D-Nice
b. Derrick Jones, 19 June 1970, Bronx, New York, USA. An important member of the Boogie Down Productions' crew, Jones became the group's DJ and beatbox having befriended Scott La Rock. D-Nice finally stepped out into the solo spotlight with 1990's CALL ME D-NICE. KRS-1 kept tabs on his old partner by adding his vocals to cuts like The TR-808 Is Coming, which boasted of his familiar 808-derived sound. However, D-Nice also struck out on his own groove, straying into more commercial musical territory, and sticking to the self-aggrandisement themes of old school rappers rather than KRS-1's more socially-aware themes. There were only two exceptions: Glory, which measured the role of the black man in the American Civil War, a theme touched on in the film of the same name, and A Few Dollars More, which painted a sympathetic portrait of inner city poverty. The album gave him two number 1 US rap singles with Crumbs On The Table and the title-track, Call Me D-Nice. For his second album he invited Too Short, KRS-1, Naughty By Nature and funk guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly along for the party. Though he was branching out musically, Rhyming Skills continued the path laid by The Tr-808 Is Coming, with its bass-heavy, stomping arrangement. There were also cuts like the pro-feminist Get In Touch With Me which contrasted with the ‘bitch and ho baitin’ Check Yourself. Though he has found some commercial reward after stepping out from behind the turntable, the more pleasing aspects of his solo work remain his funk-based deck skills.