Young Dirty Bastard

Last updated
Young Dirty Bastard
Young Dirty Bastard 2019 blurred (cropped).png
Young Dirty Bastard in 2019
Born
Barsun Unique Jones

(1989-04-09) April 9, 1989 (age 35)
Children6
Parent
Website youngdirtybastard.net

Barsun Unique Jones [lower-alpha 1] (born April 9, 1989), better known by his stage names Boy Jones [2] [3] and Young Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated YDB), is an American rapper. He is the son of Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Contents

Early life

Barsun Unique Jones [4] was born on April 9, 1989, to Russell Tyrone Jones (better known as Ol' Dirty Bastard) and Icelene Jones, [5] making him a cousin of rappers RZA and GZA. [6] He is the eldest of his father's 13 children. [lower-alpha 2] [4]

Young Dirty Bastard was often suspended from grade school. He grew up in a violent neighbourhood; armed family members serving as security were a constant presence in his life and his father was shot at twice during his (Young Dirty Bastard's) childhood. [5] Despite his father's fame, his family struggled to bring in money when he (Ol' Dirty Bastard) was incarcerated. [8]

His father accompanied him to a show at the Apollo Theater when he was nine, inspiring him to become a rapper. Soon after that, he compiled a notebook filled with "hundreds" of rhymes, and began recording rap music on a computer. His father advised him to choose another career path. Disregarding his father's advice, [3] Young Dirty Bastard began rapping in earnest in his mid-teens, around the time his father died of an accidental drug overdose. [5] During the funeral, he took the stage and declared that "[my father, Ol' Dirty Bastard] ain't going nowhere... He lives through me." [9] Subsequently, his mother took the family out of New York City to Norcross, Georgia, hoping to improve Young Dirty Bastard's school grades, [3] and to escape relatives who wanted Ol' Dirty Bastard's royalties. [5] Afterward, he dropped out of school to focus on making music. [3] RZA began mentoring him and took him on tour, familiarizing him with the other members of the Wu-Tang Clan. [9] He took the place of his late father. [10]

Career

Music

At the 2013 Rock the Bells festival, he performed alongside a hologram of his late father, [11] [12] for which he had provided the physical model [3] and the voice. [6] [12]

In October 2018, he performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! along with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan. [13]

In April 2019, Young Dirty Bastard performed "Triumph" with the surviving members of the Wu-Tang Clan on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [14] In November of that year, he formed the musical group 2nd Generation Wu with rappers iNTeLL, PXWER, and Sun God, who are all sons of members of the Wu-Tang Clan. They released their debut single that month. [15] [16] In October 2019, his manager claimed that he had "about ten" albums completed. [17]

Other ventures

In 2019, Young Dirty Bastard made his reality television debut on the show Growing Up Hip Hop: New York . [18] He also tried out for the role of Ol' Dirty Bastard, [19] his father, in Wu-Tang: An American Saga , but the role ultimately went to T.J. Atoms. [20] RZA stated that he decided not to cast him because his acting skills were inadequate, conceding that he bears a strong visual resemblance to his father. [19]

As of 2014, Young Dirty Bastard was planning to create a black hockey team. [21]

Musical style

Young Dirty Bastard's father, Ol' Dirty Bastard Ol' Dirty Bastard.png
Young Dirty Bastard's father, Ol' Dirty Bastard

When performing with the Wu-Tang Clan, he fills the role of his father. [4] According to Creative Loafing , Young Dirty Bastard has a similar "guttural drawl". [3] Speaking on his own style, Young Dirty Bastard claimed that his father's soul "jumped" into him when he died, resulting in him being able to imitate his father well. [22] He cites religious leader Elijah Muhammad, civil rights activist Malcolm X, [4] Eminem, 50 Cent, [5] and the Wu-Tang Clan [23] as influences. In particular, he describes RZA as his mentor. [4] [5] [3]

Personal life

In 2014, Young Dirty Bastard revealed that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He stated that he would not seek any professional medical treatment, as he distrusted doctors. [24] In 2019, he further elaborated that he had survived cancer "a few times" and had had a heart attack at some point. [17] He has also voiced support for the conspiracy theory that AIDS was artificially created. [24]

He does not smoke or drink, [6] [25] which he attributes to his father's early death and his mother's disapproval. [5] He describes himself as vegetarian, but eats chicken. [26] He is a follower of the Nation of Islam. [4]

As of 2019, Young Dirty Bastard has six children, [5] and lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia as of 2014. [3]

Young Dirty Bastard's cousins and fellow rap artists Odion and David Turner were murdered in 2021 in Portland, Oregon. [27]

Discography

Mixtapes

Notes

  1. Also spelt Bar-Sun Unique Jones [1]
  2. It is disputed whether Ol' Dirty Bastard had 7 or 13 children. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu-Tang Clan</span> American hip hop collective

Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop musical collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, Ol' Dirty Bastard. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. They are credited for revitalizing East Coast hip hop and are considered one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raekwon</span> American rapper (born 1970)

Corey Woods, better known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang , in 1993. Raekwon would subsequently pursue a solo career, releasing his first solo album, entitled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., in 1995. The album received critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, as well as a staple of 1990s rap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ol' Dirty Bastard</span> American rapper (1968–2004)

Russell Tyrone Jones, better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard, was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily from Staten Island, New York City, which rose to mainstream prominence with its 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inspectah Deck</span> American rapper and producer

Jason Richard Hunter, better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper and hip hop producer. He is a member of the groups Wu-Tang Clan and Czarface.

<i>Nigga Please</i> 1999 studio album by Ol Dirty Bastard

Nigga Please is the second studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard. It was released on September 14, 1999, via Elektra Records. Recording sessions took place at Quad Recording Studios, at Chung King Studios and at 36 Chambers Studio in New York City, and at American Studios in Los Angeles. Production was handled by RZA, The Neptunes, Irv Gotti, Buddha Monk, Dat Nigga Reb, DL, Flavahood Productions, Mr. Fingers and True Master. It features guest appearances from 12 O'Clock, Kelis, La the Darkman, Lil' Mo, Pharrell Williams, Raison the Zukeeper, Shorty Shit Stain, and comedian Chris Rock.

<i>Iron Flag</i> 2001 studio album by Wu-Tang Clan

Iron Flag is the fourth studio album by American East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released on December 18, 2001, on Loud Records. It was certified gold in sales by the RIAA. Iron Flag served as the group's second lowest-selling album, as their record label, Loud, was on the verge of shutting down at the time. The album debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 with 153,000 copies sold in its first week of release. It has sold over half a million copies in the United States and certified Gold by the RIAA. Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard is completely absent from the album.

<i>Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version</i> 1995 studio album by Ol Dirty Bastard

Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard, released March 28, 1995, by Elektra Records in the United States. Intent on creating a solo album away from Wu-Tang, he signed to Elektra in January of 1993 and began a two year recording process that started that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathematics (producer)</span> Rap music producer

Ronald Maurice Bean, better known professionally as Mathematics, is a hip hop producer and DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan and its solo and affiliate projects. He designed the Wu-Tang Clan logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cilvaringz</span> Dutch-Moroccan rapper, record producer and artist booker

Tarik Azzougarh, better known as his stage name Cilvaringz, is a Dutch-Moroccan record producer, rapper, and artist manager from Tilburg, North Brabant. He is associated with the Wu-Tang Clan and is best known for conceptualizing and producing the world's most expensive work of music, Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protect Ya Neck</span> 1992 single by Wu-Tang Clan

"Protect Ya Neck" is the debut single by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, originally released on December 14, 1992, through Wu-Tang Records and later re-released May 3, 1993 through Loud Records. The song appears on the group's debut studio album Enter the Wu-Tang . It was produced by RZA and features eight of the original nine Wu-Tang members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph (song)</span> 1997 single by Wu-Tang Clan

"Triumph" is a song by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, from their 1997 album Wu-Tang Forever. It was released as the lead single from the album in February 1997. The song does not have a chorus, instead, solely consisting of an intro and interlude by Ol' Dirty Bastard and verses from the other eight Wu-Tang members and associate Cappadonna. It is the only Wu-Tang song featuring all members, though the song "9 Milli Bros." from Ghostface Killah's album Fishscale also features all members.

<i>8 Diagrams</i> 2007 studio album by Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007, on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group's previous LP Iron Flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Zoo (song)</span> 1995 single by Ol Dirty Bastard

"Brooklyn Zoo" is the debut single by American hip hop artist Ol' Dirty Bastard from the album Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (1995). Ol' Dirty Bastard was the second member of the Wu-Tang Clan to release a solo effort, behind Method Man. "Brooklyn Zoo" is Ol' Dirty Bastard's second highest charting single, behind "Got Your Money".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu-Tang Clan anthology</span>

The Wu-Tang Clan is a New York City–based hip-hop musical group, consisting of ten American rappers: RZA, GZA, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. This list chronologically displays the albums of each group member including collaboration and side group albums. This list does not include compilation albums, mixtapes, or extended plays.

<i>A Better Tomorrow</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Wu-Tang Clan

A Better Tomorrow is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The album was released on December 2, 2014, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was supported by the singles "Keep Watch", "Ron O'Neal" and "Ruckus in B Minor". A Better Tomorrow received generally mixed reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 24,386 copies in its first week of release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RZA</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1969)

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA, is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is the de facto leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two other original Wu-Tang Clan members: GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. After forming the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was a founding member of the horrorcore group Gravediggaz, since 1992, where he went by the name The RZArector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GZA</span> American rapper (born 1966)

Gary Grice, better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the oldest member. He has appeared on his fellow Wu-Tang members' solo projects, and has maintained a successful solo career starting with Liquid Swords (1995).

<i>Birth of a Prince</i> 2003 studio album by RZA

Birth of a Prince is the third solo studio album by American rapper and record producer RZA. It was released on October 7, 2003, through Sanctuary Records. Recording sessions took place on June–September 2003 at 36 Chambers Studio in New York. Production was handled by Bronze Nazareth, Barracuda, Jose "Choco" Reynoso, Megahertz, True Master, and the RZA himself, who produced the majority of the tracks. It features contributions from fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Masta Killa, Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard, as well as Wu-Tang affiliates Allah Real, Free Murder, ShaCronz, Cilvaringz, Beretta 9, Prodigal Sunn and Tash Mahogany, and German singer Xavier Naidoo.

"Wu Tang Forever" is a song by American rapper Logic, featured as the sixth track on his 2018 album YSIV. The song is a homage to the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and features all living members of the group: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, RZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, U-God, Masta Killa and GZA, as well as Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Jackpot Scotty Wotty; deceased member Ol' Dirty Bastard received a writing credit. The song shares the same title as the group's second studio album.

References

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