Music Bloodline

Ol' Dirty Bastard

Wu-Tang's wild man burned bright but brief, dropping gloriously garbled science with an uninhibited growl.

Biography

Old Dirty Bastard (aka Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus, Osirus, and the ODB) is one of the most outrageous and beloved figures in hip-hop history. As a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, ODB was instrumental in that outfit's unique identity, offering a bizarre, often humorous antidote to the Wu's hardcore lyrical sword play. As a solo artist, however, Dirty took his vision to a whole new level, utilizing his own howling version of a croon on songs as much as his already unique flow. Sadly, his volatile personality and a hefty drug habit led to numerous run-ins with the law, and eventually his death from an overdose in 2004.