Brooklyn street named after Wu-Tang Clan co-founder Ol’ Dirty Bastard
A corner of Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighbourhood has been re-named “ODB Jones Way”
A street in Brooklyn has been named after the late Wu-Tang Clan co-founder Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
The corner of Putnam and Franklin Avenues in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood has been re-named “ODB Jones Way” following a ceremony on Sunday 26th July, according to Bushwick Daily . The new street sign sits alongside a long-standing mural of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, born Russell Tyrone Jones, taken from the cover of his 1995 solo debut album, ‘Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version’.
The renaming was a collaboration between the Estate of Ol’ Dirty Bastard and NYC council member Chi Ossé, with members of ODB’s family, including his eldest brother Ramsey Jones and mother Cherry Jones, attending the unveiling ceremony, according to Billboard .
“I am very honoured to be here because my grandmother’s house is on this block on Putnam Avenue, right next to where the mural is,” Jones said on Sunday. “I’m so honoured, my mother’s honoured. Thank you.”
“ODB was brilliant yet hilarious. Above all, he stayed unapologetically true to himself,” Ossé wrote on Instagram . “Through Wu-Tang and as a solo artist, he created a sound that redefined what hip-hop could be. His impact is felt here in Bed-Stuy, across New York City, and around the world. We can’t thank the family and estate of Mr. Jones enough.”
Ol’ Dirty Bastard died on 13th November 2004 following an accidental overdose. Born and raised in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighbourhood, he remained closely connected to the borough throughout his life and career.
In 2024, a long-awaited documentary about Ol’ Dirty Bastard, A Tale of Two Dirtys , directed by Sam and Jason Pollard, premiered on US television channel A&E.
As Wu-Tang Clan wraps up their extended international farewell tour , The Final Chamber, Niall Smith revisits the group’s “eternal” 1993 debut album, ‘ Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’, in a recent feature .
The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this past April, alongside Sade and Joy Division/New Order. Wu-Tang co-founder and executive producer of all their albums Oliver “Power” Grant passed away this February, aged 52.
