Danny Rodriguez
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Danny "D-Boy" Rodriguez (November 10, 1967 - October 6, 1990), was a Christian rap artist.
Rodriguez saw rap music as a vehicle to reach inner-city youth in Dallas, Texas through the "Street Church Academy", a ministry founded in the Buckner Terrace area of Dallas in 1983 by his parents, former drug addicts Demi and Irma "Cookie" Rodriguez. The ministry was focused on anti-gang activities as well as fighting drug addictions among those who attended. Danny had been the Academy's first graduate.
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[edit] Debut album
Rodriguez was signed to Frontline Records, who released his debut album "Plantin' a Seed" in 1989. Christian blue-eyed soul singer Tim Miner was instrumental in creating the album in a technical role as well as assisting with songwriting, playing various instruments and singing background vocals on the disc. His future wife Cindy Cruse also sang backing vocals.
[edit] Second album
Rodriguez' second album, 1990's "Lyrical Strength of One Street Poet" (street poet was Rodriguez' preferred term for himself rather than 'rapper') was one of the first in Christian rap to make extensive use of sampling, using soundbites from Paul Reubens AKA Pee-Wee Herman ("Nobody hipped me to that, dude..") and Bill Cosby ("Read your Bible..Bible states") along with musical elements from Sly and the Family Stone, Steve Miller Band, The Isley Brothers amongst others. The album also has an early appearance on backing vocals by Nicole Bruce, who after marrying Christian rocker David Mullen would go on to greater recognition as Nicole Mullen.
[edit] Death
Rodriguez died in 1990 after being shot upon leaving his East Dallas apartment. As yet, there has been no official motive released for the shooting; according to his mother: "They say it was everything from mistaken identity to a robbery attempt, but nobody really knows."[1]As a tribute to her late son, Cookie renamed Street Church Academy as the "D-Boy Community Center" after his death. "Lyrical Strength.." was completed just one week before D-Boy's death and was released in November 1990.
[edit] After his death
His final album, 1993's "Peace to the Poet", was a collection of outtakes and other scraps put out by his label posthumously. His sister, Genie, began recording rap music herself to carry on his legacy as MC Gee Gee.
Fellow musicians Corey Red and Precise dedicated the song "Martyr's Anthem" to him. It is found on the 2004 CD, "Resistance Iz Futile". On April 28, 2006, his mother was in attendance as a concert in West Oak Cliff was held to mark the release of a Christian rap CD entitled "The Fallen Soldier Compilation : A Tribute To D-Boy" that pays tribute to her son.[1]
[edit] Discography
- Plantin' a Seed (Frontline 1989)
- The Lyrical Strength of One Street Poet (Frontline 1990)
- Peace to the Poet (Frontline 1993)
