A Brooklyn street has been named in honour of late Wu-Tang Clan co-founder Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
A section of Putnam Avenue in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood was officially co-named ‘ODB Jones Way’ during a ceremony on Saturday (July 25).
The event brought together the rapper’s friends and family, members of the local community and government officials, including New York City Council Member Chi Ossé. The new sign was unveiled at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Putnam Avenue.
ODB’s eldest brother, Ramsey Jones, explained that the sign had been placed on the same block where their grandmother still lives.
The block is also home to a well-known mural depicting the cover of the rapper’s 1995 debut solo album, ‘Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version’.
Born Russell Tyrone Jones in Brooklyn in 1968, ODB helped form Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s and appeared on their landmark 1993 debut album, ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’.
He later launched a solo career with ‘Return To The 36 Chambers’, which included ‘Brooklyn Zoo’ and ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’, and also appeared on the remix of Mariah Carey’s ‘Fantasy’.
ODB died from an accidental drug overdose in November 2004, two days before his 36th birthday.
The street re-naming follows the New York City Council’s decision in 2023 to designate November 15 – the rapper’s birthday – as Ol’ Dirty Bastard Day in recognition of his influence on generations of hip-hop artists.
Wu-Tang Clan, meanwhile, recently completed the UK and European leg of their farewell ‘The Final Chamber’ tour, which included a tribute to ODB and other late figures from the group’s history.
Speaking to NME ahead of the shows, RZA said the tour was intended to cement the collective’s legacy.
“A lot of heroes go unsung, and I refuse for that to happen, to be quite frank with you,” he said. “It was just time for us to make sure our footprint is clear.”
He added: “If we don’t come, then a lot of things don’t happen. If we don’t break through, then a bunch of guys don’t break through.”
Wu-Tang Clan are also due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this November alongside Oasis, Iron Maiden, Sade, Joy Division/New Order, Phil Collins, Billy Idol and Luther Vandross.
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