Barsun Unique Jones[a] (born April 9, 1989), better known by his stage names Boy Jones[2][3] and Young Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated YDB), is an American rapper. He is the son of Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Barsun Unique Jones[4] was born on April 9, 1989, to Russell Tyrone Jones (better known as Ol' Dirty Bastard) and Icelene Jones,[5] making him a cousin of rappers RZA and GZA.[6] He is the eldest of his father's 13 children.[b][4]
Young Dirty Bastard was often suspended from grade school. He grew up in a violent neighbourhood; armed family members serving as security were a constant presence in his life and his father was shot at twice during his (Young Dirty Bastard's) childhood.[5] Despite his father's fame, his family struggled to bring in money when he (Ol' Dirty Bastard) was incarcerated.[8]
His father accompanied him to a show at the Apollo Theater when he was nine, inspiring him to become a rapper. Soon after that, he compiled a notebook filled with "hundreds" of rhymes, and began recording rap music on a computer. His father advised him to choose another career path. Disregarding his father's advice,[3] Young Dirty Bastard began rapping in earnest in his mid-teens, around the time his father died of an accidental drug overdose.[5] During the funeral, he took the stage and declared that "[my father, Ol' Dirty Bastard] ain't going nowhere... He lives through me."[9] Subsequently, his mother took the family out of New York CitytoNorcross, Georgia, hoping to improve Young Dirty Bastard's school grades,[3] and to escape relatives who wanted Ol' Dirty Bastard's royalties.[5] Afterward, he dropped out of school to focus on making music.[3] RZA began mentoring him and took him on tour, familiarizing him with the other members of the Wu-Tang Clan.[9] He took the place of his late father.[10]
At the 2013 Rock the Bells festival, he performed alongside a hologram of his late father,[11][12] for which he had provided the physical model[3] and the voice.[6][12]
In October 2018, he performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! along with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan.[13]
In April 2019, Young Dirty Bastard performed "Triumph" with the surviving members of the Wu-Tang Clan on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[14] In November of that year, he formed the musical group 2nd Generation Wu with rappers iNTeLL, PXWER, and Sun God, who are all sons of members of the Wu-Tang Clan. They released their debut single that month.[15][16] In October 2019, his manager claimed that he had "about ten" albums completed.[17]
In 2019, Young Dirty Bastard made his reality television debut on the show Growing Up Hip Hop: New York.[18] He also tried out for the role of Ol' Dirty Bastard,[19] his father, in Wu-Tang: An American Saga, but the role ultimately went to T.J. Atoms.[20] RZA stated that he decided not to cast him because his acting skills were inadequate, conceding that he bears a strong visual resemblance to his father.[19]
As of 2014, Young Dirty Bastard was planning to create a black hockey team.[21]
When performing with the Wu-Tang Clan, he fills the role of his father.[4] According to Creative Loafing, Young Dirty Bastard has a similar "guttural drawl".[3] Speaking on his own style, Young Dirty Bastard claimed that his father's soul "jumped" into him when he died, resulting in him being able to imitate his father well.[22] He cites religious leader Elijah Muhammad, civil rights activist Malcolm X,[4]Eminem, 50 Cent,[5] and the Wu-Tang Clan[23] as influences. In particular, he describes RZA as his mentor.[4][5][3]
In 2014, Young Dirty Bastard revealed that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He stated that he would not seek any professional medical treatment, as he distrusted doctors.[24] In 2019, he further elaborated that he had survived cancer "a few times" and had had a heart attack at some point.[17] He has also voiced support for the conspiracy theory that AIDS was artificially created.[24]
He does not smoke or drink,[6][25] which he attributes to his father's early death and his mother's disapproval.[5] He describes himself as vegetarian, but eats chicken.[26] He is a follower of the Nation of Islam.[4]
