Russell Tyrone Jones, a.k.a Ol' Dirty Bastard, a founding member of the New York based hip-hop group Wu-Tang, died Saturday in New York of unknown causes. He would've turned 36 on Monday.
All great groups had a wild member, and ODB was not only the wild guy in The Wu-Tang Clan, he was one of the wildest and most lovable characters in the hip-hop community.
As an MC, ODB's style was nearly unmatched. In fact, his garbled, almost non-sensical style is where he derived his name (he was without an influence to pinpoint how he composed his rhymes).
Speaking of names, this guy went through them like Wu-Tang members went through solo albums, including Osirus, Joe Bananas, Dirt Dog, Dirt McGirt, and perhaps most famously, Big Baby Jesus.
This only added to ODB's character and enhanced his spontaneity.
Towards the latter part of his career, ODB started getting more headlines for crazy antics or brushes with the law rather than music.
Perhaps one of ODB's best random actions was at the 1998 Grammy Awards when he interrupted an acceptance speech to protest Wu-Tang losing in a category to P. Diddy, in which ODB proudly proclaimed: "Wu-Tang are for the children!"
Man, you got to love this guy.
Also that year, ODB was arrested for shoplifting sneakers in Virginia Beach and in 1999 he was one of the first citizens arrested in California for violating a new law which made it illegal for convicted felons to wear bulletproof vests.
ODB eventually served two years in prison for probation violations and was released in the spring of 2003. Keeping busy, ODB had been reportedly working with artists such as Busta Rhymes, Ludacris and Macy Gray. The Wu-Tang Clan had also returned from dormancy and played the Rock the Bells festival in San Bernardino, California in July of 2004. The group made a live album out of the show entitled Disciples of the 36 Chambers: Chapter 1.
Since the release of Wu-Tang Clan's first album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), ODB kept up a shining solo career as well as being in the group. In 1995 he released Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version which featured the son "Shimmy Shimmy Ya," and in 1999 he released Nigga Please which featured perhaps his biggest hit, The Neptunes produced "Got Your Money."
ODB was an undeniable character and in a genre full of characters, he was definitely a superstar and a staple in New York style hip-hop.
Looking back, ODB indeed lived the rock star life so many of us imagine musicians doing: live fast, die young and leave behind a lasting memory.
