Dana Dane

Born in New York, rap artist Dana Dane fused playful rhymes with an affinity for fashion. Tracks including "Cinderfella Dana Dane," "A Little Bit of Dane Tonight," and "Tales From the Dane Side" confirmed his stature as a formidable emcee, while his clothing preferences prompted him to launch IV Plai Boutique; although the store later closed, he persisted in drawing notice through his singular ensembles.

Raised inside Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Walt Whitman housing project, he first revealed his gifts in Kongol Crew, the rap outfit he assembled with Slick Rick, a classmate from the High School of Music and Arts. Following high-school graduation he pursued a solo route, securing a contract with Profile Records in 1985. Early single "Nightmare" supplied initial signs of promise, yet commercial breakthrough arrived with the 1987 album Dana Dane With Fame, which attained gold status; further releases Dana Dane 4 Ever in 1990 and Rollin' Wit Dane in 1995 sustained his momentum. During a late-’90s conversation he characterized his style as "writing stories that have chronological depth as well as moral values."