D-Nice

Last updated

D-Nice
D-NiceJun05.jpg
D-Nice in 2005
Background information
Birth nameDerrick T. Jones [1]
Born (1970-06-19) June 19, 1970 (age 52)
New York City, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Disc jockey
  • record producer
  • rapper
  • beatboxer
  • photographer
Years active1986–present
Labels
Past members Boogie Down Productions
Website d-nice.com

Derrick T. Jones (born June 19, 1970), better known by his stage name D-Nice, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper who began his career in the mid-1980s with the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. [2] He discovered Kid Rock in 1988, landing him a deal with Jive Records.

Contents

Life and career

Jones was born and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. [3] He later moved to The Bronx as a teenager. At age 15, it was there that he met Scott La Rock and later formed Boogie Down Productions along with KRS-One in 1986. [3] In his early career with the group, he was given the nicknames as "the Human TR-808" and "the 808". D-Nice also gained significant popularity when he produced the song "Self-Destruction" for the Stop the Violence Movement. [3]

Soon after the song released, D-Nice signed a solo deal Jive Records and released his debut studio album called Call Me D-Nice in 1990. [3] The album peaked at #75 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums and #12 on the Top Black Albums chart. It was also rated 3.5 out of 5 mics by The Source magazine. [3] In 1991, D-Nice released his second studio album called To tha Rescue . The album peaked at #137 on the Top Pop Albums chart and #27 on the Top R&B Albums chart. He collaborated with KRS-One, Naughty by Nature, and Too Short for the album. [3]

D-Nice clashed with Jive Records over his stylistic direction and soon stopped releasing music as a recording artist. [3] In 1996, his first daughter, Ashli Lyric Jones, was born. [4] D-Nice became a web developer in the late 1990s and started his own creative services company in 2000.

He later had another daughter named Dylan Coleman-Jones with Kelli M. Coleman, Executive Vice President for GlobalHue. [5]

D-Nice began working as a photographer in the 2000s while also still being a DJ and shot the album covers for Carl Thomas' 2007 album So Much Better [6] and Pharoahe Monch's 2011 album W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) . [7] He also photographed the album cover for Kenny Lattimore's 2017 album, Vulnerable . [8]

D-Nice with Malinda Williams MalindaWilliamsD-NiceJun06.jpg
D-Nice with Malinda Williams

In August 2008, he married actress Malinda Williams, but the couple separated in October 2009. In February 2010, the couple filed for divorce [9] and the divorce was finalized on June 14, 2010.

In March 2020, D-Nice began hosting Homeschool at Club Quarantine on Instagram Live from his home as a way for people to come together and help others cope with the COVID-19 global health crisis. The 3/21 Saturday night dance party ran 9 hours and D-Nice urged people to "take care of one another and wash their hands." [10] It drew over 100,000 viewers, including Rihanna, Lenny Kravitz, Nile Rodgers, Lalah Hathaway, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Dwyane Wade, Janet Jackson, Fab Five Freddy, Michelle Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Angela Bassett, and Sheila E., among others. [11] The following day, March 22, his stream capped at over 150,000 simultaneous viewers.[ citation needed ] D-Nice won the 2020 Webby Award for Artist of the Year in the category Special Achievement. [12] He also was one of the Honoree Recipients for the Shine a Light Award during the 2020 BET Awards for his contributions of Club Quarantine, alongside co-recipients with Verzuz creators Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. [13] On March 27, 2021, he was awarded Entertainer of the Year at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. On June 22, 2021, he was awarded the ASCAP Voice of the Culture Award for being a beacon of hope and source of inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic. His livestreamed DJ sets remain a popular online destination for thousands weekly, and he has more than 2.6 million followers on Instagram.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Album information
Call Me D-Nice
  • Released: July 24, 1990
  • Chart Positions: #75 US, #12 Top R&B/Hip-Hop
  • Last RIAA certification: N/A
  • Singles: "Call Me D-Nice", "Crumbs on the Table", "Glory"
To tha Rescue
  • Released: November 26, 1991
  • Chart Positions: #137 US, #27 Top R&B/Hip-Hop
  • Last RIAA certification: N/A
  • Singles: "25 Ta Life", "Time to Flow", "To tha Rescue"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boogie Down Productions</span> American hip-hop group

Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the South Bronx section of New York City. The group pioneered the fusion of dancehall reggae and hip hop music and their debut LP Criminal Minded contained frank descriptions of life in the South Bronx during the late 1980s, thus setting the stage for what would eventually become gangsta rap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott La Rock</span> American disc jockey (1962–1987)

Scott Monroe Sterling, known by the stage name DJ Scott La Rock, was an American hip-hop disc jockey and music producer from the Bronx, New York. He was a founding member of the East Coast hip hop group Boogie Down Productions.

<i>Criminal Minded</i> 1987 studio album by Boogie Down Productions

Criminal Minded is the debut studio album by hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions, released on March 3, 1987 by B-Boy Records. It is considered a highly influential hip hop album and one of the first in the gangsta rap genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self Destruction</span> 1989 single by The Stop the Violence Movement

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Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop is the third studio album by American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. It was released on July 4, 1989, via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Power Play Studios in New York. Production was handled by member KRS-One with co-production from fellow member D-Nice, D-Square, Rebekah Foster, Sidney Mills and Spaceman Patterson.

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To tha Rescue is the second and final studio album by American rapper D-Nice. It was released on November 26, 1991 via Jive Records and was produced by D-Nice, Naughty by Nature, Skeff Anselm and Carl Bourley. The album features guest appearances by the likes of KRS-One, Too Short, E-Marvelous, and Naughty by Nature. Though not as successful as his previous effort Call Me D-Nice, this record managed to find some success making it to #137 on the Billboard 200 and #27 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It spawned three singles: "To tha Rescue", "25 ta Life" and "Time to Flow".

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References

  1. "GET IN TOUCH WITH ME". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  2. Kellman, Andy. "Biography: D-Nice". AllMusic . Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Andy Kellman. "D-Nice". AllMusic . Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. "Essence.com: Derrick Jones posed with his new family". Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  5. "D-Nice on Instagram: "I made it back from the @BETnetworks event in DC this morning to take the lil one to school. Although I love my job, I wish I could do this…"". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
  6. Carl Thomas – So Much Better (CD liner notes). Bungalo Records. 02097 01182
  7. Bark, Theo. "Photosynthesis With D-Nice: A History of Hip-Hop Photography". The Boombox. theboombox.com. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  8. "Kenny Lattimore To Get 'Vulnerable' On New Album As He Reveals Cover Art & Tracklist". soulbounce.com. Kimberly Shines Media. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  9. "Malinda x D-Nice: We Wanted This One To Last". Vibe.com. February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  10. "DJ D-Nice Hosts An IG Live Social Distancing Uplift Party And Everybody Shows Up". Forbes.
  11. "Rihanna, Dwyane Wade, Bernie Sanders, and More Attend DJ D-Nice's Virtual 'Social Distancing Dance Party'". Complex.
  12. Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 20, 2020). "Here are all the winners of the 2020 Webby Awards". The Verge. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  13. "BET Awards Highlight: BET Awards 2020 Shine a Light Award Honorees". BET.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.