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Legends: Ol' Dirty Bastard
RnB/Hip Hop | Tuesday 12th November 2013 | damian
Two things to know about Ol’ Dirty Bastard: you better have his money when he comes for it, and he was about that street life. The 35-year-old Wu Tang member passed away due to complications from a drug overdose nine years ago, but his legacy remains both in the music and hip-hop culture. The raucous rapper was known for eccentric and energetic musical performances, unforgiving lyrical themes of violence, sex and drugs and frequent public displays of madness. These traits however endeared him to hip-hop fans around the globe and made him, as M. Agger put it, ‘a folk hero’. Through the numerous arrests and incarcerations for crimes varying from shoplifting and driving without a license to more serious offences like criminal drug and weapon possession and attempted murder, he delivered two classic albums and numerous guest features on Wu Tang Clan albums that have stood the test of time while receiving two Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance. His bizarre antics include comically storming the stage at the Grammys to let the audience know he was disappointed in losing out on the Best Rap Album award after he had purchased an expensive suit for the occasion, were a reflection of his true-life environment and his background rising from the gritty borough of Brooklyn, New York. His debut album ‘Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version’ exhibited his unconventional lyrical delivery coupled with producer RZA’s acumen of dark musical backdrops and was seen as a monumental album with Rolling Stone Magazine claiming at the time that ODB might ‘well be the most original vocalist in hip-hop history’. Following up with ‘Ni**a Please’, a controversial title, he sustained a major following in between being shot and hospitalized multiple times. After its release, he was again incarcerated and had just been released while inking a deal with hip-hop mega label Roc-A-Fella Records when he met his untimely death. His music however lives on with many rappers paying tribute to the fallen star, most recently, Drake on Worst Behavior from his NWTS album: ‘you better have my money when I come for it like ODB’. They say diamonds never lose their shine and Ol’ Dirty Bastard was a diamond in the rough.
Damian Nwatarali
