Editing Ol' Dirty Bastard

{{Short description|American rapper (1968–2004)}}
{{distinguish|text = his son, [[Young Dirty Bastard]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ol' Dirty Bastard
| image              = Ol' Dirty Bastard.png
| alt                = Headshot of Ol' Dirty Bastard looking towards the right against a dark backdrop
| caption            = Ol' Dirty Bastard at a [[Wu-Tang Clan]] concert
| birth_name         = Russell Tyrone Jones
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1968|11|15}}
| birth_place        = [[Brooklyn]], New York City, U.S.
| alias              = {{flatlist|
* ODB
* Ason Unique
* Dirt McGirt
* Joe Bananas
* The Specialist
* Dirt Dog
* Osirus
* Big Baby Jesus
* The Wizard of Do-It Land
}}
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2004|11|13|1968|11|15}}
| death_place        = [[Manhattan]], New York City, U.S.
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Rapper
* songwriter
}}
| years_active       = 1992–2004
| criminal_charges   = [[drug possession]], [[attempted murder]], [[burglary]], [[assault]], [[criminal possession of a weapon]]
| criminal_penalty   = 2–4 years
imprisonment
| children           = Between 7 and 13,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Jaime |date=2013-11-13 |title=7 Ways to Remember Ol' Dirty Bastard |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/remembering-ol-dirty-bastard.html |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref> including [[Young Dirty Bastard]]
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
* [[GZA]] (cousin)<ref name="autogenerated1" />
* [[RZA]] (cousin)<ref name="autogenerated1" />
* [[60 Second Assassin (rapper)|60 Second Assassin]] (cousin)
* [[9th Prince]] (cousin)
* [[Flavor Flav]] (cousin)
* [[Prodigal Sunn]] (cousin)
}}
| website            = 
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| background = solo_singer
| genre = [[East Coast hip-hop]]
| discography = [[Ol' Dirty Bastard discography]]
| label = {{flatlist|
* [[Loud Records|Loud]]
* [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
* [[Warner Music Group|Warner]]
* [[Roc-A-Fella Records|Roc-A-Fella]]
}}
| past_member_of  = [[Wu-Tang Clan]]
  }}<!--end-module-->
}}

'''Russell Tyrone Jones''' (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004),<ref name=ODB_bio>{{cite news |author=Huey, Steve |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ol-dirty-bastard-mn0000463803/biography |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard Biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 2, 2011}}</ref> known professionally as '''Ol' Dirty Bastard''' (often abbreviated as '''ODB'''), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the New York rap group [[Wu-Tang Clan]], which formed in 1992.<ref name="wutang-corp1">{{cite web |url=http://www.wutang-corp.com/artists/bios.php |title=Official Site of the Wu-Tang Clan |publisher=Wu-Tang Corp. |access-date=July 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102011121/http://www.wutang-corp.com/artists/bios.php |archive-date=January 2, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ol_dirty_bastard/artist.jhtml#biographyEnd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060107044917/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ol_dirty_bastard/artist.jhtml#biographyEnd |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 7, 2006 |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard &#124; Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates, Ringtones, and Lyrics |publisher=MTV |access-date=2010-07-16}}</ref> Jones also released music as a solo artist beginning with ''[[Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version]]'' (1995). He was noted for his "outrageously profane, [[Free association (psychology)|free-associative]] rhymes delivered in a distinctive half-rapped, half-sung style".<ref name=ODB_bio /> 

His professional success was hampered by frequent legal troubles, including [[Imprisonment|incarceration]].<ref name=ODB_bio /> He died on November 13, 2004, of an accidental drug overdose, at age 35.<ref name="overdose">{{cite news |last=Zahlaway |first=Jon |title=Autopsy shows Ol' Dirty Bastard died of accidental drug overdose |publisher=LiveDaily |date=December 15, 2004 |url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/7457.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106172419/http://www.livedaily.com/news/7457.html |archive-date=January 6, 2010 |access-date=February 2, 2012}}</ref> He is the father of rapper [[Young Dirty Bastard]].

==Biography==

===Early life, formation of the Wu-Tang Clan===
Russell Tyrone Jones was born on November 15, 1968, in the [[Fort Greene, Brooklyn|Fort Greene]] section of [[Brooklyn]], New York City.<ref name="Vice">{{cite web|author=Zachary Schwartz|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/ten-years-later-after-his-death-new-yorkers-still-love-ol-dirty-bastard-456/|title=Ten Years After His Death, New Yorkers Still Love Ol' Dirty Bastard|date=2014-11-10|access-date=2019-10-17}}</ref> On the 1997 released Wu-Tang track "Reunited", Jones claimed his ancestors sold Manhattan to Europeans.  Later in an interview on the Howard Stern show on the 26th of February 1998, Jones detailed his Shinnecock indigenous heritage publicly. He and his cousins [[RZA|Robert Diggs]] and [[GZA|Gary Grice]] shared a taste for rap music and martial arts-style movies.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Jones, Diggs, and Grice (later known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, and GZA respectively) formed the group Force of the Imperial Master, which 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.

His stage name was derived from the 1980 Chinese martial arts film ''Ol' Dirty and the Bastard'' (also called ''An Old Kung Fu Master'', starring [[Yuen Siu-tien]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=6240&display_set=eng |title=An Old Kung Fu Master (1981) |website=HKMDB.com |access-date=May 15, 2015}}</ref> According to fellow Wu-Tang Clan member [[Method Man]], Ol' Dirty Bastard's name was also a reference to the unique nature of his rapping and, specifically, the fact "there ain't no father to his style."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genius.com/Wu-tang-clan-can-it-be-all-so-simple-intermission-lyrics |title=Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission Lyrics |website=Genius.com |access-date=May 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://kenyonreview.org/2016/01/no-father-to-his-style-from-biz-markie-to-ol-dirty/ |title=No Father to His Style |website=kenyonreview.org |date=January 12, 2016 |access-date=May 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://thesource.com/2017/11/13/no-father-style-10-iconic-ol-dirty-bastard-joints/ |title=No Father to His Style: 10 Iconic Ol' Dirty Bastard Joints |website=TheSource.com |date=November 13, 2017 |access-date=May 21, 2022}}</ref>

===Music career===
Ol' Dirty Bastard's solo career began in 1995. His first solo album, ''[[Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version]]'', spawned the hit singles "[[Brooklyn Zoo (song)|Brooklyn Zoo]]" and "[[Shimmy Shimmy Ya]]", which helped propel the album to [[Music recording certification|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 remix version of her single "[[Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)#Remixes|Fantasy]]".

It was around this time that Ol' Dirty Bastard gained notoriety when, as he was being profiled for an [[MTV]] biography, he took two of his three children by [[limousine]] to a New York State welfare office to cash a $375 welfare check and receive [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program|food stamps]]<ref name="foodstamps">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrvnLpLjTuA Ol Dirty Bastard Pickin Up Food Stamps In A Limo] YouTube. Retrieved November 23, 2014.</ref> while his latest album was still in the top 10 of the U.S. charts. The entire incident was filmed by an MTV camera crew and was broadcast nationwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard Gets Paid |url=http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/101194/ol-dirty-bastard-gets-paid.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115072524/http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/101194/ol-dirty-bastard-gets-paid.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 15, 2009 |publisher=MTV |access-date=April 4, 2013 |year=1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |magazine=CMJ New Music Monthly |title=Space Baby Jesus |date=January 2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA39 |author=Joseph Patel |access-date=May 15, 2015}}</ref> Although he had recently received a $45,000 cash advance for his first solo album and was earning a cut of the profits from the Wu-Tang Clan's debut album, Ol' Dirty Bastard was still listed as eligible for welfare and food stamps due to the fact that he had not yet filed his taxes for the current year. His caseworker revoked his eligibility after seeing the MTV segment, and the incident was presented by critics of [[welfare spending|welfare]] as representative of the allegedly widespread [[welfare fraud|abuse and fraud]] that led to the significant [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act|welfare reforms enacted in 1996]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Kathy Gilsinan |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/11/wu-tang-forever-ol-dirty-bastards-role-in-american-welfare-reform/382679 |title=Wu-Tang Forever: Ol' Dirty Bastard's Role in American Welfare Reform |website=The Atlantic |date=November 13, 2014 |access-date=May 22, 2015}}</ref>

In 1997, Ol' Dirty 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 (song)|Triumph]]").{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}

In February 1998, Ol' Dirty Bastard 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 [[burn]]s. Using a [[Pseudonym|false name]], Ol' Dirty Bastard visited the girl in the hospital frequently until he was spotted by members of the media.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1429494/ol-dirty-bastard-saves-child/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203182800/http://www.mtv.com/news/1429494/ol-dirty-bastard-saves-child/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 3, 2014 |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard Saves Child |website=MTV.com |date=February 24, 1998 |access-date=March 1, 2010}}</ref>

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Vanilla Ice and Ol' Dirty Bastard together on stage.png|thumb|right|Ol' Dirty Bastard performing with [[Vanilla Ice]] 2004.]] -->
The evening following the traffic accident, Ol' Dirty Bastard rushed on-stage unexpectedly as [[Shawn Colvin]] took the stage to give her acceptance speech for [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] at the [[40th Annual Grammy Awards|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 [[Sean Combs|Puff Daddy]]. As Ol' Dirty Bastard 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!" The incident was widely covered in the media.<ref name=Time13>{{cite magazine |title=Grammy Gold – The Bastard Interrupts the Show |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1877498_1877438_1877442,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209100400/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1877498_1877438_1877442,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 9, 2009 |magazine=Time |access-date=April 4, 2013 |date=February 2, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2013/03/the-40-biggest-hip-hop-moments-in-pop-culture-history/odb-wu-tang-is-for-children |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard Explains Who Wu-Tang is For – The 40 Biggest Hip-Hop Moments in Pop Culture History |website=Complex |date=March 26, 2013 |author=Foster Kamer |access-date=May 17, 2015}}</ref> The morning after the Grammy Awards, he appeared on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', to discuss the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anfPXUrmqPY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/anfPXUrmqPY| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Ol' Dirty Bastard on Why He Stormed the Stage After Losing at the Grammys (1998)|date=July 23, 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1999, Ol' Dirty Bastard wrote and recorded his second studio album, ''[[Nigga Please]]'', between jail sentences.<ref>[citation needed]</ref> 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 chorus vocals by [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] singer [[Kelis]].

In 1999, Ol' Dirty Bastard was paid $30,000 to appear on [[Insane Clown Posse]]'s fifth studio 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 Ol' Dirty Bastard's vocals in order to form four rhymes out of his rambling, titling the song "Bitches".<ref>{{cite book |last=Bruce |first=Joseph |author-link=Violent J |author2=Hobey Echlin |editor=Nathan Fostey |title=ICP: Behind the Paint |url=https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol |url-access=registration |date=August 2003 |edition=2nd |publisher=Psychopathic Records |location=Royal Oak, Michigan |isbn=0-9741846-0-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol/page/414 414]–433 |chapter=Big Money Hustlas}}</ref>

In 2001, with Ol' Dirty Bastard 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 ([[Ol' Dirty Bastard#Legal issues|see below section]]), and to 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 Ol' Dirty Bastard's input.

In 2003, the day he was released from prison, Ol' Dirty Bastard signed a contract with [[Roc-A-Fella Records]]. Living at his mother's home under [[house arrest]] and with a court-ordered [[probation]], he used his criminal record to title his [[VH1]] special, ''Inside Out: Ol' Dirty Bastard on Parole''. He also managed to record his third album ''[[A Son Unique]]'', which was originally scheduled to be released through [[Damon Dash|Dame Dash Music Group]] in 2004; as of 2020, however, the album has never been released in physical form. In October 2004, one month before his death, his last collaboration was with [[Jon B.]] on the track "Everytime" from the album, ''[[Stronger Everyday]]''. In 2005, five months after his death, he appeared posthumously on the song "Blah-Blah-Blah" by [[Brooke Valentine]] on her debut and only album, ''[[Chain Letter (album)|Chain Letter]]''.

On July 17, 2004, Ol' Dirty Bastard had his second to last live performance at the [[Rock the Bells]] hip-hop festival in [[San Bernardino, California]], with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan.

On July 18, 2004, his final live performance was at the [[Gathering of the Juggalos]] in [[Garrettsville, Ohio]].

In August 2017 in an interview on [[WQHT|Hot 97]], [[Wu-Tang Clan]] member [[RZA]] confirmed that a new Wu-Tang album, ''[[The Saga Continues (Wu-Tang Clan album)|The Saga Continues]]'', would contain unreleased vocals by Ol' Dirty Bastard.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/08/rza-confirms-unreleased-odb-music-new-wu-tang-clan-album-video/ |title=RZA Confirms There Will Be Unreleased ODB Vocals On The New Wu-Tang Clan Album (Video) |newspaper=Ambrosia for Heads |publisher=ambrosiaforheads.com |date=August 31, 2017 |access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref>

To celebrate Ol' Dirty Bastard's 50th birthday, "Intoxicated" from the unreleased album ''A Son Unique'' was released as a single on November 15, 2018.<ref>{{Citation|last=WuTangClanVEVO|title=Intoxicated (feat. Raekwon, Method Man, Macy Gray) [Official Audio]|date=2018-11-15|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTfLCA1Kjso |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/hTfLCA1Kjso| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-11-18}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Legal issues==
In 1993, Ol' Dirty Bastard was convicted of second-degree [[assault]] for an attempted [[robbery]] and in 1994, he was shot in the abdomen following an argument with another rapper.<ref name=ODB_bio />  In 1997, he was arrested for failure to pay [[child support]] for three of his children.<ref>{{cite web |last=Moss |first=Corey |date=November 13, 2004 |title=Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard Dies |publisher=MTV |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1493725/rapper-ol-dirty-bastard-dies/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824021445/http://www.mtv.com/news/1493725/rapper-ol-dirty-bastard-dies/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 24, 2014 |quote=...ODB's real tussles with the law started in 1997, when he was arrested for failing to pay nearly a year's worth of child support for three children he had with his wife, Icelene Jones.}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Layne |first1=Anni |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard Leaves Hospital After Robbery Shooting |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ol-dirty-bastard-leaves-hospital-after-robbery-shooting-19980701 |access-date=December 10, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 1, 1998 |archive-date=May 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519111936/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ol-dirty-bastard-leaves-hospital-after-robbery-shooting-19980701 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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 warrant]]s by the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department to stand trial after he failed to appear in court numerous times. He was arrested for [[Intimidation|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 possession of a weapon|criminal weapon possession]].<ref name=vice /> The case was later dismissed.<ref>{{cite news |title=8 Explosive Finds in Wu-Tang Clan Member Ol' Dirty Bastard's FBI Files|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/8-explosive-finds-in-wu-tang-clan-member-ol-dirty-bastards-fbi-files?ref=scroll|access-date=January 13, 2012 }}</ref>

On January 14, 1999,<ref name=Lowebook>{{cite book |last=Lowe |first=Jaime |date=2008 |title=Digging for Dirt: The Life and Death of ODB |url=https://archive.org/details/diggingfordirtli00lowe|url-access=registration |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0-86547-969-2 }}</ref> two officers from the Street Crimes Unit fired eight shots at Ol' Dirty Bastard and accused him of firing at them after they stopped his car in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Ol' Dirty Bastard was cleared by a grand jury and insisted that the officers had been scared by his cellular phone.<ref>{{cite news |title= Success of Elite Police Unit Exacts a Toll on the Streets |last=Kocieniewski |first=David |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.soc.umn.edu/~samaha/cases/diallo_commandos.html |date=February 15, 1999 |access-date=December 3, 2014}}</ref> No weapons or shell casings (besides those of the officers) were found in the vehicle or near the scene.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In February 1999, he was arrested for [[Driver's license|driving without a license]] and for being a [[Felony|convicted felon]] wearing a [[bulletproof vest]]. At the time, it was illegal for felons to own body armor.<ref name=vice>{{cite news |title=Murder, Gun Trafficking and Rap Robberies: In Depth with Ol' Dirty Bastard's Surreal FBI File |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/murder-gun-trafficking-and-rap-robberies-in-depth-with-ol-dirty-bastards-surreal-fbi-file/ |access-date=December 10, 2014 |work=Vice |date=January 10, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141122112225/http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/murder-gun-trafficking-and-rap-robberies-in-depth-with-ol-dirty-bastards-surreal-fbi-file |archive-date=November 22, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> 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 [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] and 20 vials of crack.<ref name=NME01>{{cite news |title=ODB Pleads Guilty To Drugs Charge – The Wu-Tang Clan rapper admits possession of 20 vials of crack cocaine |url=https://www.nme.com/news/ol-dirty-bastard/7484 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |newspaper=NME |date=April 23, 2001}}</ref>

In October 2000, he escaped from his court-mandated [[Drug rehabilitation|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 drinking from a bottle at the record release party for ''[[The W]]'', the third Wu-Tang Clan album. 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. He was released on parole on May 1, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/inside_out_ol_dirty_bastards_wildly_entertaining_life_on_parole|title='Inside Out': Ol' Dirty Bastard's wildly entertaining life on parole|date=March 17, 2014|website=DangerousMinds}}</ref>

In 2012, his [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] file was released to the public after a [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] request.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Rich |url=http://gun.io/blog/i-got-ol-dirty-bastards-fbi-file/ |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard's FBI File |publisher=Gun.io |date=2012-01-12 |access-date=2012-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110210408/http://gun.io/blog/i-got-ol-dirty-bastards-fbi-file/ |archive-date=January 10, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It contains details of numerous crimes, such as alleged connections to three murders, a [[shootout]] with the [[New York City Police Department]], and a [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]] investigation against the Wu-Tang Clan.<ref name=FBIfile>{{cite web |title=FBI File – Russell Jones |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/77581648/FBI-File-of-Russell-Old-Dirty-Bastard-Jones |publisher=Federal Bureau Of Investigation |access-date=April 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=10 Shocking Revelations From Ol' Dirty Bastard's FBI File |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2695245/ol-dirty-bastard-fbi-file/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131022043/http://www.mtv.com/news/2695245/ol-dirty-bastard-fbi-file/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2016 |publisher=MTV |access-date=January 25, 2021 |date=January 12, 2012}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:ODB Mural.jpg|thumb|Mural of Ol' Dirty Bastard]]
Leading up to his death, Jones' legal troubles and eccentric behavior made him "something of a folk hero", according to ''[[The New Yorker]]'' writer Michael Agger.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Agger |first=Michael |title=Not Dirty |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=2005-01-10 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/01/17/050117ta_talk_agger |access-date=2006-10-09}}</ref> Music writer Steve Huey wrote: "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 disorder|mental instability]]."<ref name=ODB_bio/> According to ''[[The Atlantic]]'' contributing editor and music biographer James Parker, Jones had been diagnosed with [[schizophrenia]] around 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://slate.com/culture/2009/01/the-spiritual-journey-of-ol-dirty-bastard.html|title=No Father To His Style|first=James|last=Parker|website=Slate.com|date=January 22, 2009 |access-date=December 8, 2023}}</ref>

Jones collapsed at approximately 4:35{{spaces}}p.m. (EST) on November{{spaces}}13, 2004, just two days before his 36th birthday, at [[RZA]]'s recording studio in [[New York City]]; he was pronounced dead at the scene.<ref>{{cite news|author=Thomas J. Lueck|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/arts/music/odb-controversial-rap-artist-dies-at-35.html|title=O.D.B., Controversial Rap Artist, Dies at 35|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2004-11-14|access-date=2019-10-17}}</ref> The official cause of death was a [[drug overdose]]; an autopsy found a lethal mixture of [[cocaine]] and the prescription opioid [[tramadol]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/12/16/late-rapper-odb-had-drugs-in-system/067ae244-1959-4435-b826-0f04be9117f8/|title=Late Rapper ODB Had Drugs in System|newspaper=Washington Post|date=December 15, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Patel |first=Joseph |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1494879/20041215/ol_dirty_bastard.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217044048/https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1494879/20041215/ol_dirty_bastard.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-12-17 |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard Died From Drug Overdose, Medical Examiner's Office Says |publisher=MTV News |date=2004-12-15 |access-date=2010-03-01}}</ref> The overdose was ruled accidental and witnesses said Jones reportedly complained of chest pain before collapsing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/ol-dirty-bastard/18784 |title=Ol' Dirty Bastard – Cause Of Death Revealed |work=NME |date=2004-12-16 |access-date=2010-03-01}}</ref>

Mourning the decline of Jones' mental and physical health, RZA wrote in his 2009 book ''[[The Tao of Wu]]'':<blockquote>Trust me, the man who became ODB, Ason Unique, my cousin, he was a scientist and a minor prophet... People may not know this from the outrageous character he played, but ODB was a visionary. But he decayed, he lost that vision... From the time they put him in jail to all the drugs he was doing to all the stress he went through with his family, it took away his ability to see. And this night, he sat there and looked me in the eye and said, "RZA, I don't understand." ... Now, I know that right there, right when he said that—we lost him. Eight hours later, ODB was gone.<ref>RZA, ''The Tao of Wu''. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-59448-885-6}}.</ref></blockquote>

==Discography==
{{main|Ol' Dirty Bastard discography}}

===Studio albums===
* ''[[Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Nigga Please]]'' (1999)
* ''[[A Son Unique]]'' (2005)
<!--- Please DO NOT add "The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones" to this list. It is a compilation album featuring remixes of Ol' Dirty Bastard's songs. Only studio albums belong here. --->

==Awards and nominations==

'''Grammy Awards'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Nominated Work
! Award
! Result
|-
| align=center | [[38th Annual Grammy Awards|1996]]
| ''[[Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version]]''
| Best Rap Album
| {{nom}}
|-
| align=center | [[40th Annual Grammy Awards|1998]]
|''[[Wu-Tang Forever]]'' <small>(with [[Wu-Tang Clan]])</small>
| Best Rap Album
| {{nom}}
|-
| align=center | [[41st Annual Grammy Awards|1999]]
| "[[Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)]]" <small>(with [[Pras]] and [[Mýa]])</small>
| Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
| {{nom}}
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q336924|c=category:Ol' Dirty Bastard|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|s=no|wikt=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1291089|name=Ol' Dirty Bastard}}
* {{Discogs artist|artist=Ol' Dirty Bastard}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041205174723/http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1429492/02261998/ghostface_killah.jhtml Ol' Dirty Bastard Tells Why He Stormed Grammy Stage]
* [http://economist.com/people/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3422709 The Economist – Obituary in brief Ol' Dirty Bastard]
* [https://vault.fbi.gov/russell-tyrone-jones FBI Records: The Vault – Russell Tyrone Jones] at vault.fbi.gov

{{Ol' Dirty Bastard|state=expanded}}
{{Wu-Tang Clan}}
{{Portalbar|Biography|New York City}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ol Dirty Bastard}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
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[[Category:Accidental deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:American people convicted of assault]]
[[Category:American people convicted of drug offenses]]
[[Category:American prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:American robbers]]
[[Category:American shooting survivors]]
[[Category:Cocaine-related deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Elektra Records artists]]
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[[Category:Drug-related deaths in New York City]]
[[Category:East Coast hip-hop musicians]]
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[[Category:Wu-Tang Clan members]]
[[Category:People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
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