Sometimes, The Name Makes You

I had heard a description of this eulogy at the time of Russell's death and immediately felt it had the elements of a truly great speech. It does. Rza describes a tragic descent into a self made abyss. As a fan, I would argue that the absence of limitation is what made ODB truly great, memorable, something more than a 5% spewing classically oriented East Coast MC. Return to the 36 chambers was the first album I ever really loved, at a very young age I saw there was something brilliant and exciting in his uninhibited embrace of chaos on record. Nigga Please might be even better, a more honest vision of inspired madness. Some people dismiss ODB as a crack gobbling buffoon, more than just a single artist, I think they're missing a special quality in music no rapper has embodied like he did. If I could speak to Rza I'd tell him ODB chose to burn out and not fade away, that his music is his true legacy and it's bigger than life, will outlive all of us. He'd probably smack the shit out of me for celebrating the death of his cousin and ask me to explain that legacy to his fatherless children. I'd apologize for the offense but it wouldn't change the way I feel. Life is stressful, that's why we say Rest In Peace.