Dalvin DeGrate

Last updated

Dalvin DeGrate
Birth nameDalvin Ertimus DeGrate
Also known as
  • Dalvin DeGrate
  • Mr. Dalvin
Born (1971-07-23) July 23, 1971 (age 52)
Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
Origin Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Record producer
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
Instrument(s)
Years active1988present

Dalvin Ertimus DeGrate (born July 23, 1971, in Hampton, Virginia) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and rapper, best known as Mr. Dalvin, one-quarter of the R&B group Jodeci. [1] He is the younger brother of Jodeci member DeVante Swing.

Contents

Career

The rapper for the group, DeGrate rarely sang lead on Jodeci tracks, although he has production and songwriting credits on Diary of A Mad Band and The Show, The After Party, The Hotel . [2] He occasionally played drums onstage.[ citation needed ]

He released his first solo album, Met.A.Mor.Phic, on April 18, 2000, with the single "Why Can't We". [3]

He moved to Def Jam Recordings, and recorded his second album, Met.A.Mor.Phic 2: The Rivalry of a Singer and A Rapper, with appearances by Method Man, Redman, Ludacris. The album was due to be released in 2010, but he decided to leave Def Jam and form his own label, DeGrate Productions, after a dispute.[ citation needed ]

In 2012 he announced he was working on an album called "Egomaniac", but it has been shelved.

In 2014 DeGrate set up a new record label with music executive Cassandra Mills, called Christo Chrome Music.

In 2017 he released a single called "Vindication (Get Money) feat GOODZ", he also did a video for this single, a new album is yet to come in 2018. [4]

Family

DeGrate has a brother, Devante Swing, born Donald DeGrate, Jr. [3] They toured as Gospel singers before they joined with JoJo Hailey and K-Ci Hailey (born Cedric Hailey), forming Jodeci, [3] and a younger brother Derick DeGrate.

Discography

with Jodeci

Solo albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodeci</span> American R&B Band

Jodeci is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo but later each added their brother. After signing with Uptown Records in 1990, the group finished work on their debut album, Forever My Lady (1991), which brought them mainstream success with three straight Billboard R&B No. 1 hit singles: the album's titular track, "Stay" and "Come and Talk to Me".

<i>Diary of a Mad Band</i> 1993 studio album by Jodeci

Diary of a Mad Band is the second studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released December 21, 1993, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album also featured the first-ever album appearances from Timbaland, Missy Elliott and Sista, two years before the latter group became known in the music industry. New Jersey rapper Redman also makes a guest appearance on the album. It was Jodeci's second album to reach number one on the R&B album chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It spawned the number 1 R&B hit "Cry for You"; the number 2 R&B hit "Feenin'", and the Top 15 R&B hit "What About Us". Despite not being released as a single, the album's opening track, "My Heart Belongs To U", was also an urban radio hit with it peaking at #55 & charting for 20 weeks on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. To date, the album has sold over four million copies in the United States and six million worldwide.

Swing Mob was an R&B/hip hop collective consisting of artists and record labels first discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing. The artists on Swing Mob included: Missy Elliott with the group Sista, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major and the rest of Playa, Darryl Pearson, Mike "Funky Mike" Jackson, Tweet with the group Sugah, Majik, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, Maija Max, Renee Anderson, Bazaar Royale and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others, although all official members had never been confirmed. A list of some known artists in Swing Mob at the time of the group's activity can be found in the liner notes of Jodeci's third studio album, The Show, The After-Party, The Hotel.

K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey. Natives of Charlotte, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Mr. Dalvin. They are known for the 1998 smash hit "All My Life" which was the No.1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and received multiple Grammy nominations. They were also featured artists on another No.1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single, 2Pac’s 1996 song "How Do U Want It", which also received a Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy nomination in 1997. K-Ci & JoJo also achieved mainstream success with the 1999 hit "Tell Me It's Real", which peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their 2001 song "Crazy" was included on the Save the Last Dance soundtrack and peaked at No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeVante Swing</span> American record producer, singer, and rapper (born 1969)

Donald Earle DeGrate Jr., better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, which includes his younger brother Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate. DeVante Swing also created Swing Mob, which consisted of various artists he discovered and mentored, such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major with Playa, Darryl Pearson, Tweet, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others.

Steven Aaron Jordan better known by his stage name of Stevie J, is an American DJ, record producer, and television personality. One of the most successful record producers of the mid-to-late 1990s, Jordan won a 1997 Grammy Award for his work on Puff Daddy's debut album No Way Out and produced for a number of artists including Mariah Carey, Tevin Campbell, The Notorious B.I.G., 112, Jodeci, Faith Evans, Jay-Z, and Eve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cry for You (Jodeci song)</span> 1993 single by Jodeci

"Cry for You" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their second album, Diary of a Mad Band (1993). The song was released as the album's lead single in November 1993 by Uptown/MCA. It peaked at number fifteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and also spent four weeks at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, and number one Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of 500,000 units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come and Talk to Me</span> 1992 single by Jodeci

"Come and Talk to Me" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci from their debut album Forever My Lady (1991). The song was the fourth single released in promotion for the album in March 1992. As the third number one R&B hit for Jodeci, "Come and Talk to Me" spent number 1 on the R&B chart for two weeks and peaked at 11 on the Hot 100. The song also topped the R&B year-end chart for 1992.

"Stay" is a song by American group Jodeci from their debut album Forever My Lady (1991). The song was the third single released in promotion for the album in December 1991. "Stay" was the group's second number one R&B hit, spending two weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Love Always</i> 1997 studio album by K-Ci & JoJo

Love Always is the debut album of American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, released on June 17, 1997, by MCA Records. It was recorded at various studios in New York and the Los Angeles area in 1996 and 1997. It was produced by JoJo and several others, including DeVante Swing, Jon-John Robinson, James Mtume, and Jeff Redd. The duo were originally a part of Jodeci before this album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feenin'</span> 1994 single by Jodeci

"Feenin'" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci, recorded for their second album, Diary of a Mad Band (1993). It was released as the second single from the album in March 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotta Love</span> 1991 single by Jodeci

"Gotta Love" is the debut single by American R&B group Jodeci. It is from their debut album Forever My Lady. The song was released on February 24, 1991. The music video uses the "New R&B Edit" version of the song instead of the album version.

"What About Us" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their second album Diary of a Mad Band (1993). The song was released as the third and final single for the album in August 1994.

"Freek'n You" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995). The song, released as the album's first single, peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. Listed by Billboard magazine as one of the best selling singles of 1995, it was certified gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 600,000 units.

"Love U 4 Life" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995). The song was released as the second single for the album on Halloween 1995, and peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Get on Up" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995). The song was released as the third and final single for the album in 1996. "Get on Up" contains the sample of the 1981 song from Quincy Jones featuring Toots Thielemans' "Velas". Produced by Mr. Dalvin and written by Mr. Dalvin and K-Ci & JoJo, it is the only Jodeci single to date that was not produced or written by group leader DeVante Swing. It was also the last Jodeci single released in 18 years before the group returned in 2014 with the single "Nobody Wins". The group performed the song when they guest starred in a season one episode of the UPN sitcom Moesha.

<i>4 All the Sistas Around da World</i> 1994 studio album by Sista

4 All the Sistas Around da World is the debut and sole studio album recorded by American R&B group Sista, released September 20, 1994, on Elektra Records. One of the group members at the time was future rap star Missy Elliott.

<i>The Past, the Present, the Future</i> (Jodeci album) 2015 studio album by Jodeci

The Past, the Present, the Future is the fourth studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released on March 31, 2015 on Sphinx Music Entertainment and distributed through Epic Records. It is the group's first studio album in 20 years.

Cedric Renard Hailey, known professionally as K-Ci, is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci.

The following list is a discography of production by DeVante Swing

References

  1. "Dalvin DeGrate". IMDb. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  2. Ruhlmann, William. "Biography: Dalvin DeGrate". AllMusic . Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric. "Dalvin DeGrate Says Met.A.Mor.Phic Will Confound Fans". MTV. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  4. Rene, Shameika. "Q&A: Dalvin DeGrate & Cassandra Mills—New Beginnings and a Jodeci Reunion". soultrain.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.