This is the story of Old Dirty Bastard, aka Ason Unique, the magnetic secret weapon of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip hop hall of famer.

Photographer Khalik Allah takes us on a journey into ODB’s world, exploring the beliefs, background and experiences that shaped his unforgettable music.

ODB was a radical, who lived a life of unlikely highs and heart wrenching lows. We go in search of this deeper, more complicated side to a man the mainstream media presented as a joke.

ODB was known as a larger-than-life and comic rapper. Ol’ Dirty’s life was so much more. He spoke truth to power and paid a cost.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

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When ODB storms the stage at the 1998 Grammys, he cements his reputation as a nationally infamous prankster. Our host, photographer Khalik Allah takes us on a journey to meet the real ODB – the deeper, more complicated and misunderstood man behind the joker that the mainstream media portrayed.

Please note that this episode contains racist language that some may find disturbing.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1970s New York is the playground that makes ODB into one of the most memorable rappers of his generation. Khalik explores how Dirty’s musical family, the emergence of hip hop and the bold black spirituality of the Five-Percent Nation inspires ODB’s musical beginnings and the Wu-Tang’s rise to world domination.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the Wu-Tang flying high, Dirty turns his attention to his solo career, producing a hip hop classic in the most unconventional way. To succeed Dirty needs to build the perfect team and stay away from fame’s temptations. Khalik takes us inside the making of ODB’s legendary debut solo album, a story of ups and downs, wild studio antics and bust ups with Dirty’s label.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

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With his record label trying to tame his wild antics, ODB has a fight on his hands to stay true to himself. Against the odds, Dirty’s struggle for artistic freedom leads him to produce one of the most iconic album covers in rap history.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ODB scandalizes the nation by riding in a limo to collect a welfare check with an MTV camera crew in tow. His stunts make him a hero to the marginalized and opens doors to pop superstardom as Mariah Carey comes knocking. But as Dirty’s fame increases, the police begin targeting ODB and his brothers in the Wu-Tang Clan.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Against a backdrop of continued police harassment, random attacks and memorials to gunned down rappers, ODB’s paranoia goes into overdrive. To save himself, Ol’ Dirty tries to rebrand by returning to the principles of the black freedom struggle and by changing his name to Osirus. But it’s too late. ODB seems to be a marked man.

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For ODB, what began as a stint in rehab becomes a three and a half year ordeal stuck in the criminal justice system. A lifetime of unchecked mental health issues, police harassment, media exploitation and substance abuse compounds into a full-blown crisis. So when he is finally released from prison, and an exciting record deal with Rocafella Records awaits, can Dirty move past the deep scars incarceration has left and return to form as the inimitable rapper he once was?

ODB: A Son Unique is produced by Novel and Talkhouse for USG Audio

For more from Novel visit novel.audio

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.