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Ol' Dirty Bastard has finally received a street in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y.
On Saturday, July 25, the late Wu-Tang Clan rapper's estate and the Brooklyn City Council hosted a ceremony to co-name the corner of Franklin Avenue and Putnam Avenue “ODB Jones Way." The block in Bed-Stuy already had a lot of significance to ODB's family before the street was renamed in his honor. The ceremony was held in front of a mural inspired by the cover of the late rapper's debut album, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version. ODB's grandmother also lives on the same block.
ODB's family members and Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé spoke at the ceremony before the street name was unveiled. The rapper's music blared through the speakers as his family members revealed the official street sign.
Ol' Dirty Bastard, born Russell Tyrone Jones, was born in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. He got his start in the music industry with his cousins RZA and GZA when they formed the iconic rap group Wu-Tang Clan. A few years after the group blew up, ODB went off and started his solo career with hits like "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" and "Got Your Money." The rambunctious rapper dropped two solo albums before he passed away following a drug overdose.
ODB is just the latest hip-hop legend to be honored with a street name in New York City. The late Fatman Scoop and DMX were recently honored with street names within the past year. The Notorious B.I.G. also had a street named after him in 2019.