Daddy-O

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA, Daddy-O co-founded Stetsasonic and emerged for a period as one of hip-hop’s most influential voices, often recalled affectionately as the genre’s equivalent of Quincy Jones. While still active in the group he supported community efforts tied to the A.F.R.I.C.A. programme, an anti-apartheid album accompanied by a study guide, and he also addressed audiences at multiple college seminars. After Stetsasonic disbanded in 1990 he received remix assignments for swingbeat staples including Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” and Chanté Moore’s “Love’s Taken Over.” Commissions soon followed from an eclectic roster—Jeffrey Osborne, Third World, They Might Be Giants and the Red Hot Chili Peppers among them—alongside more typical hip-hop clients such as K9, Queen Latifah and Audio Two. He simultaneously created advertising jingles for Casio Electronics, Alka Seltzer and Pepsi. His first solo album, promoted by the single “Brooklyn Bounce,” revived the playful old-school ingenuity that had largely vanished from rap, albeit updated for the nineties; an earlier, more politically focused version had been completed yet was ultimately shelved in favor of the release that reached the public.