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DeVante Swing

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DeVanté Swing
DeVante Swing (center right) with Jodeci
Born
Donald Earle DeGrate Jr.

(1969-09-29) September 29, 1969 (age 55)
Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
Years active1987–present
Children2
RelativesDalvin DeGrate (brother)
Musical career
OriginCharlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Formerly of

Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, which includes his younger brother Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate.[1] DeVante Swing also created Swing Mob, which consisted of various artists he discovered and mentored, such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, Ginuwine, Static Major with Playa, Darryl Pearson, Tweet, Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others.

Career

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At age 16, DeVanté Swing traveled to Minneapolis, hoping to visit Paisley Park in order to audition for Prince.[2][3] Swing would later say, "I was up at Paisley Park every day begging for a job, asking people to listen to my tape. The receptionist kept saying she couldn't help me".[4] The rejection motivated Swing to relocate back to North Carolina, and work to improve his songwriting and production skills.[5]

In his early career, Swing served as a mix engineer, while simultaneously producing for other acts. He mixed and engineered Hi-Five's 1990 single "I Just Can't Handle It", along with its accompanying remixes. Swing rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founding member of the R&B group Jodeci, which he formed with his younger brother Dalvin DeGrate, and singers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, and Joel "JoJo" Hailey.[6] Swing served as the group's leader, and primary songwriter and producer.

Swing founded the musical collective Swing Mob in 1991, which was joined by then-unknown regional acts including Timbaland & Magoo, Tweet, Missy Elliott,[7] Ginuwine, Stevie J and Static Major. He is also credited as a video director for Jodeci, co-directing the videos for "Feenin'" with Hype Williams and "Freek'n You" with Brett Ratner. Swing has also mentored Florida-based rapper Flo Rida[8] in the early stages of his career.

Discography

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Main article: DeVante Swing production discography
Main article: Jodeci discography

References

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  1. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003). All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 368. ISBN 9780879307448. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Bogdanov, Val (2003). All Music Guide to Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 368. ISBN 978-0-87930-744-8. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  3. ^ "About jodeci". mtv.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  4. ^ S, Danyel (August 1, 1995). "Tuff love". Vibe magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2015 – via Google Books. I was up at Paisly Park...[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Smith, D. (Aug 1995). "Tuff love". books.google.com/. Vibe Media Group. Retrieved March 2, 2015. ...So I took my ass...[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Hill, Tanaja (July 3, 2016). "Will There Be A Jodeci Biopic?". The Source. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Bezdecheck, Bethany (15 January 2009). Missy Elliott. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. p. 14. ISBN 9781435857131. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Concepcion, Mariel. "Flo Rida". Billboard. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
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