Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    ODB v FBI
    ODB v FBI
    ODB v FBI
    Ebook69 pages46 minutes

    ODB v FBI

    By Chris Stokel-Walker

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Detailing the story behind the creation, updating and eventual release of FBI files on Ol’ Dirty Bastard and the Wu-Tang Clan via a freedom of information request, 'ODB v FBI' looks at the confusing life of Russell T. Jones and how fame altered the way he dealt with those around him.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChris Stokel-Walker
    Release dateJan 16, 2012
    ISBN9781465965806
    ODB v FBI
    Author

    Chris Stokel-Walker

    Chris Stokel-Walker is a freelance journalist specializing in technology and digital culture. He is the author of YouTubers: How YouTube Shook up TV and Created a New Generation of Stars, and TikTok Boom: China's Dynamite App and the Superpower Race for Social Media. His work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, New Scientist, the Guardian and The Times. He teaches journalism at Newcastle University.

    Read more from Chris Stokel Walker

    Related to ODB v FBI

    Related ebooks

    Entertainers and the Rich & Famous For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for ODB v FBI

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      ODB v FBI - Chris Stokel-Walker

      ODB v FBI

      The Story Behind the FBI Files

      on Ol’ Dirty Bastard and the Wu-Tang Clan

      Chris Stokel-Walker

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2012

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes.

      Thank you for purchasing and downloading this ebook. Please note, this book may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for either commercial or non-commercial purposes, either in whole or in part. To discuss excerpting sections of this book, please contact the author.

      The FBI files contained in the appendix of this ebook were gained by Rich Jones of gun.io, using MuckRock as an intermediary. They are available in the public domain for free viewing via the blog post ‘I Got Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s FBI File’.

      Chris Stokel-Walker is a 22-year old freelancer writer from England. He has written three books on a variety of subjects. His favourite Wu-Tang Clan song is ‘Da Mystery of Chessboxin’’.

      Contents

      Chapter 1: Rich Jones gets a Christmas present

      Chapter 2: There ain’t no father to his style

      Chapter 3: Mass layoffs at Brooklyn Naval Yard

      Chapter 4: The mailman delivers

      Chapter 5: Maati Lovell is in a car crash

      Chapter 6: Conspiracy theories sometimes come true

      Chapter 7: The Wu-Tang Clan comes together

      Chapter 8: Redactions and indiscretions

      Chapter 9: Caught crawling through a cat flap

      Chapter 10: Stepping off a plane from LA

      Chapter 11: Doing time

      Chapter 12: Dealing out drugs and death

      Chapter 13: Arrested for wearing a Kevlar vest

      Chapter 14: Dirty on the lam

      Chapter 15: 5:04pm, 13 November 2004

      Chapter 16: It’s all J. Edgar Hoover’s fault

      Chapter 1

      Rich Jones gets a Christmas present

      As befits the self proclaimed 'land of the free', the United States freedom of information legislation has been in place significantly longer than in most other countries - including the United Kingdom. It may not be a particularly momentous name (Public Law 89-554, 80 Stat. 383; Amended 1996, 2002, 2007), but this piece of law enshrines the ability of the average citizen to ask for - and be granted access to - information about a certain subject should they request it from the relevant bodies.

      Lyndon B. Johnson put pen to paper on 4 July 1966 - a fitting day to do so - and ushered in a new era of openness in all areas of government. Files, albeit redacted so as to remove sensitive information about sources or matters of national safety, were available to anyone who cared to write to the right people.

      By and large, this new Freedom of Information Act was a tool of the stalwart campaigners, seeking fair treatment for the abused and corrective action against past misjudgements by federal bodies. In the United Kingdom (which only passed its own law on the matter at the dawn of this new millennium) the ability to view government documents has forced a sea change in the way our parliamentary representatives carry out their jobs. The campaigning work of a freelance journalist called Heather Brooks led to revelations about Members of Parliament claiming for extravagances such as duck houses, candy bars and even a church donation at taxpayers' expense.

      Then Rich Jones of online blog gun.io used a freedom of information campaign group, MuckRock out of Boston, MA, to get in touch with the FBI. A fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, Jones asked the Bureau for all the information it had on Russell Tyrone Jones, known to legions of rap fans as Ol' Dirty Bastard, member of that group.

      His request, as any other request filed under Freedom of Information laws that can be processed without harming national security, was dutifully filed and given a reference number. It's not a particularly momentous reference number, but it's a reference number nonetheless. Case number 1179576-000 was opened.

      For David M. Hardy, section leader of freedom of information requests in the FBI, it was just another in a long line of requests that he and his staff are duty bound by US law to answer. But for those interested in the Wu-Tang Clan, and its most enigmatic member, this was the first step towards uncovering a treasure trove of information that otherwise was not known or was simply recorded through a Chinese whispers chain of rumour and innuendo.

      Rich Jones was a fan of the Clan. He was also someone who had petitioned the authorities for information using this legislation before.

      I mainly put in requests for political things, or cases where I suspect the government is wasting large amounts of money, he told me. "This was a just-for-fun one. I put it in because I'm a nerd and was reading

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1