LL Cool J recalls the unforgettable time Ol’ Dirty Bastard broke into his studio, destroyed his plaques, and urinated on them at Chung King.
LL Cool J just dropped a wild memory on SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells Radio that’s got Hip-Hop heads talking about one of the most unhinged moments in Wu-Tang history.
The legendary rapper recalled the time Ol’ Dirty Bastard literally broke into his studio, destroyed his plaques, and p##### all over them.
Yeah, you read that right.
According to LL, his manager, Chris Lighty, called him up in a panic, saying, “Yo, you got to come down here.”
When LL asked what was wrong, Lighty hit him with the news: “For some reason, Ol’ Dirty Bastard just came here, broke all your plaques, and p##### on them.”
LL’s response? “What’d I do?” He couldn’t even understand why ODB was coming at him like that, but somehow it cemented their bond forever.
Ol’ Dirty Bastard was the kind of artist who made his own rules and didn’t care who was watching.
As a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, he brought a chaotic energy that nobody else could replicate, with his half-rapped, half-sung delivery and completely unpredictable behavior.
His solo career kicked off in 1995 with Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, which spawned hits like “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and went platinum.
But ODB wasn’t just about the music.
He became a folk hero for his wild antics, like the time he stormed the stage at the 1998 Grammy Awards during Shawn Colvin’s acceptance speech, announcing he’d bought expensive clothes expecting Wu-Tang to win Best Rap Album.
He told the crowd, “Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children.”
ODB’s life was marked by constant legal troubles and battles with addiction that made it hard to separate the real person from the character he played.
He faced multiple arrests for drug possession, assault, and other charges throughout the ’90s and 2000s.
His second album N#### Please, dropped in 1999 while he was in and out of jail, and it still managed to produce the hit “Got Your Money” with Kelis.
Despite his talent and the respect he commanded in Hip-Hop, his demons caught up with him.
On November 13, 2004, just two days before his 36th birthday, ODB collapsed at RZA’s recording studio in New York City.
An autopsy revealed he’d died from an accidental drug overdose, a lethal combination of cocaine and the prescription opioid tramadol. Witnesses said he’d complained of chest pain before collapsing.
But LL Cool J’s love for ODB never wavered.
“I didn’t even understand it,” LL said about the plaques incident. “I couldn’t understand it. Loved him ever since.”
