“Wheels Are In Motion” For An O.D.B. Biopic, According To RZA

As N.W.A. is now associated with Oscar nominations thanks to their Straight Outta Compton biopic, at least two other Hip-Hop films are under way. Tupac Shakur’s biographical film All Eyez On Me is said to be shooting, while Daz Dillinger’s Death Row Records vignette, Dogg Pound 4 Life, has begun casting.

While all three of those stories surround some of the same figures, the Wu-Tang Clan conglomerate may be next up to bat. According to RZA, at least one script has been written surrounding the life of Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

RZA_OlDirtyBastard

“There are a few wheels in motion with one done by our first cousin Rayshawn,” RZA told Rolling Stone. “He was the young guy there watching everything that happened. Him and O.D.B.’s wife have been talking and he has a pretty interesting script. I just saw a 12-minute teaser that he shot about a year ago and it felt pretty fucking cool. I watched it and was like, ‘Wow, you may have something here.’ He has the best thing that I’ve seen so far.”

RZA also told RS that while he was asked to be heavily-involved with the project, he has mixed emotions. “I wouldn’t mind not doing it and I wouldn’t mind doing it,” he stated. “From the age of six, me and [ODB] used to push shopping carts around grocery stores and try to get nickels. There are very few people who know the real him as much as me. So it would be something that I would be honored to do, but there’s a lot of moving parts to it.”

O.D.B., also known as Russell Jones was a founding Wu-Tang member. A solo artist signed to Elektra Records (and much later, Roc-A-Fella), O.D.B. found group and solo success with his rugged style, and unconventional delivery.

Off the mic, the Brooklyn, New Yorker is known for his addictions (including drugs and alcohol), and his family. O.D.B. fathered 13 children, before dying from drug overdose at the age of 35 in late 2004.

Read the full Rolling Stone conversation with RZA.

Related: GZA Freestyles, While Ol’ Dirty Bastard Beat-Boxes In A Bathroom In 1991 (Video)