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The Wu-Tang Clan members' real names are much less known than the exciting and themed titles they dubbed themselves when they formed the influential hip-hop group. In the 1980s, on Staten Island, New York, cousins Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, and Russell Jones began rapping together and soon caught the attention of larger labels and recognized rappers. After some time apart, the three men came back together in 1992 and formed the Wu-Tang Clan, eventually bringing in seven more members to fill out the ranks of the group.

Those who have seen Wu-Tang: An American Saga may have a sense of the history of the group, but the pop culture and musical impact of the Wu-Tang extends far beyond any biography. The early heroes of East Coast hip hop, Grandmaster Flash, the Sugar Hill Gang, and Run-dmc gave way to a hardcore variety of gangster rap that proved even more influential, and...

New York City has honored the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard with his own day shortly after Mayor Eric Adams declared November 9th as Wu-Tang Day. As reported by Gothamist, November 15th will now be known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard Day following a resolution passed by the City Council earlier this week.

A founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, Ol’ Dirty Bastard (born Russell Jones) was born on November 15th, 1968, and died in 2004 of an accidental drug overdose — just two days short of his 36th birthday. This past November 15th would have been his 55th birthday.

Sponsored by Democratic Councilmember Chi Ossé, the resolution passed with 39 City Council members voting in favor and five against. “It being the 50th year of hip-hop, I wanted to recognize some of my personal favorite artists and contributors to the culture,” Ossé told City & State New York. “He’s from Central Brooklyn. We do rep Odb in the Brooklyn Zoo.