Jump to content

Ol' Dirty Bastard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 66.68.207.59 (talk) at 04:15, 3 December 2013. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ol' Dead Bastard
Ol' Dead Bastard at a public release party, circa early 2004
Ol' Dead Bastard at a public release party, circa early 2004
Background information
Birth nameRussell Tyrone Jones
Also known asO.D.B., Ason Unique, Osirus, The Specialist, Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus, Ol' Dirty Chinese Restaurant
Born(1968-11-15)November 15, 1968
OriginBrooklyn, New York, United States
DiedNovember 13, 2004(2004-11-13) (aged 35)
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active1991–2004
LabelsLoud, RCA, Elektra, Roc-A-Fella, Sure Shot Recordings, NuTech Digital, Dame Dash, Koch
Websitewww.myspace.com/oldirtybastard

Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004),[1] best known by his stage name Ol' Dead Bastard (or ODB), was an American rapper and occasional producer. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily from Staten Island, New York that first rose to mainstream prominence with their 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).[2][3]

After establishing the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol' Dead Bastard went on to pursue a successful solo career and contributed as a rapper/producer for the Fugees.[4] However, his professional success was hampered by frequent legal troubles, including incarceration. He died on November 13, 2004 of a drug overdose, two days before his 36th birthday.[5] Prior to his death, Jones managed to record his third solo album, which has been repeatedly delayed and as of 2013 has not been released.

Jones was often noted for his trademark microphone techniques and his "outrageously profane, free-associative rhymes delivered in a distinctive half-rapped, half-sung style".[6] His stage name was derived from the 1980 martial arts film Ol' Dirty and the Bastard (also called An Old Kung Fu Master, starring Simon "Ol' Dirty" Yuen);[7] Method Man articulated its relevance on track 5 of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), stating there was "no father to his style".

Biography

Early life, formation of the Wu-Tang Clan

Russell Jones was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. He and his cousins Robert Diggs and Gary Grice shared a taste for rap music and martial arts-style movies.[3] Jones, Diggs, and Grice (later known Ol' Dead Bastard, RZA, and GZA respectively) formed the group Force of the Imperial Master, which subsequently became known as All in Together Now after their successful underground single of the same name. They eventually added six more members to their group, calling it the Wu-Tang Clan. The group released their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, receiving notable commercial and critical success.

Music career

Ol' Dead Bastard's solo career began March 28, 1995. His first solo album, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, spawned the hit singles "Brooklyn Zoo" and "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", which helped propel the album to platinum status. The album's sound was noted by several music writers as being as "raw and gritty" as 36 Chambers, with RZA and 4th Disciple producing beats of an even more minimalist and stripped-down style than on the group's debut album. In this same year, Ol' Dirty Bastard collaborated with Mariah Carey for the "Fantasy Remix".

Around this time, Jones gained notoriety when, as he was being profiled for an MTV biography, he took two of his thirteen children by limousine to a New York State welfare office to pick up his welfare check; his latest album was still in the top ten of the US charts. The entire incident was filmed by an MTV camera crew and was broadcast nationwide.[8][9]

In 1997, Ol' Dead Bastard appeared on the Wu-Tang Clan's second and most commercially successful work, the double album Wu-Tang Forever. He had fewer appearances on this album than the group's debut, contributing to one solo track ("Dog Shit"), three verses ("Maria", "Reunited", "Heaterz"), one hook ("As High as Wu-Tang Get"), and a spoken introduction/refrain ("Triumph").[citation needed]

In February 1998, Jones witnessed a car accident from the window of his Brooklyn recording studio. He and a friend ran to the accident scene and organized about a dozen onlookers, who assisted in lifting the 1996 Ford Mustang—rescuing a 4-year-old girl from the wreckage. She was taken to a hospital with first and second degree burns. Using a false name, Jones visited the girl in the hospital frequently until he was spotted by members of the media.[10]

The evening following the traffic accident, Jones rushed on-stage unexpectedly as Shawn Colvin took the stage to give her acceptance speech for Song of the Year at the 1998 Grammy Awards, and he announced he had recently purchased expensive clothes in anticipation of winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album that he lost to Puff Daddy. As Colvin took the stage to a round of applause, he asked the audience, "Please calm down, the music and everything. It's nice that I went and bought me an outfit today that costed a lot of money today, you know what I mean? 'Cause I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win. I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. You know what I mean? Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best, Okay? I want you all to know that this is ODB, and I love you all. Peace!" This incident was widely covered in the mainstream media.[11]

In 1999, Ol' Dead Bastard wrote and recorded his second studio album, Nigga Please, between jail sentences. The album received notable commercial success, although it failed to parallel the critical praise of his debut. This release included the single "Got Your Money", which garnered worldwide chart success. The song was produced by The Neptunes and featured backing vocals by R&B singer Kelis.

In 1999, Jones was paid $30,000 to appear on Insane Clown Posse's album, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers. Completing his track in two days, his recording consisted of his "rambling about bitches". Insane Clown Posse re-recorded the track and re-edited Jones' vocals in order to form four rhymes out of his rambling, titling the song "Bitches".[12]

In 2001, with Jones again in jail for crack cocaine possession, his record label Elektra Records made the decision to release a greatest hits album (despite there being only two albums in his back catalog) in order to both end their contract with the artist (see below section), as well as make profit from the publicity generated by his legal troubles. After the contract with Elektra was terminated, the label D-3 records released the album The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones in 2002, composed of tracks compiled without Jones' input.

In 2003, the day he was released from prison, with Mariah Carey and Damon Dash by his side, Jones signed a contract with Roc-A-Fella Records. Living at his mother's home under house arrest and with a court-ordered probation, he managed to star in a VH1 special, Inside Out: Ol' Dirty Bastard On Parole. He also managed to record a new album, originally scheduled to be released through Dame Dash Music Group in 2004; it has since been shelved indefinitely. In October 2004, one month before his death, his last collaboration was Jon B. on the track, "Everytime" from the album, Stronger Everyday. In 2005, he was posthumously collaborated on "Blah-Blah-Blah" with Brooke Valentine on her album, Chain Letter.[citation needed]

File:Ol' Dirty Bastard mug shot.jpg
Ol' Dead Bastard in a 2001 police mugshot

In 1993, Ol' Dead Bastard was convicted of second degree assault[4] for an attempted robbery and in 1994, he was shot in the abdomen following an argument with another rapper.[4] In 1997, he was arrested for failure to pay child support for three of his 13 children. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to attempted assault on his wife and was the victim of a home invasion robbery at his girlfriend's house. He was shot in the back and arm but the wounds were superficial.[citation needed]

In July 1998, only days after being shot in a push-in robbery at his girlfriend's house in Brooklyn, he was arrested for shoplifting a pair of $50 shoes from a Sneaker Stadium store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, although he was carrying close to $500 in cash at the time. He was issued bench warrants by the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department to stand trial after he failed to appear in court numerous times. He was arrested for criminal threatening after a series of confrontations in Los Angeles a few weeks later, and was then re-arrested for similar charges not long after that. During a traffic stop, the details of which remain clouded in multiple versions of events, he was arrested for attempted murder and criminal weapon possession. The case was later dismissed.[citation needed]

In February 1999, he was arrested for driving without a license and for being a convicted felon wearing a bulletproof vest (the first person arrested for this infraction under a new California law).[citation needed] Back in New York weeks later, he was arrested for drug possession of crack cocaine and for traffic offenses. With multiple cases in the past and present, he was arrested with marijuana and 20 vials of crack.[13]

In October 2000, he escaped from his court-mandated drug treatment facility and spent one month as a fugitive. During his time on the run, he met with RZA and spent some time in their recording studio. He then appeared onstage at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York swigging a bottle at the record release party for The W, the third Wu-Tang Clan album.[citation needed] In late November 2000, while still a fugitive, he was arrested outside a South Philadelphia McDonald's (at 29th and Gray's Ferry Ave.), after he drew a crowd while signing autographs. He spent several days in a Philadelphia jail and was later extradited to New York City. A Manhattan court sentenced him to two to four years incarceration.[citation needed]

In 2012, his FBI file was released to the public after a Freedom of Information Act request.[14] It contains details of numerous crimes, such as alleged connections to three murders, a shoot out with the New York City Police Department, and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act investigation against the Wu-Tang Clan.[15][16]

Death

Leading up to his death, Jones' legal troubles and odd behavior made him "something of a folk hero", according to The New Yorker writer Michael Agger.[17] Music writer Steve Huey wrote that "it was difficult for observers to tell whether Ol' Dirty Bastard's wildly erratic behavior was the result of serious drug problems or genuine mental instability."

Jones collapsed at approximately 4:35 p.m. on November 13, 2004 (two days before his 36th birthday) at RZA's recording studio (36 Chambers Records LLC on West 34th Street in New York City). He was pronounced dead at 5:04pm. His funeral was held at Brooklyn's Christian Cultural Center and drew a crowd of thousands.

The official cause of death was a drug overdose; an autopsy found a lethal mixture of cocaine and the prescription drug tramadol.[18] The overdose was ruled accidental and witnesses say that Jones complained of chest pain on the day he died.[19]

Documentary

In November 2013, a biopic documentary about Ol' Dead Bastard's life, "Dirty: Platinum Edition', will be released by his cousin Stephon Turner aka Raison Allah and Zufilms Inc. The documentary features interviews and stories from Wu-Tang members, affiliates, and family members, as well as old interviews and live footage. The film is being distributed by New Hollywood Entertainment and is the centerpiece to the inaugural NuHo Online Film Festival which is set for November 15, 2013. The film was packaged along with the "New Wu Generation Album" which includes never before heard tracks from Ol' Dead-ass Bastard, RZA, Young Dirty and features the song Protect Ya Neck 2.[20]

Discography

Main article: Ol' Dead Bastard discography

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Year Nominated work Award Result
1996 Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version Best Rap Album Nominated
1999 "Ghetto Supastar" Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Nominated

Appears on

[21]

Year Song Other artist(s) Released on
1993 "Shame On A Nigga" Method Man, Raekwon Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
"Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber" Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA
"Da Mystery Of Chessboxin" U-God, Inspektah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa
"Protect Ya Neck" Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA
"Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber—Part II" Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA
"Show & Prove" Big Daddy Kane, Scoob Lover, Sauce Money, Shyheim, Jay-Z "Show & Prove"
1995 "Give It To Ya Raw" "Brooklyn Zoo"
"Don't You Know Part 2" "Rawhide"
"Fantasy (Remix)" Mariah Carey "Fantasy"
"Duel of the Iron Mic" GZA, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck Liquid Swords
1996 "Ol' Dirty's Back" 12 O'Clock O.D.B.E.P.
"Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" Busta Rhymes "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check"
"Dirty The Moocher" Ol' Dirty Bastard "N/A"
"Lint Balls" Sunz of Man
1997 "Reunited" GZA, RZA, Method Man Wu-Tang Forever
"As High As Wu-Tang Get" GZA, Method Man
"Maria" Cappadonna, RZA
"Triumph" Wu-Tang Clan
"Dog Shit"
"Heaterz" Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Cappadonna
"Hip-Hop Drunkies" Tha Alkaholiks "Likwidation"
1998 "Ghetto Supastar" Pras, Mýa "All Stars"
"Shining Star" Sunz Of Man "The Last Shall Be First"
"If You Don't You Know" Killah Priest "Heavy Mental"
"Drug Free" Champ, Shorty Shit Stain "Deadly Venoms"
1999 "Bitches" Insane Clown Posse "The Amazing Jeckel Brothers"
2000 "Violence" Cam'ron "S.D.E."
"Conditioner" Snoop Dogg, GZA, Inspectah Deck "The W"
2004 "Old Man" Masta Killa, RZA "No Said Date"
2005 "Keep The Receipt" Kanye West "Freshmen Adjustment"
2007 "16th Chamber" Method Man, Raekwon "8 Diagrams"
(International bonus track)

References

  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "Ol' Dirty Bastard Biography]". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  2. ^ "Official Site of the Wu-Tang Clan". Wu-Tang Corp. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  3. ^ a b "Ol' Dirty Bastard | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates, Ringtones, and Lyrics". MTV. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  4. ^ a b c Huey, Steve (1968-11-15). "( Ol' Dirty Bastard > Biography )". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  5. ^ Zahlaway, Jon (December 15, 2004). "Autopsy shows Ol' Dead Bastard died of accidental drug overdose". LiveDaily. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  6. ^ Huey, Steve (1968-11-15). "Description at Allmusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  7. ^ HKmdb.com 6240: An Old Kung Fu Master
  8. ^ "Ol' Dirty Bastard Gets Paid". MTV. 1995. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  9. ^ CMJ New Music Monthly. Jan 2001 http://books.google.com/books?id=wikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=odb+welfare+check&source=bl&ots=F3nFTHCInQ&sig=6dcQyXpZ51nH0oCrJir-wVg-JE4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=joRTUY7xOejl0QGClYHgCQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=odb%20welfare%20check&f=false. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Feb 24 1998 3:30 PM EST (1998-02-24). "News - Articles - 1429494 - 19980224". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2010-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Grammy Gold - The Bastard Interrupts the Show". Time. 2009-02-28. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  12. ^ Bruce, Joseph (2003). "Big Money Hustlas". In Nathan Fostey (ed.). ICP: Behind the Paint (2nd Edition ed.). Royal Oak, Michigan: Psychopathic Records. pp. 414–433. ISBN 0-9741846-0-8. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ^ "ODB Pleads Guilty To Drugs Charge - The Wu-Tang Clan rapper admits possession of 20 vials of crack cocaine". NME. 23 April 2001. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  14. ^ Jones, Rich (2012-01-12). "Ol' Dirty Bastard's FBI File". Gun.io. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  15. ^ "FBI File - Russell Jones". Federal Bureau Of Investigation. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  16. ^ "10 Shocking Revelations From Ol' Dirty Bastard's FBI File". MTV. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  17. ^ Agger, Michael (2005-01-10). "Not Dirty". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2006-10-09.
  18. ^ Patel, Joseph (2004-12-15). "Ol' Dirty Bastard Died From Drug Overdose, Medical Examiner's Office Says - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  19. ^ "Ol' Dirty Bastard - Cause Of Death Revealed | News". Nme.Com. 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  20. ^ http://www.nuhofilmfest.com
  21. ^ "Ol' Dirty Bastard - Bio, CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. July 6, 1970. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ol%27_Dirty_Bastard&oldid=584313430"