Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Widow Sues Wu-Tang Clan Over Unpaid Royalties
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe widow of Ol’ Dirty Bastard sued Wu-Tang Clan Productions on Tuesday, alleging that the late rapper’s estate is owed at least $1 million in unpaid royalties.ODB, whose legal name was Russell Tyrone Jones, was a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, the rap group that catapulted to stardom in the early 1990s.
He died of a drug overdose in 2004 at the age of 35.His widow, Icelene Jones, alleges in the lawsuit that Wu-Tang Clan Productions did not pay royalties to the estate from 2011 until July 2021, when it sent a check for $130,000.
Robert Diggs, better known as RZA, owns and operates Wu-Tang Clan Productions, and is ODB’s cousin. The estate also received some payments in 2019 and 2020 from Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., but the suit alleges that the combined payments are just a fraction of what is owed.
The suit alleges that Jones’ estate has repeatedly sought accountings and payments over the last decade, but that no detailed accounting statements have been provided.The complaint cites a 1992 recording agreement, under which ODB was to be paid 50% of net earnings on the publishing of his copyrighted songs.
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