When rap’s class clown Ol’ Dirty Bastard checked into that great Brooklyn Zoo in the sky in 2004, he left a lot behind. A primo contract with Roc-A-Fella records, a finished album called A Son Unique, and 13 kids by four different mothers to boot. But thanks to one of those Big Baby Jesus-loving ladies, ODB’s widow Icelene Jones, that baker’s dozen of progeny lost out on a potential windfall.
According to ex-ODB manager Jarred Weisfeld, Jones quietly rushed out a deal for A Son Unique, selling the rights to the whole shebang for a measly $10,000. Wiesfeld claims Jones spent the entire 10 grand on herself quickly thereafter. Worst of all, whoever bought the album after Roc-a-Fella permanently shelved it in 2006 has yet to give the record a proper release. The best A Son Unique got was a limited run at the iTunes store before disappearing for a life in the profitless void of internet piracy.
So great job, Icelene! Not only did you prevent most of the public from hearing the last work of the strangest man in show business, but you went the extra mile to ensure that no one could possibly make any money out of it, ever!
• Ol’ Dirty Bastard: http://www.myspace.com/oldirtybastard
