Pigeon John

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Pigeon John
Pigeon John 2011.jpg
Background information
Birth nameJohn Kenneth Dunkin
Also known asMC Pigeon
Born (1972-11-30) November 30, 1972 (age 51) [1]
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. [2]
OriginLos Angeles, California
Genres Underground hip hop [3]
Occupation(s) Singer, Rapper
Years active1992–present
LabelsSyntax, Basement, Discograph, Quannum Projects

John Kenneth Dust (born John Kenneth Dunkin: [4] November 30, [5] 1972), [6] better known by the stage name Pigeon John, is an American rapper based in Los Angeles, California. [3] He is a former member of L.A. Symphony. [7]

Contents

Early life

Pigeon John claims that his stage name was provided by Jesus who was driving around Inglewood: "He hopped out and handed me a dead pigeon. He whispered, 'Please have a good time, you're really bumming me out.' I watched him sink back into the cushioned seats and drive, quickly away. And that's when it happened, the pigeon started shaking violently and became awake, picked up and flew away. I don't think I had a choice... it was 'pigeon' or die." [8] He later explained that he was discussing his need for a stage name with a friend when the friend suggested "Chicken John", taken from the character Chicken George in Roots. The friend's mother then interjected that John didn't look like a chicken, claiming that he looked like a pigeon and should therefore be called "Pigeon John". [9]

Career

In the early 1990s, Pigeon John and his childhood friend B-Twice formed the hip-hop duo Brainwash Projects. [10] Brainwash Projects contributed the single "Muchas Muchachas" to the Christian rap compilation "Sanktifunctafyd" released by N-Soul Records in 1995. Brainwash Projects eventually released a record titled The Rise and Fall of Brainwash Projects on the independent label Jackson Rubio. [11] One reviewer characterized The Rise and Fall as "pure, uncut, holy hip-hop" but gave mixed reviews of its beats and lyrics. [12]

Between 1997 and 2000, Pigeon John recorded the songs that became his first solo album, Is Clueless. The album was released in 2001 by The Telephone Company and then re-released in 2002 by The Telephone Company/Syntax Records with three new tracks and new artwork. Pigeon John then signed to Basement Records and released Is Dating Your Sister (2003) and Pigeon John Sings the Blues (2005). In 2005, Lyrics Born saw Pigeon John on the Cali Comm Tour and brought him into Quannum Projects.[ citation needed ] That same year, Pigeon John's single "Deception" was featured on a series of Nestle Crunch commercials. [13] In 2006, after signing to Quannum, Pigeon John released his fourth solo album, And the Summertime Pool Party . The album has received positive reviews from many sources, including LA Weekly , Entertainment Weekly , and Vibe . [14] [15] [16] [17]

A new album, entitled Dragon Slayer, hit physical and digital retail October 12, 2010. [18] With the aid of General Elektriks' Herve Salters, he produced the whole record, including, for the first time, sampling original instrumentation rather than flipping samples from records. [19] A single[ which? ] from the album, The Bomb, was used to promote the premiere of the Cartoon Network live-action TV film Level Up in late 2011.[ citation needed ] In 2014, he released an album titled Encino Man. [20]

In 2019, he released "They Don't Make Em Like Me", included in the official Motorola Razr advertisement, which was based on Motorola's default ringtone for the new Razr. [21] On April 24, 2020, he released his eighth studio album: Gotta Good Feelin'. [22]

Personal life

John was married to Harmony Dust from 2002 to 2010. [23] [24] [25]

Discography

Studio albums

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The following is a list of releases by American singer/rapper Pigeon John.

References

  1. "Unveiling the Net Worth of Pigeon John - THE HUSBAND BLOG". The Husband Blog. thehusbandblog.com. June 30, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. Kettmann, Matt (September 20, 2010). "Pigeon John". Santa Barbara Independent.
  3. 1 2 Thomas, Dan (February 21, 2008). "Hip-hop star Pigeon John at Whiskey Dick's on Friday". Tahoe Daily Tribune.
  4. Pigeon John. "About". Pigeon John. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  5. Pigeon John (dothepigeon) (November 30, 2012). "Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Love y'all. Ill be rocking Denver tonight with @therealgrouch & @therealeligh at Cervantes! Come party!". Twitter. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  6. Intelius. "John K Dunkin in Los Angeles, CA". Intelius . Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  7. Langhoff, Josh (March 10, 2011). "Pigeon John: Dragon Slayer". PopMatters.
  8. Anti (January 11, 2007). "LAist Interview: Pigeon John". LAist. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  9. Anti (January 21, 2008). "Jordan, Jesse, Go!: Conventions".
  10. Powell, Mark Allan (2002). "Brainwash Projects" . Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p.  105. ISBN   1-56563-679-1.
  11. "the rise and fall of the BRAINWASH PROJECTS". Published by Jackson Rubio. Available through the Internet Archive.
  12. Jones, Justin W. (March 1, 1999). "Brainwash Projects : The Rise and Fall of". The Phantom Tollbooth.
  13. "Sweetdisaster Newsblog Archives". Sweetdisaster. May 12, 2005.
  14. Sullivan, Kate (December 6, 2006). "L.A. Music '06: Welcome to Indie Land: Retro-Futuristic Postmodern House Party". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on December 19, 2006.
  15. "Pigeon John". LA Weekly. June 8, 2006.[ page needed ]
  16. "Pigeon John". Entertainment Weekly. September 2006.[ page needed ]
  17. "Pigeon John". Vibe. October 2006.[ page needed ]
  18. I.G.O.D. (August 25, 2010). "Pigeon John Will Slay Some Dragons This October". The9elements.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  19. "P.G.A. - the Progressive Global Agency". Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  20. Finley, Adam (July 25, 2014). "Pigeon John: Encino Man". PopMatters . Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  21. "$1,500 Razr with Bendable Screen Being Released by Motorola". Nerdist.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  22. "Gotta Good Feelin' [Album11409514]". Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  23. "Important Announcement | Treasures". Iamatreasure.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  24. "Album Review: Dragon Slayer By Pigeon John « Christian Rock 20". Thechristianrock20.com. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  25. "News - Q&A: Pigeon John (plus podcast!)". FILTER Magazine. October 15, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.