D-Nice carved out an enduring role in hip-hop lore through his tenure in Boogie Down Productions, the storied crew anchored by mentor Scott La Rock and KRS-One. Transforming verses he had originally laid down for the early BDP cut “D-Nice Rocks the House,” the DJ, producer, and rapper delivered his own unmistakable rap landmark with the polished, groove-driven, self-helmed “Call Me D-Nice” in 1990. The single climbed into the Top 20 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart and later supplied the backbone for Ice Cube’s “Jackin’ for Beats.” Following a pair of Jive LPs plus scattered production, remix, and guest work, D-Nice withdrew from recording by the mid-’90s, subsequently earning acclaim as a highly sought photographer and DJ.
Raised in Harlem until relocating to the Bronx in childhood, Derrick “D-Nice” Jones was just 15 when he first encountered DJ Scott La Rock and entered Boogie Down Productions. The outfit, assembled in 1986, made its bow that year with “South Bronx,” which credited La Rock, Blastmaster KRS-One, and D-Nice. Although the markedly younger D-Nice received no official recognition for his earliest BDP input—hence the nicknames “the Human TR-808” and “the 808,” nodding to the Roland drum machine—his standing rose sharply once he and KRS-One crafted the Stop the Violence Movement’s “Self-Destruction.” The consciousness-raising charity track for the National Urban League assembled an all-star roster of New York MCs and reached number 30 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart in 1989. By then D-Nice had secured a solo contract with Jive, the same label behind BDP and the Stop the Violence Movement, and had even assisted fledgling BDP opener Kid Rock in obtaining his own deal.
Barely out of his teens, D-Nice unveiled his solo debut, Call Me D-Nice, in 1990. He produced or co-produced every track, most prominently the signature title cut, which entered the Black Singles chart in August and peaked at number 19; the parent album itself reached number 75 on Top Pop Albums and number 12 on Top Black Albums. BDP’s Edutainment arrived around the same moment and became the final studio LP from the group to feature D-Nice. In 1991 he returned with To tha Rescue, which charted at number 137 on the pop side and number 27 on R&B, offering a harder-edged set built around greater live instrumentation and featuring KRS, Naughty by Nature, and Too $hort among its guests. Over the ensuing years D-Nice contributed in various capacities to recordings by Shabba Ranks and Queen Latifah, the Flavor Unit MCs, Hi-Five, and Nuttin’ Nyce.
After friction with Jive over artistic direction and a short-lived attempt at his own label, D-Nice severed ties with the commercial music industry, at least as a recording artist. He rebuilt his career as a web developer later in the ’90s, founded a creative services company in 2000, and thereafter established himself as a high-profile photographer whose credits include album covers for Pharoahe Monch and Kenny Lattimore. He also landed major DJ engagements centered on classic R&B and hip-hop, handling private parties, President Barack Obama’s 2012 inaugural ball, Oscar galas, and the Essence Festival. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, his Instagram Live “Club Quarantine” sessions drew more than 100,000 simultaneous viewers. In 2021 he released the singles “No Plans for Love” featuring Ne-Yo and “Rather Be” featuring Kiana Lede, ahead of a forthcoming full-length project. ~ Andy Kellman
