A Brooklyn street has been named in honour of the late Wu-Tang Clan co-founder Ol’ Dirty Bastard. A section of Putnam Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood was officially co-named ‘ODB Jones Way’ during a ceremony on Saturday, July 25.
The event was attended by the rapper’s friends, family, local community members, 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.
Ramsey Jones, ODB’s eldest brother, stated that the sign was placed on the same block where their grandmother currently resides. This block also features 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 was instrumental in forming Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s. He died from an accidental drug overdose in November 2004, two days before his 36th birthday. This street re-naming follows a 2023 decision by the New York City Council to designate November 15 as Ol’ Dirty Bastard Day, acknowledging his influence on hip-hop artists.