D-Nice

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = D-Nice

| image = D-NiceJun05.jpg

| caption = D-Nice in 2005

| birth_name = Derrick T. Jones{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/370483362 |title=GET IN TOUCH WITH ME |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=April 28, 2023}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|6|19}}

| birth_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.

| origin = The Bronx, New York City, U.S.

| genre = Hip hop

| occupation = {{hlist|Disc jockey|record producer|rapper|beatboxer|photographer}}

| years_active = 1986–present

| label = {{hlist|Roc Nation|Jive|Violator}}

| past_member_of = Boogie Down Productions

| website = {{url|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.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p24|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: D-Nice|last=Kellman|first=Andy|website=AllMusic|access-date=May 4, 2010}} He discovered Kid Rock in 1988, landing him a deal with Jive Records.

Life and career

Jones was born and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.{{cite web|author=Andy Kellman|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/d-nice-mn0000140270|title=D-Nice|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=June 11, 2020}} 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. 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.

Soon after the song released, D-Nice signed a solo deal with Jive Records and released his debut studio album called Call Me D-Nice in 1990. 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. 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.

D-Nice clashed with Jive Records over his stylistic direction and soon stopped releasing music as a recording artist. In 1996, his first daughter, Ashli Lyric Jones, was born.{{Cite web |url=http://photos.essence.com/galleries/malinda_williams_wedding_photos_the_ceremony#42682 |title=Essence.com: Derrick Jones posed with his new family |access-date=August 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224062828/http://photos.essence.com/galleries/malinda_williams_wedding_photos_the_ceremony#42682 |archive-date=February 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web|url=http://instagram.com/p/wwkKdYHUMr/?modal=true |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/wwkKdYHUMr |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|title = 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…"|website=Instagram.com}}{{cbignore}}

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 BetterCarl Thomas – So Much Better (CD liner notes). Bungalo Records. 02097 01182 and Pharoahe Monch's 2011 album W.A.R. (We Are Renegades).{{cite web|last1=Bark|first1=Theo|title=Photosynthesis With D-Nice: A History of Hip-Hop Photography|url=http://theboombox.com/photosynthesis-with-d-nice-a-history-of-hip-hop-photography/|website=The Boombox|publisher=theboombox.com|access-date=June 8, 2014}} He also photographed the album cover for Kenny Lattimore's 2017 album, Vulnerable.{{cite web|title=Kenny Lattimore To Get 'Vulnerable' On New Album As He Reveals Cover Art & Tracklist|url=http://www.soulbounce.com/2017/09/kenny-lattimore-get-vulnerable/|website=soulbounce.com|publisher=Kimberly Shines Media|access-date=March 24, 2018}}

File:MalindaWilliamsD-NiceJun06.jpg]]

In August 2008, he married actress Malinda Williams, but the couple separated in October 2009. In February 2010, the couple filed for divorce{{Cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/2010/02/malinda-x-d-nice-we-wanted-one-last|title=Malinda x D-Nice: We Wanted This One To Last|date=February 24, 2010|website=Vibe.com|access-date=February 14, 2020}} 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."{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/adriennegibbs/2020/03/21/dj-d-nice-hosts-an-ig-live-uplift-coronavirus-party-and-everybody-shows-up/#5e9c8777229c|title= DJ D-Nice Hosts An IG Live Social Distancing Uplift Party And Everybody Shows Up|work=Forbes}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2020/03/dj-d-nice-instagram-social-distancing-party|title=Rihanna, Dwyane Wade, Bernie Sanders, and More Attend DJ D-Nice's Virtual 'Social Distancing Dance Party'|work=Complex}} The following day, March 22, his stream capped at over 150,000 simultaneous viewers.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} D-Nice won the 2020 Webby Award for Artist of the Year in the category Special Achievement.{{cite web |last1=Kastrenakes |first1=Jacob |title=Here are all the winners of the 2020 Webby Awards |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/20/21263445/2020-webby-awards-winners-lil-nas-x-nasa-jon-krasinski |website=The Verge |access-date=May 22, 2020 |language=en |date=May 20, 2020}} 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.{{Cite web|title=BET Awards Highlight: BET Awards 2020 Shine a Light Award Honorees|url=https://www.bet.com/bet-awards/video-clips/d4u2bf/bet-awards-2020-bet-awards-2020-shine-a-light-award-honorees|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=BET.com}}

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|date=June 2021}}