DD172 is a media collective founded by American entrepreneur Damon Dash. DD172 encompasses America Nu, a magazine; and VNGRD79, a web design firm. It also includes an art gallery. [1] DD172 is named for Dash's initials and its original street address (172 Duane Street in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan, New York). That building, a rented four-story warehouse, [2] housed the organization until mid-June 2011, at which time DD172 moved out. [3]
DD172 began with Dash and two assistants— McKenzie Eddy and Raquel Horn —working on several music projects. Horn then became director of America Nu, while Eddy was charged with running the music division. [4] Eddy, a singer, has also produced music through DD172. [5]
The art gallery, called, "The Dash Gallery," opened on February 19, 2010, and includes paintings and sculptural works by artists such as Bobby Castaneda, Jeremy Wagner, Heather Gargon and Hector Ruiz. [6] [7] In March 2011, DD172 creative directors David Barnett and David Chang opened a clothing store called Local 172 Trading Post in the lobby of Dash's building. [8]
DD172 has produced projects such as Blakroc, a partnership between The Black Keys and several hip-hop artists, including Mos Def, RZA, Jim Jones, and Q-Tip. [9] [10] The rapper Curren$y has also collaborated with various other musicians at DD172, including Thomas Pridgen, Sean O'Connell, and Liam Dirlam of Voodoo Farm (for the album Muscle Car Chronicles ); and Mos Def and Jay Electronica, to form the group "Center Edge Territory." [11] Producer Ski Beatz has worked with DD172 as well, naming his first album, 24 Hour Karate School , after a nickname for the organization. [12] Ski Beatz has released other material on DD172's BluRoc Records label, including Love & Rockets, Volume 1: The Transformation (with Murs) in 2011. [13] BluRoc has also worked with Def Jam Recordings to release content. [4] [5]
In June 2011, DD172 departed from the building in Tribeca, which was subsequently occupied by 172 Duane Street Realty. On September 7, 2011, city officials seized the property at 172 Duane Street with papers claiming that alcohol had been sold there without a license since November 2010. However, on September 15, the charges were settled, as Dash left the property several months earlier. His lawyers also denied the allegations of illegal liquor retailing. [14] [15] DD172 had previously been criticized by neighboring tenants as being a public nuisance. [16]
Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, is an American rapper and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social and political issues, such as police brutality, American exceptionalism, and the social status of African Americans.
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Damon Anthony Dash is an American entrepreneur and record executive. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994, and co-founded the fashion retailer Rocawear with the former in 1999.
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Dwight Equan Grant, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his association with Jay-Z and his label Roc-A-Fella Records, to which Grant signed in 1998 and became a flagship artist. His debut studio album, The Truth (2000) was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. Along with his solo career, Grant was the de facto leader of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property, which he formed with Roc-A-Fella labelmates, and who debuted in 2002 with a namesake film in which Grant starred. The group released two well-received studio albums.
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Blakroc is a studio album by American rock band The Black Keys, in collaboration with Damon Dash, co-founder and former co-owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, who oversaw the project. The album features guest appearances from several hip hop and R&B acts, namely Mos Def, Nicole Wray, Pharoahe Monch, Ludacris, Billy Danze of M.O.P., Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Jim Jones and NOE of ByrdGang, as well as Raekwon, RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard of Wu-Tang Clan.
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Reginald Joseph Ossé, known professionally as Combat Jack, was a Haitian-American hip hop music attorney, executive, journalist, editor and podcaster. He was the former managing editor of The Source. He was the host of the podcast The Combat Jack Show and founding partner of the Loud Speakers Network. He was also the host of the Complex TV show version of The Combat Jack Show podcast.
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