The Definitive Ol' Dirty Bastard Story [CD + DVD] [CD]

The untimely yet somewhat expected death of Russell Jones ended one of Rap Music's most eccentric careers. Like him or not, you knew who Ol' Dirty Bastard was and what he stood for (who can forget his antics at the Grammy's screaming "Wu-Tang is for the children!!"). Sure, he probably spent more time in jail, hospitals, re-hab, or on the run than he ever did in the studio, but OBD is unique in every sense of the word. As best described by his name "there ain't no father to his style" and it certainly won't be captured by anyone ever again. Obviously if you don't like Ol' Dirty's style, then certainly a greatest hits album is not for you. This is for the fans that love the off the wall childish raps, wailing, disturbing lyrics, singing, random noises, and straight up yelling. As the liner notes say "its as if Walt Disney was slangin' ecstasy pills". Yet all that aside, "The Definitive Ol' Dirty Bastard Story" reminds us that this cat had skills and charisma.

It's pretty easy to break down this album: 4 tracks from his debut ("Brooklyn Zoo", "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", "Proteck Ya Neck II The Zoo", and "Raw Hide" from Return to the 36 Chambers); 8 tracks from his second and last "official" release ("Got Your Money", "Recognize", "Rollin' Wit You", "Cold Blooded", "N***a Please", "Good Morning Heartache", "All In Together Now", and "I Can't Wait" from N***a Please); 2 12" Solo Singles ("Brooklyn Zoo Edit" and "Give it To Ya Raw"); and 2 Guest Spots that were singles/hits ("Fantasy" and "Ghetto SupaStar").

Personally, it would have been better to balance out the amount of tracks from each album. While I'd heard "N***a Please" many times, I've never owned it. With this album you get the best tracks from there, so it makes it more than worth wild. They do a pretty decent effort by including some singles and remixes (although the "Brooklyn Zoo Edit" is kinda unnecessary, the unearthed RZA track "Give it To Ya Raw" sounds like it's from "Return..." and is simply classic). But one can't help but desire some newer material since 2000. The inclusion of "Pop S***" and maybe some other tracks he was working on for his Roc-a-fella stint would have given the release a little bit more life. And finally, of course it would have been cool to have one or two of his best tracks on one of the various Clan albums (like "Dog S***" or something).

But, that's me probably being a bit too picky. Besides the balancing his albums out a bit more, this is probably the best they could do with licensing.

The package also includes a DVD with classic Videos for "Brooklyn Zoo", "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", and the random Dolemite clips heavy "Got Your Money". In addition, there's a "Box Talk Interview" session from 1995. This is pretty good and includes a pretty hilarious clip of Diry freestyling some random Deli. The back CD cover even goes out of its way to list all this and the approximate running time (17 min) so you know exactly what you're getting. The Liner notes are solid, which includes an editorial everything you'd want to know about each track and thoughts from several on the Clan on the passing of their man.

This collect is extremely well put together and my minor comments are really only what would happen in an idea world. This blows the other compilation "The Dirty Story: The Best of ODB" out of the water. If you're looking for a way to remember the Rap world's most dynamic MC of all time, "The Defenitave Story" is the album you need.

Though some may believe it's necessary to represent Ol' Dirty with a 3-disc set, Rhino does a pretty good job of compiling a 16-track single disc album of the Ol' Dirty Bastard's dirtiest moments. The popular singles are included, (Brooklyn Zoo, Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Got Your Money) the LP gems are included, (namely Raw Hide) and the show-stealing guest-appearances are here. (Woo-Hah Remix, Ghetto Superstar) You also get your share of rare B-Side tracks, namely "Give It To Ya Raw." Another selling point should be the bonus DVD of 17-minutes of videos and an interview.

The only thing that would make this collection better would be the inclusion of a few of ODB's show-stealing appearances on Wu tracks -- "Shame on a Nuh" from Enter The Wu-Tang is a perfect example of Dirt McGirt's lovable drunken rhyming style. But there are so many gems on this compilation -- that a great track or two won't be missed much. Definitely a proper introduction to the man with no father to his style, but older Wu-heads probably have all these tracks lying around already.

R.I.P. ODB -- The Wu will never be the same.

The cd was is perfect condition. I had found it at a music store for about three times more expensive. This was a great buy