... and then there were 8

Back in my high school days, before i was shown the light of rock and roll, i was addicted to rap.

To one group specifically, the Wu-Tang Clan. I mean, there were probably three years in there where i thought i was the missing member. I had an all-out afro growing, with the braces on my teeth to go with it; desperate pleas to my orthodontist to give me head gear to go with my braces to complete my menacing, wild, wu-tang look didn't fly too well.

9 members introduced the music world into a dark, hardcore style of rap that contrasted not only with the flashy ways of people like Notorious and Tupac, but also contrasted with the style of gangtas like NWA. Mainly in a time when Dr. Dre, with his release of "The Chronic," was the mainstream rap sound of the time; the wu-tang music created a hazy, surreal, and menacing soundscape out of hardcore beats, eerie piano riffs, and minimal samples. it was dark and encouraged mosh pits at concerts. This band is the "nirvana" of the rap world.

But this morning i received a great shock. A founding member passed away on the weekend:

The Ol' Dirty Bastard

my favourite rapper of all time, collapsed saturday afternoon while in studio recording a song. He would have turned 36 today.

With a long history of crime and drug abuse, i wouldn't be surprised if it was an overdose, although i hope it was something more natural like a heart attack. perhaps because i want to believe him when he said he had kicked the habit.

Russel Tyrone Jones personified the image of a "crazy lunatic" and brought a rap style that was unheard of in his age, claiming to have "no father to his style" he named himself the Ol' Dirty Bastard, and various name changes followed; Osiris, Big Baby Jesus, Dirt McGirt, Joe Bananas, Dirt Dog, Unique Ason, etc...

Although i never agreed with his way of life, his music brought out something in me. It told me it was okay to act crazy and let loose once in awhile and take what others may deem to be extreme risks when you in fact have total control of the situation.

Shimmy Shimmy Ya and other songs are what propelled me to go into acting in high school and actually audition for the theatre company. I thank the Ol' Dirty Bastard for getting that gorilla off my shoulder.

And I'll miss him.

The rapper.... not the gorilla.