Ol' Dirty Bastard, who died Saturday at age 35 of as-yet-undetermined causes in a New York recording studio, was one of the genuine nice guys of rap, according to this Boston Globe profile.

Also known as Osirus, Dirt McGirt, and Big Baby Jesus, Ol' Dirty Bastard appears to have never shot anybody. He smiled and joked a lot.

But make no mistake. He WAS a playa, an exemplar of Black Manhood as defined by the Hollywood-Street Axis, without the guns. The Globe:

His first arrest came in 1997 for failure to pay child support for three of his children. (He was reported to have at least a dozen kids by several women.)

The Globe also reports that with television cameras rolling, he took his limo to the welfare office for a handout.

His unpredictability was also well-served during his TV appearances. A decade ago, MTV spent the day with ODB, the highlight of which was the rapper arriving at a New York welfare office -- in a limousine -- to collect food stamps. Looking into the camera, he said unapologetically, "It's free money. Why wouldn't you want to get free money?"

Libertarians everywhere salute your memory, O.D.B. Peace, and Out.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at November 16, 2004 06:40 AM

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