american rapper russell tyrone jones better known by a myriad of other names
such as osiris a-sun-unique big baby jesus an old dirty bastard or odd was born on november 15
1968 in brooklyn new york his most famous stage name was derived from the 80s chinese martial
arts film an old kung fu master also called old dirty and the bastard in his youth he was largely
influenced by the soulful sounds of the 60s and 70s such as al greene and the isley brothers
russell along with his cousins robert diggs and gary grice later known as rizza and jizza
respectively formed a hip-hop group called force of the imperial master later they became known
as all in together now after their successful underground single of the same name around this
time dirty would marry his wife isaline whom he met at a friend's sweet 16 party eventually the
trio added more members to their group six to be exact and changed their name again to wu-tang clan
after signing with loud records in 1992 the group released their debut album dirty was
always honest about how much of a troublemaker he was as a child he would continue the same
behavior into his adult life but evidently face much more dire consequences for his actions
in 1993 he was convicted of second-degree assault for an attempted robbery and the following year
he was shot on the street in the stomach following an argument with another unnamed
rapper two years later odb's solo career would begin and take off after signing with electra
records his first solo album returned to the 36 chambers the dirty version spawned the hit
singles shimishimiya and brooklyn zoo which helped propel the album to platinum status
a very personal image was chosen for odb's debut album cover his welfare benefits card one could
assume he did that as a symbol and testament to his past but it was still very much a part of his
present in march 1995 odb gained notoriety for a very unusual act he did as he was being profiled
for a biography done by mtv he took two of his children in style no less courtesy of a limousine
to a new york state welfare office to cash a welfare check and receive food stamps at the
time his latest album was still in the top 10 on the music charts the entire incident was filmed
by a camera crew and was broadcast nationwide although he had recently received a cash advance
of tens of thousands of dollars for his first solo album and was earning a cut of the profits
from wu-tang clan's debut album odb was still listed as eligible for welfare and food stamps
due to the fact that he hadn't yet filed his taxes for the current year not surprisingly
his eligibility was revoked after the segment aired also that year he collaborated with pop
diva mariah carey for the remix version of her hit single fantasy me and mariah go back like babies
in 97 he along with his groupmates celebrated the release of wu-tang clan's second album
wu-tang forever pressed as a double album it went on to be their most successful today
also that year dirty was arrested for refusal to pay 35 000 in child support to his wife
and assaulting her as well as driving under the influence
even though he did a lot of wrong he did do right at times dirty became a certified hero after
witnessing a horrible car accident from the window of his brooklyn recording studio he and a friend
ran to the accident scene and with the assistance of several onlookers lifted the vehicle and
rescued a four-year-old girl from the wreckage the evening following that car accident odb would put
in an appearance at the 1998 grammy awards to celebrate wu tang's best rap album nomination
and what a memorable appearance it was during the show he unexpectedly came up on stage as folk rock
singer songwriter sean colvin was about to give her acceptance speech for her song of the year
win odb was visibly irritated and proceeded to let everyone watching know that he had
purchased an expensive outfit in anticipation of wu-tang clan winning the award which they didn't
and that wu tang was for the children the award went to puff daddy instead
in the summer of 98 only days after being shot during a robbery that took place at his residence
in brooklyn in which two men made off with money and jewelry odb was arrested for shoplifting a
pair of 50 nike sneakers from a store in virginia beach virginia he was issued bench warrants to
stand trial after he failed to appear in court numerous times while in the midst of all his
legal woes odb was still putting in that work in september 1999 his second studio album was
released titled nick please the album included the single got your money featuring r b singer kalis
which made it into the top 40 on the hot 100 and garnered worldwide success in january 1999 two
plainclothes officers in brooklyn fired multiple shots at odb and his cousin who was with him after
accusing him of firing at them when they stopped his car after being charged with attempted murder
dirty was eventually cleared by a grand jury he insisted that the officers had been scared by
his cell phone no weapons or shell casings besides those of the officers were found in the vehicle or
near the scene during a press conference the next day he announced his intention to sue the nypd
the experience understandably left dirty on edge so he began wearing a bulletproof
vest whenever he left his home less than a month later he would be jailed in california
for just that since at the time there was a state law in place that prohibited convicted
felons from wearing body armor in relation to an arrest for drug possession the year prior dirty
escaped from his court-mandated drug treatment facility and became a fugitive in october 2000
he did though make sure his time on the run was productive
he met with rizza in their recording studio to get some work done
odb was finally captured and arrested the next month while he was outside as south philadelphia
mcdonald's he was easy to spot since a crowd had formed around him while he was signing autographs
he spent several days in a philly jail and was later extradited to new york a manhattan court
sentenced him to two to four years behind bars after serving two and a half years in prison odb
was released in the spring of 2003. he came out a very different person from the one that went in as
he explained in his vh1 documentary inside out odb on parole he revealed that he was scared didn't
eat for months and had to fight for his life on numerous occasions when physically attacked
by other inmates he also said he felt that the wu-tang clan abandoned him he ended up living with
the only person who consistently supported him and visited him during his incarceration his mother
he moved into her home while still under house arrest and with a court-ordered probation
one other person that showed odb some love upon his release and was actually standing outside that
day to welcome him back into civilization was co-founder of hip-hop record label rockefeller
records damon dash damon didn't waste any time and signed odb that very day to a deal
things moved fast and furious after that odb had a press conference where old friend mariah carey
put in an appearance to show support to announce his new partnership with rockefella went into the
studio to start laying down some new tracks took to the stage for the first time in three years
and even launched his own clothing line called dirt mcgirt sadly his comeback would be cut
short the following year odb collapsed and died on november 13 2004 two days before his 36th birthday
at rizza's recording studio in new york city the official cause of death was listed as an
accidental drug overdose after an autopsy found a lethal mixture of cocaine and prescription drugs
even after the news of how he died was made public some still believe that he was right
when he mentioned in the past repeatedly that the u.s government was out to get him
odb is survived by his wife of 13 years isling and their three children which she insists are
the only ones that have been proven to be his the official number of children odb has fathered
has always been a mystery even when asked in interviews over the years he'd consistently
dodged the question reports have said it could be anywhere from 7 to 13 with at least six women
his posthumous releases include a mixtape osiris in early 2005 as well as his third album titled
a-sun unique that was originally shelled by the label and never officially released but can be
found on some digital music distribution services years after his father's passing eldest son barson
unique jones professionally known as a young dirty bastard would reveal in an interview with vlad tv
that he was with his father on the last day of his life in the studio and watched him get higher than
he'd ever been ydb followed in odb's footsteps becoming a rapper in his own ride in addition to
his own projects he's also hooked up with wu-tang on tour honoring his late father by performing
his verses at the end of 2013 the controversial documentary dirty platinum edition was released
it features unreleased music interviews and tons of never-before-seen footage of the rapper prior
to his death according to his family it hasn't been easy keeping odb's memory and legacy alive
in november 2014 his family spoke to double xl magazine about wanting to do something special
to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death but was unable to after not receiving any support
i.e money from anyone in september 2019 streaming platform hulu debuted the series wu tang and
american saga to celebrate the 25th anniversary of odb's solo debut album a re-release of the
project featuring the original album material alongside unreleased tracks and instrumentals was
issued in march 2020. amazon music also released a 16-minute documentary to commemorate the occasion
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