A part of Putnam Avenue in Bed-Stuy was officially co-named “ODB Jones Way” on July 25th, as ODB’s estate put the ceremony together alongside Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé, and ODB’s brother, Ramsey Jones.
They confirmed that the sign stands at the corner of Franklin and Putnam, on the same block their grandmother calls home. Brooklyn already honors Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace Way in Bed-Stuy, unveiled in 2019 near where Biggie grew up on St. James Place. Queens dedicated a stretch of Linden Boulevard to Phife Dawg in 2016, while the Bronx named a plaza after Big Pun in 2021.
Staten Island, Wu-Tang’s spiritual home base, even has an entire Wu-Tang Clan District, and MF DOOM’s name graces a block on Long Island. New York has made it a tradition to write its greatest rappers directly into the city’s geography, and ODB’s legendary antics made him worthy of that honor long before any ceremony happened.