# D-Nice
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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Nice
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{{short description|American DJ, record producer, and rapper (born 1970)}}
{{distinguish|Desus Nice}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{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](/source/Manhattan), [New York City](/source/New_York_City), U.S.
| origin = [The Bronx](/source/The_Bronx), [New York City](/source/New_York_City), U.S.
| genre = [Hip hop](/source/Hip_hop_music)
| occupation = {{hlist|Disc jockey|record producer|rapper|[beatboxer](/source/Beatboxing)|photographer}}
| years_active = 1986–present
| label = {{hlist|[Roc Nation](/source/Roc_Nation)|[Jive](/source/Jive_Records)|[Violator](/source/Violator_(company))}}
| past_member_of = [Boogie Down Productions](/source/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](/source/Hip_hop_music) group [Boogie Down Productions](/source/Boogie_Down_Productions).[{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p24|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: D-Nice|last=Kellman|first=Andy|website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=May 4, 2010}}] He discovered [KRS-One](/source/KRS-One) in 1988, landing him a deal with [Jive Records](/source/Jive_Records).
== Life and career ==
Jones was born and raised in the [Harlem](/source/Harlem) neighborhood of [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan), [New York City](/source/New_York_City).[{{cite web|author=Andy Kellman|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/d-nice-mn0000140270|title=D-Nice|publisher=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=June 11, 2020}}] He later moved to [The Bronx](/source/The_Bronx) as a teenager. At age 15, it was there that he met [Scott La Rock](/source/Scott_La_Rock) and later formed [Boogie Down Productions](/source/Boogie_Down_Productions) along with [KRS-One](/source/KRS-One) in 1986.[{{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](/source/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](/source/Carl_Thomas_(singer))' 2007 album ''[So Much Better](/source/So_Much_Better_(album))''[Carl Thomas – So Much Better (CD liner notes). Bungalo Records. 02097 01182] and [Pharoahe Monch](/source/Pharoahe_Monch)'s 2011 album ''[W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)](/source/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](/source/Kenny_Lattimore)'s 2017 album, ''[Vulnerable](/source/Vulnerable_(Kenny_Lattimore_album))''.[{{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|thumb|D-Nice with [Malinda Williams](/source/Malinda_Williams)]]
In August 2008, he married actress [Malinda Williams](/source/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 2012, D-Nice DJed President [Barack Obama](/source/Barack_Obama)'s second [inaugural ball](/source/United_States_presidential_inaugural_balls).[{{Cite web |last=Ju |first=Shirley |date=2020-03-29 |title=How DJ D-Nice’s Club Quarantine Became an Isolation Sensation |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/dj-d-nice-club-quarantine-rihanna-michelle-obama-interview-1203541666/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}]
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](/source/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](/source/Forbes)|date=Mar 21, 2020|last=Gibbs|first=Adrienne}}] It drew over 100,000 viewers, including [Rihanna](/source/Rihanna), [Lenny Kravitz](/source/Lenny_Kravitz), [Nile Rodgers](/source/Nile_Rodgers), [Lalah Hathaway](/source/Lalah_Hathaway), [Bernie Sanders](/source/Bernie_Sanders), [Joe Biden](/source/Joe_Biden), [Dwyane Wade](/source/Dwyane_Wade), [Janet Jackson](/source/Janet_Jackson), [Fab Five Freddy](/source/Fab_Five_Freddy), [Michelle Obama](/source/Michelle_Obama), [Mark Zuckerberg](/source/Mark_Zuckerberg), [Donnie Wahlberg](/source/Donnie_Wahlberg), [Angela Bassett](/source/Angela_Bassett), and [Sheila E.](/source/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 160,000 simultaneous viewers.[{{Cite web |last=Morgan |first=David |date=2020-03-23 |title=DJ D-Nice leads virtual dance parties on Instagram Live: "Music has always been a great escape" - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dj-d-nice-leads-virtual-dance-parties-instagram-live-coronavirus-quarantine-2020-03-23/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}] D-Nice won the [2020 Webby Award](/source/2020_Webby_Awards) 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](/source/BET_Awards_2020) for his contributions of ''Club Quarantine,'' alongside co-recipients with ''[Verzuz](/source/Verzuz)'' creators [Timbaland](/source/Timbaland) and [Swizz Beatz](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Instagram), and he has additionally sold out in-person DJ sets at the [Kennedy Center](/source/Kennedy_Center) and [Carnegie Hall](/source/Carnegie_Hall).[{{Cite web |last=Yu |first=Mallory |date=2025-03-12 |title=Revisiting Club Quarantine, DJ D-Nice's dance party |url=https://www.kdlg.org/2025-03-12/revisiting-club-quarantine-dj-d-nices-dance-party |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=KDLG |language=en}}] In June 2024, D-Nice received a "[cultural icon](/source/cultural_icon)" award from the Bronx Community Foundation at the organization's inaugural gala, alongside [poet](/source/poet) and actor [Caridad de la Luz](/source/Caridad_de_la_Luz) and former [deputy mayor](/source/deputy_mayor) of [New York City](/source/New_York_City) [Sheena Wright](/source/Sheena_Wright).[{{Cite web |date=July 2, 2024 |title=Heroes of the community |url=https://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/heroes-of-the-community/ |website=New York Social Diary}}][{{Cite web |date=2024-09-03 |title=PHOTOS {{!}} The Bronx Community Foundation Inaugural Gala - The Bronx Community Foundation |url=https://thebronx.org/photos-the-bronx-community-foundation-inaugural-gala/ |access-date=2026-03-15 |language=en-US}}] As of March 2025, a [documentary](/source/Documentary_film) about D-Nice is being developed.