November 13 marks the loss of Wu-Tang founding member Ol’ Dirty Bastard in 2004 and the arrival of Logic’s The Incredible True Story in 2015.
2004 – Hip-hop loses Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones, the Wu-Tang Clan founding member known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard, died in a Manhattan recording studio on November 13, 2004. He was 35. The news came two days before his birthday, and less than a decade after his solo debut had demonstrated how much of Wu-Tang’s sound depended on voices that could break the group’s own rules.
On “Brooklyn Zoo,” he could stretch a phrase past the beat and land the punch line exactly where he wanted it. “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” turned his shifting cadence into a hook that listeners could pick up immediately. His delivery could sound unrestrained even when he was controlling the timing closely. That tension is one reason his verses are still hard to imitate.
Associated Press reporting on Jones’ death
2015 – Logic releases The Incredible True Story
Eleven years later, Maryland rapper Logic released his second studio album, The Incredible True Story. Its science-fiction framing follows a crew in space searching for a planet called Paradise. Spoken scenes run between tracks, turning the record into the music the characters hear on their journey.
“Fade Away” gives the album a fast-moving early statement, while “City of Stars” lets its melodic ambitions stretch out. The concept provides transitions between those different impulses and gives the record a setting that listeners can follow from beginning to end.
Def Jam album listing and listening preview
Explore more dates in Today in Rap History or revisit November 9 and the arrival of Wu-Tang Clan’s debut.
Raptology Editorial is the official newsroom voice of Raptology, covering breaking hip-hop news, artist developments, industry trends, and in-depth editorial reports from across the global rap landscape.
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