Tristan Wilds

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Tristan Wilds
Mack Wilds in Toronto, 2014.jpg
Wilds performing in 2014
Background information
Birth nameTristan Paul Mack Wilds
Also known asMack Wilds
Born (1989-07-15) July 15, 1989 (age 35)
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active2005–present
Labels

Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. [1] [2] He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, The Wire , and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama series, 90210 . He was also featured in the Adele music video for "Hello". His debut album, New York: A Love Story was released on September 30, 2013 [3] [4] and was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards in 2014. [5] Wilds' second album, AfterHours was released on April 7, 2017. [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Wilds was born and grew up in Staten Island, New York City. His mother, Monique Moncion, is of Afro-Dominican and Irish descent, and his father, Paul Wilds, is African-American. [7] [8] His mother was first a beautician and then a stockbroker. Wilds attended and graduated from the Michael J. Petrides School in Staten Island. [5]

Acting career

His acting debut came in Miracle's Boys , a drama mini-series produced by Spike Lee on The N (now called TeenNick). [5] He also made guest appearances on television shows such as Cold Case and Law & Order . In 2006, Wilds made his film debut in a bit-role in the independent drama film Half Nelson alongside Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling. [9] That same year, Wilds joined the cast of the HBO drama television series, The Wire (then into its fourth season) in a major recurring role as Michael Lee, a smart but troubled middle school student who lives in poverty and cares for his younger brother. [3] [5] [10]

In 2007, Wilds appeared in the music videos for songs such as "Roc Boys", "Teenage Love Affair" and "Ghetto Mindstate", among others. [11] In 2008, he appeared alongside Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Dakota Fanning in The Secret Life of Bees , the film adaptation of the novel of the same name. [7] Soon after his run on The Wire, he attended an acting workshop at the Roundabout Theatre Company where he worked alongside actress, Phylicia Rashad in productions of Stockholm Brooklyn and Wool at the Cherry Lane Theatre. [12]

In 2008, Wilds returned to television in The CW's teen drama series, 90210 , a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210 . He played Dixon Wilson, a teenage boy who is adopted and moves with his family to Beverly Hills. [13] The show ran until 2013. [4] In March 2009, he secured a role in the George Lucas-produced war film Red Tails . The film follows the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American United States Army Air Force (USAAF) servicemen, during World War II. Wilds portrayed Ray "Ray Gun" Knight. [14] The film, which also starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard, was eventually released in January 2012 after numerous push-backs. [15]

In 2015, Wilds starred as Adele's love interest in the music video for her song, "Hello", directed by Xavier Dolan. [16] In early 2016, he starred in the VH1 television movie, The Breaks about the hip hop industry in the 1990s. [4] On the heels of its successful January TV movie premiere, VH1 greenlighted a full first season for the hip-hop drama, which started airing in 2017. [17] That year, Wilds also played Officer Beck, the Black officer at the center of the controversial shooting of a young white male in a racially charged town in the TV show Shots Fired .

Music career

Wilds met producer Salaam Remi in 2008 at the BMI Awards, which sparked Wilds' initial interest in becoming a music artist. [5] In 2010, Wilds signed a recording contract with independent record label, Ten2one. He released several singles, including "2 Girlz" which was featured on the fourth season of his TV show, 90210. The song Fall 4 Her was produced by Rico Love. Wilds' debut EP, Remember Remember, was released toward the end of 2011. [18] [19]

Wilds began working with Salaam Remi on his debut studio album in 2012. He signed to Remi's Sony Music imprint, Louder than Life, that same year. [5] He released the first single off the album, "Own It," in June 2013. The album, New York: A Love Story, was released in September 2013. [11] It was well received by critics earning a Grammy nomination for the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014. The album would lose to Rihanna's Unapologetic . [9] In November 2015, Wilds released the first single, "Love in the 90z", off his second album AfterHours. [6] [20] In March 2016, it was announced that Wilds had signed a management deal with Roc Nation. [21]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US
[22]
US
Hip-Hop

[23]
US
R&B

[23]
US
Indie

[24]
US
Heat

[25]
New York: A Love Story
  • Released: September 30, 2013
  • Label: Louder Than Life, Sony RED
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
1792815367
AfterHours
  • Released: April 7, 2017
  • Label: The Ninety Five Percent, EMPIRE
  • Formats: CD, Digital Download
4615
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
US US R&B
[26]
US Heat
[27]
"Own It"20133518New York: A Love Story
"Henny"2014
"Love in the 90z"2016AfterHours
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Guest appearances

List of guest appearances
TitleYearOther performer(s)Album
"Situationships"2013 Fabolous, Tiara Thomas The Soul Tape 3
"Banned From Radio"2014 Maino, Bodega Bamz, Chinx, Troy Ave, City Boy Dee
"Debut"DJ Prostyle
"Low" Mobb Deep The Infamous Mobb Deep
"Henny (Remix)" Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes, French Montana
"All About You" Maino King of Brooklyn 2
"Bottle Girl (Remix)" Consequence, Blue GemMovies on Demand 5
"Good Money"2015 N.O.R.E., Troy Ave, Tweez, City Boy DeeDrinks
"Act Like That" Bridget Kelly
"50 Shots" Method Man, Streetlife, Cory Gunz The Meth Lab
"Troubled Times"2016 Torae Entitled
"Money Dance II" J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rick Ross, Camp Lo

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
2006 Half Nelson Jamal
2008 The Secret Life of Bees Zach Taylor
2012 Red Tails 2nd Lt. Ray "Ray Gun" Gannon
2020 Really Love Nick Wright
2023 Praise This Pastor Nick "P.G." Goodman
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
2005 Miracle's Boys A.J.3 episodes
2006–08 The Wire Michael Lee 22 episodes
2007 Cold Case Skill Jones (2002)Episode: ""8:03 AM"
2008 Law & Order Will ManningEpisode: "Driven"
2008–13 90210 Dixon Wilson 111 episodes
2016 The Breaks DeeVeeTelevision film
2016 Dinner in America with Brett Gelman HimselfTelevision special
2017 The Breaks DeeVee8 episodes
2017 Shots Fired Deputy Joshua Beck10 episodes
2018Dinner for Two [28] ChrisTelevision film
2019 Tales KayronEpisode: "Deep Cover"
2021 Swagger Alonzo Powers
2022Profiled: The Black Man [29] Host4-part documentary
Music Video
YearTitleArtistDirector
2007"Teenage Love Affair" Alicia Keys Chris Robinson
2007"Roc Boys" Jay-Z Chris Robinson
2011"How to Love"Lil Wayne Chris Robinson
2015"Hello" Adele Xavier Dolan
Web
YearTitleRoleNotes
2013Black ActressJared SmithEpisode 5

Awards and nominations

Film

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2008 Black Reel Awards Breakthrough Performance The Secret Life of BeesNominated
2019Newark International Film FestivalBest Actor in a Narrative Short [30] FifteenWon

Television

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Breakout Star: Male90210Nominated
2010 Choice TV Actor Drama Nominated
2011 ALMA Awards Favorite TV Actor – Supporting RoleNominated
2012Prism AwardDrama Series Multi-Episode Storyline – Substance UseNominated
Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode StorylineNominated
2017 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic SpecialShots FiredNominated

Music

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2014 Grammy Awards Best Urban Contemporary Album New York: A Love StoryNominated
BET Awards Best New ArtistMack WildsNominated
2017 Soul Train Music Awards Soul Train Certified AwardNominated

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Love in the 90z is a single by American recording artist Mack Wilds, released on November 24, 2015. The song was written by Elijah Blake, Salaam Remi and James Poyser, and produced by the latter two alongside new jack swing creator Teddy Riley and Scott Storch. With the music video premiering on January 16, 2016, The single was originally intended to be on Wilds's second studio album.

References

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