DeVante Swing
DeVanté Swing | |
|---|---|
 DeVante Swing (center right) as part of "Da Bassment Cru" | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. |
| Born | September 29, 1969 Hampton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Origin | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
| Member of | |
Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. He is the older brother of fellow Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate.[1]
Career
In his early career, Swing served as a mix engineer, while simultaneously producing for other acts. He mix-engineered Hi-Five’s "I Just Can't Handle It" as well as producing several remixes for the track. Swing rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founding member of the R&B group Jodeci, one of the most notable R&B acts of all time.[2] Swing served as the main songwriter, producer and leader of the group. Jodeci also featured his younger brother Dalvin DeGrate. Swing is also credited for discovering several groundbreaking acts such as Timbaland, Missy Elliott,[3] Ginuwine, Stevie J and Static Major. He is also credited as a video director for Jodeci, co-directing the videos for "Feenin'" with the legendary Hype Williams and "Freek'n You" with Brett Ratner.
Swing also mentored Flo Rida[4] in the early stages of his career.
Discography
- Forever My Lady (1991)
- Diary of a Mad Band (1993)
- The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995)
- The Past, the Present, the Future (2015)
References
- ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003). All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 368. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Hill, Tanaja (July 3, 2016). "Will There Be A Jodeci Biopic?". The Source. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Bezdecheck, Bethany (15 January 2009). Missy Elliott. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. p. 14. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Concepcion, Mariel. "Flo Rida". Billboard. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
External links
- Devante Swing Interview with Sterlen Roberts
- James T. Jones IV (March 10, 1992). "Jodeci throws its voice into the doo-wop". USA Today, p. 4D
- DeVante Swing biography at AllMusic
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
 | This biographical article related to hip hop music in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Record producers from Virginia
- American soul singers
- Jodeci members
- Living people
- American hip hop singers
- Singer-songwriters from Virginia
- Musicians from Hampton, Virginia
- 1969 births
- African-American male songwriters
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- American hip hop biography stubs