Young Dirty Bastard

American rapper (born 1989)

Not to be confused with his father, Ol' Dirty Bastard.

"YDB" redirects here. For the Canadian airport with the location identifier YDB, see Burwash Airport. For the database, see YDB (database).

Young Dirty Bastard

Young Dirty Bastard in 2019

Born|

Barsun Unique Jones

(1989-04-09) April 9, 1989 (age 35)
Children| 6
Father| Ol' Dirty Bastard

Young Dirty Bastard's voice

Young Dirty Bastard speaking about his audition for Wu-Tang: An American Saga being rejected
Recorded October 2019

Website| youngdirtybastard.net

Barsun Unique Jones[a] (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.

## Early life

[edit]

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.[b][4]

Young Dirty Bastard grew up in Brooklyn. He 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

[edit]

### Music

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 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

[edit]

### Mixtapes

[edit]

* Food Stamp Celebrity Vol. 1 (2011)[3]
* A Dirty Tomorrow (2015)[17]
* A Dirty Tomorrow 2 (2015)[28]

## Notes

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kaloi, Stephanie (2023-12-18). "Ol' Dirty Bastard Remembered in Comic 'ODB: Oddities, Discord, & B-Sides — Lyrical Ruckus in the City'". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
2. ^ Tardio, Andres (2013-05-17). "Ol' Dirty Bastard's Widow Issues Cease & Desist Order Against Rock The Bells". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Radford, Chad (2014-01-02). "20 People to Watch - Boy Jones aka Young Dirty Bastard: The rapper". Creative Loafing. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
4. ^ a b c d e f Ju, Shirley (2020-11-13). "Ol' Dirty Bastard's Son, Young Dirty Bastard, Remembers Father's Legacy on Anniversary of Wu-Tang Founder's Death". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Eustice, Kyle (2019-11-13). "Interview: YDB Pinpoints Biggest Misconception About His Father Ol' Dirty Bastard". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
6. ^ a b c Trykowski, Tyler (2013-09-11). "Meet Young Dirty Bastard, Son of Ol' Dirty Bastard". Vice. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
7. ^ Lowe, Jaime (2013-11-13). "7 Ways to Remember Ol' Dirty Bastard". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
8. ^ Fitzgerald, Kiana (2019-09-06). "Kids of Hip-Hop Legends". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
9. ^ a b Mansell, Henry (2014-10-23). "Young Dirty Bastard Discusses Ol' Dirty Bastard's Death". HipHopDX.
10. ^ Zaragoza, Alex; Zaharia, Oana Maria (2019-05-14). "Filmul care spune în sfârșit adevărata poveste a trupei Wu-Tang Clan". Vice (in Romanian). Retrieved 2024-03-16.
11. ^ Muhammad, Latifah (2013-09-09). "Rock The Bells 2013: Ol' Dirty Bastard's Hologram Performs with Son On Day 2". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
12. ^ a b Kennedy, Gerrick D. (2013-09-07). "Rock the Bells 2013: Eazy-E, ODB brought back to life by their kids". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
13. ^ Kreps, Daniel (2018-10-20). "Watch Wu-Tang Clan Unite for '36 Chambers' Tracks on 'Kimmel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
14. ^ Lamarre, Carl (2019-04-25). "Wu-Tang Clan Performs 'Triumph' With Young Dirty Bastard on 'Fallon': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
15. ^ Threadcraft, Torry (2019-11-14). "Wu-Tang is for the Children: the Sons of Method Man, Ghostface Killah, ODB & U-God Form Their Own Group - Okayplayer". Okayplayer. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
16. ^ Victoria, Priola (2019-11-11). "Meet '2nd Generation Wu,' the children of Wu-Tang Clan who formed a music group". silive.com. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
17. ^ a b c Robertson, Darryl (2019-12-20). "There Is A Father To Young Dirty Bastard's Style". VIBE.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
18. ^ Marie, Erika (2019-08-29). "Ol' Dirty Bastard's Son Young Dirty Bastard Is The Spitting Image Of His Father". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
19. ^ a b Mahadevan, Tara. "RZA Explains Why Ol' Dirty Bastard's Son Doesn't Play His Father in 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga'". Complex. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
20. ^ Marie, Erika (2019-12-18). "Young Dirty Bastard Calls Dad ODB A "Genius," Criticizes Wu-Tang Show Casting". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
21. ^ Tindal, K. B. (2014-10-07). "HHV Exclusive: Young Dirty Bastard talks new book, "Reuniters," first black hockey team, and more". Hip Hop Vibe. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
22. ^ Hunte, Justin (2013-10-18). "YDB Says Ol' Dirty Bastard's Spirit Jumped Into Him When He Passed". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
23. ^ Young Dirty Bastard Talks ODB Visual At Rock The Bells, Being A Part Of The Wu-Tang Family, And More (Video). The Source. 2013-08-31. Event occurs at 0:38.
24. ^ a b "ODB's Eldest Son, Boy Jones: I Have Cancer". BET. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
25. ^ Mullings, Morgan (2019-09-27). "Children of Rap: Ol' Dirty Bastard's Kids Remember MC as an 'Awesome Father'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
26. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (2014-10-24). "Old Dirty Bastard's Son Young Dirty Bastard Reveals He Has Cancer". The Boombox. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
27. ^ Ostapiuk, Joseph (2021-08-12). "Two Wu-Tang Clan affiliates, cousins of Ol' Dirty Bastard, fatally shot in Portland". silive.com. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
28. ^ Meara, Paul (2015-05-25). "Mixtape Release Dates: Sy Ari Da Kid & TEAUXNY, Young Scooter, Young Dirty Bastard, Chris Travis". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2024-03-15.