A Brooklyn street received a new name on Saturday, July 25, to honor Wu-Tang Clan co-founder Ol’ Dirty B**tard. Putnam Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant was co-named ODB Jones Way during a ceremony. Family, friends, and hundreds of fans gathered at the corner of Franklin and Putnam avenues.
The rapper’s eldest brother, Ramsey Jones, spoke at the event about the location’s personal significance. “I am very honored to be here because my grandmother’s house is on this block on Putnam Avenue, right next to where the mural is,” said Ramsey Jones in a video captured by photographer Howard Weiss.
The block has a mural showing the cover of Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, the rapper’s 1995 debut solo album. Supporters pulled a string. The green street sign was revealed. “Brooklyn Zoo” blasted from bar speakers and the crowd erupted in cheers.
City Council Member Chi Ossé led the push to rename the street. “Long after all of us leave this earth ODB Jones Way will still be standing,” said Chi Ossé, according to BK Reader. “The kids on this block will walk past it on their way to school, neighbors will give directions to it, people from across this great city will come to stand where we are standing now.”
Born Russell Tyrone Jones in Fort Greene on Nov. 15, 1968, Ol’ Dirty B**tard helped create the group in the early 1990s with his cousins RZA and GZA. The trio started as Force of the Imperial Master before expanding to nine members and creating one of hip-hop’s most influential collectives.
Russell Tyrone Jones died from an accidental overdose at a Manhattan recording studio on Nov. 13, 2004. He was 35 years old. Two days short of his 36th birthday.
The street naming follows other New York City tributes to the artist. In 2023, the City Council designated Nov. 15 as Ol’ Dirty B**tard Day, according to Billboard. The ceremony Saturday put him alongside other Brooklyn hip-hop legends honored with street names, including Christopher Wallace with Notorious B.I.G. Way in Bed-Stuy, unveiled in 2019.
Wu-Tang Clan posted a tribute on Instagram before the ceremony. “Ol’ Dirty B**tard. Unique Ason. Big Baby Jesus. Call him whatever you want — Bed-Stuy is calling it ODB Jones Way,” the group wrote. “We heard you. We’ll keep it raw.”
After, they posted, “It’s a full circle moment. Much love to everyone who made this honor possible. To the fans who showed out for @oldirtybastardlegacy and the fam, thank you. It is through you that his music lives on.”
Family members got replica versions of the street sign during the ceremony. Fans celebrated by pouring out liquor, displaying Wu-Tang merchandise, and playing music from the group’s catalog.