| Papa Dee | |
|---|---|
Papa Dee during an interview at Götgatsbacken, Stockholm, on 2 June 2008. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Christopher Daniel Wahlgren |
| Also known as | Papa Dee |
| Born | 13 July 1966 |
| Origin | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Genres | Rap, ragga, dancehall |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Associated acts | The Bitter Twins Stonefunkers |
| Website | Official website |
David Christopher Daniel Wahlgren (born 13 July 1966), better known by the stage name Papa Dee, is a Swedish rap, ragga and dancehall musician. His most commercially successful track is his version of the Cat Stevens song "The First Cut Is the Deepest".
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Wahlgren debuted in 1988 with the single "Funky Raggamuffin/Let the Music Play", a mixture of dancehall and hip hop. He then joined the Stonefunkers and became the group's rapper. This was followed by a few years of cooperation with Rob'n'Raz. Wahlgren then went solo, and had his breakthrough in 1990 with the album Lettin' Off Steam, which was predominantly hip hop and dancehall. His next album, One Step Ahead, had elements of soul and reggae, mixing song and rap. His 1994 release, Original Master, produced by Denniz Pop at Cheiron Studio, incorporated eurodisco into his music.
During the 1990s and 2000s he released several albums, often in cooperation with Desmond Foster and a couple with Soundism. 2001, Soundism also produced the Papa Dee song "Hottie Hottie Girls" featuring Lady Saw,[1] Jamaica's prime female dancehall star. Kent (Gillström) Isaacs also produced a couple of Papa Dee's more dared and innovative albums. One of the albums they did together was the cover album, recorded in Jamaica, with all the classical reggare-musicians like Horse-Mouth, Flabba Holt and Chinna Smith which has played on numerous classical reggae-albums. He is also a member of The Brooklyn Funk Essentials and recorded Walking Down Memory Gap Lane with David Barratt as Dubchek.
Wahlgren was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, to a Swedish mother and a Ghanaian father.[2] His father left the family when he was a small child.[3]
On 14 September 2008 Wahlgren was arrested; three days later he was charged (Swedish: Häktningbeslut) with grave assault (Swedish: grov misshandel) with bodily harm to his wife.[4][5] On 20 October 2008, a Swedish lower court found him guilty of a lesser charge of assault (Swedish: misshandel), and he was fined.[6][7][8] His wife categorically denied that maltreatment had taken place.[4][9]