Arguably the most distinguished figure within the legendary hip-hop collective known as Wu-Tang Clan, ODB carved his own lane musically. And to this day, there’s no rapper that can be compared to ODB—at least in my eyes.
The Grammy-nominated artist only released two official solo albums (similar to the late Notorious B.I.G.), Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (1995) and Nigga Please (1999), but remains viewed by many as a legend in hip-hop.
Dirty wasn’t just an unpredictable artist, but person in general. While being profiled by MTV, he, his girlfriend, and a couple of his kids traveled to a New York State welfare office to pick up and cash his welfare check.
“Please calm down, the music and everything. It’s nice that I went and bought me an outfit today that costed a lot of money today, you know what I mean? ‘Cause I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win. I don’t know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. You know what I mean? Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best, Okay? I want you all to know that this is ODB, and I love you all. Peace!”
But aside from all of his wild antics, ODB delivered some dope music during his days both as a member of Wu-Tang Clan as well as a solo artist. And, nearly a decade after his passing, he leaves a void in hip-hop that can’t be filled. Today would have marked his 45th birthday.
Check out a few of my favorite ODB songs below.
AHumbleSoul 