upon himself and that included  Big Baby Jesus, Dirt McGirt, Dirt Dog, and Joe Bananas among many others.  But what I best remember him for is his music - both solo and with the WU.  So today, I say,  in honor of ODB spill a lil on  da curb for the artist,  and play your fave ODB solo or Wu Tang track featuring ODB, or go shopping at Amoeba Music's vinyl or CD hip-hop sections and dig  in the crates for part of the legacy that ODB left behind.