ODB Shot!

ODB Shot In Robbery - 7/1/98

Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard is in stable condition after being shot twice, during what police say was a "push-in" robbery at an apartment in Brooklyn, N.Y., late Tuesday afternoon.

The 29-year-old rapper was in apartment 1B at 254 Ralph Avenue at 5:32 PM (EDT) when two unidentified black men opened the unlocked front door and displayed a gun, according to New York City Police Department Office of Public Information spokeswoman Theresa Farello.

After taking an undetermined amount of jewelry and money from ODB, they shot him once in the arm and once in the back before fleeing the scene, Farello said.

Farello did not know which arm the assailants shot. "He was taken to St. John's Hospital by family," Farello continued, "which means he was not taken there by ambulance or police..."

Ol' Dirty Bastard, who also goes by the names Big Baby Jesus and Osirus, is now in stable condition at St. John's Hospital, according to the police report. Calls placed to the hospital's patient information line were not answered. He is in the hospital's intensive care unit, according to an Associated Press report.

"No arrests have been made at this time," Farello said, "but an investigation has been opened."

Ol' Dirty Bastard is scheduled to launch a two-week club tour this summer, marking the first time that a Wu-Tang Clan member has stepped out on tour on his own. The tour is set to kick off on July 23 at the Fenix Underground in Seattle, Wash. On Tuesday night it was not clear if the shooting would impact the tour in some way.

The Wu-Tang Clan are one of the most popular and influential hip-hop outfits of the '90s. Their two albums, 1993's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and 1997's Wu-Tang Forever have sold millions of copies. Ol' Dirty Bastard's solo album, Return To the 36 Chambers, went gold (500,000 copies sold), and a second solo album is expected later this year.

Last summer, ODB missed a few dates on the ill-fated Rage Against The Machine/Wu-Tang Clan/Atari Teenage Riot tour. In fact, the lineup of that tour was changed when the Clan withdrew due to internal conflicts, including the alleged beating of a Loud Records employee, after performing on 16 of 30 scheduled dates.

Following the Clan's cancellation from that tour and an order from a Brooklyn, N.Y., judge demanding that ODB pay child support, the rapper told SonicNet Music News that his battle with alcohol helped contribute to his professional and personal problems.

"Put it this way: My thoughts wasn't really on point, you know what I mean?" he said. "Now they're getting on point. I've left a lot of things alone."

At the 1998 Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24, the rapper interrupted the presentation of the Song of the Year Grammy to Shawn Colvin in order to speak about the injustice he perceived when the Wu-Tang Clan lost the Best Rap Album Grammy to another superstar rapper, Puff Daddy & the Family. "I went and bought me an outfit today that cost me a lot of money, because I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win," the rapper declared. "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. Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best. I want you all to know that this is ODB, and I love you all. Peace."

One of the clubs anxious to have ODB in the house this summer is the Roseland Theatre in Portland, Ore. Still, Adam Zacks, the club's general manager, expressed concern that the rapper might not show up.

"We've booked him for a Friday night, so if he cancels, we are sort-of left in the lurch on a weekend night," Zacks explained. "We weighed the potential costs and decided that right now, he's pretty happening, so we went ahead and booked him."


	ODB Shot In Robbery - 7/1/98 Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard is in stable condition after being shot twice, during what police say was a "push-in" robbery at an apartment in Brooklyn, N.Y., late Tuesday afternoon. The 29-year-old rapper was in apartment 1B at 254 Ralph Avenue at 5:32 PM (EDT) when two unidentified black men opened the unlocked front door and displayed a gun, according to New York City Police Department Office of Public Information spokeswoman Theresa Farello. After taking an undetermined amount of jewelry and money from ODB, they shot him once in the arm and once in the back before fleeing the scene, Farello said. Farello did not know which arm the assailants shot. "He was taken to St. John's Hospital by family," Farello continued, "which means he was not taken there by ambulance or police..." Ol' Dirty Bastard, who also goes by the names Big Baby Jesus and Osirus, is now in stable condition at St. John's Hospital, according to the police report. Calls placed to the hospital's patient information line were not answered. He is in the hospital's intensive care unit, according to an Associated Press report. "No arrests have been made at this time," Farello said, "but an investigation has been opened." Ol' Dirty Bastard is scheduled to launch a two-week club tour this summer, marking the first time that a Wu-Tang Clan member has stepped out on tour on his own. The tour is set to kick off on July 23 at the Fenix Underground in Seattle, Wash. On Tuesday night it was not clear if the shooting would impact the tour in some way. The Wu-Tang Clan are one of the most popular and influential hip-hop outfits of the '90s. Their two albums, 1993's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and 1997's Wu-Tang Forever have sold millions of copies. Ol' Dirty Bastard's solo album, Return To the 36 Chambers, went gold (500,000 copies sold), and a second solo album is expected later this year. Last summer, ODB missed a few dates on the ill-fated Rage Against The Machine/Wu-Tang Clan/Atari Teenage Riot tour. In fact, the lineup of that tour was changed when the Clan withdrew due to internal conflicts, including the alleged beating of a Loud Records employee, after performing on 16 of 30 scheduled dates. Following the Clan's cancellation from that tour and an order from a Brooklyn, N.Y., judge demanding that ODB pay child support, the rapper told SonicNet Music News that his battle with alcohol helped contribute to his professional and personal problems. "Put it this way: My thoughts wasn't really on point, you know what I mean?" he said. "Now they're getting on point. I've left a lot of things alone." At the 1998 Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24, the rapper interrupted the presentation of the Song of the Year Grammy to Shawn Colvin in order to speak about the injustice he perceived when the Wu-Tang Clan lost the Best Rap Album Grammy to another superstar rapper, Puff Daddy & the Family. "I went and bought me an outfit today that cost me a lot of money, because I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win," the rapper declared. "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. Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best. I want you all to know that this is ODB, and I love you all. Peace." One of the clubs anxious to have ODB in the house this summer is the Roseland Theatre in Portland, Ore. Still, Adam Zacks, the club's general manager, expressed concern that the rapper might not show up. "We've booked him for a Friday night, so if he cancels, we are sort-of left in the lurch on a weekend night," Zacks explained. "We weighed the potential costs and decided that right now, he's pretty happening, so we went ahead and booked him." Copyright 2002, The Original Free ODB Coalition