A&E presents “Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys,” the first official documentary about the iconic Grammy®-nominated musician and legendary founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.
Co-directed by Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning Director Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, Black Art: In The Absence of Light) alongside his son Jason Pollard (Get Me Roger Stone, Bitchin’ The Sound and Fury of Rick James), the two-hour special premieres Sunday, August 25 at 9 pm ET/PT on A&E.”Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys” Premieres Sunday, August 25.
Produced by Pulse Films (Beastie Boys Story, Meet Me in the Bathroom), Four Screens, and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard Estate in association with GroupM Motion Entertainment, “Ol Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys” features access to his closest friends and family, including Mariah Carey, Wu-Tang Clan members Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, ODB’s wife Icelene Jones, his son Bar-Sun Jones, his parents, recording industry executives, and more.
Advertisement
With a never-before-seen personal archive shot by his wife, Icelene, this culture-defining special humanizes ODB as a man, a father, and a husband like never before. This definitive documentary provides an intimate picture of ODB’s life and reflects on his lasting impact on music and culture.
Born Russell Jones in 1968 in Brooklyn, NY, ODB developed a unique persona and rhyme style that set him apart from his contemporaries. In his short 35 years of life and long after his passing, ODB has significantly influenced a whole generation of fans and performers.
The documentary centers on ODB’s solo career, from his first album release in 1995 until his untimely passing from a drug overdose in 2004. Charting his meteoric rise and heart-breaking fall, the film interweaves a modern narrative that looks back at his trauma-filled childhood to examine how it influenced the man and artist he would become.
A celebration of his artistry and legacy, the documentary is an unflinching look at the complexities of his life, including addiction, adultery, fame, mental illness, sudden wealth, race, and criminal justice, and asks the question of just how complicit the media and music industry was in hastening his demise.