According to a report from Variety, Icelene Jones, the widow of Wu Tang Clan co-founder Russell “Ol’ Dirty Bastard” Jones, has filed a lawsuit in Supreme Court in the state of New York against the Wu Tang Clan for unpaid royalties, which Jones alleges is a breach of contract.
Wu Tang Productions, which is owned and operated by producer, movie director and ODB’s cousin Robert “RZA” Diggs, allegedly have not paid Ol’ Dirty’s estate any royalties for an entire decade before sending the estate a check for $130,000. Jones admitted that the estate did receive some money from Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp in 2019 and 2020, but Jones claims that both checks still aren’t enough to settle what is owed.
The suit is based on a 1992 recording agreement, under which ODB was to be paid half of the net earnings from his songs. The other crew members were also agreed to be paid 50% of the net earnings of their songs. JOnes is suing for royalties from merchandising and videos in addition to damages of at least $1 million, plus interest, attorneys’ fees and costs.
Additionally, RZA, confirmed an ODB biopic last year, which he says is currently in the works. “The documentary was to capture the story as best we can in the reality of it, and then the TV series was to dramatize it,” he said. “The third tier of the plan, which I’m in progress of, is an ODB movie biopic. Like the five-year Wu-Tang plan, this was a five-year media plan that I concocted, I meditated on, and I’m striving to live out. So far, it’s working well.”
