Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater will soon pulse with the energy of music, nostalgia, and community as hip-hop pioneer D-Nice celebrates the 5th anniversary of his groundbreaking “Club Quarantine” with two star-studded shows on March 22. The event marks a full-circle moment for the Bronx-born artist, bringing his virtual pandemic-era phenomenon back to the cultural heart of New York. Radio/TV personality Jazmyn Summers caught up with the MC for Radio One for a conversation on the event, his journey, hip hop, surviving the LA fires and whether he’s single or not.
CLUB QUARANTINE IS CELEBRATING ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE APOLLO THEATER. WHAT DOES THIS MOMENT MEAN TO YOU?
D-NICE: I’m excited. The whole point of it is to bring it back to the Apollo because they’ve been extremely supportive of pretty much everything that I’ve done as a DJ and as an artist. To bring it back home to Harlem, where I was born in Harlem Hospital—it means a lot. I’m bringing some friends, everyone from De La Soul, Case, Shirley Jones of the Jones Girls, Rakim, Raheem DeVaughn, to Lisa Lisa, Tracie Spencer, Deborah Cox , Melba Moore, Kenny Burns hosted by Donnie Wahlberg. There’s too many to name. them all. We are truly going to party and celebrate the community that we’ve built within the last five years.
LOOKING BACK, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE CLUB QUARANTINE WOULD BECOME WHAT IT IS TODAY?
D-NICE: No. You could never predict how something like that would do. I started it just trying to stay connected to people while living in Los Angeles. I would play music, tell a couple of stories, and then it became something bigger. But really, music was secondary to what was happening. It was about the conversations, the chats that people were having, seeing people that they hadn’t seen in forever. Like, ‘wait, you’re in here too’?. Or meeting people for the first time. Most people have never been in a room with Michelle Obama, but we were in these virtual spaces and we were all equal. . That’s what made it special.
STAY INFORMED! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!
WHAT DO YOU THINK CLUB QUARANTINE GAVE TO PEOPLE DURING THAT TIME?
D-NICE: Some people look at that time as a very sad time, which it was. But the bright spot about that whole experience was we got back to being humans. Everybody was the same. We showed love to each other. And that’s the same energy I try to bring to every show, whether it’s at the Apollo or anywhere else. It’s always about love and community.
YOU HAVE A LONG HISTORY IN HIP-HOP. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HOW THE GENRE HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?
D-NICE: With change, there are good and bad things. A lot of people from my generation didn’t make a lot of money. We were doing it for the love of the culture and the love of music. Now, hip-hop is corporate and mainstream, and I’m happy for the brothers and sisters out there doing it—providing for their families and creating opportunities for others. But at the same time, when everyone is doing the same thing, it loses its uniqueness. You don’t hear as much variety anymore. Back then, we had balance—party records, storytelling, socially conscious music. Today, I just wish more of that side of hip-hop was mainstream.
YOU’VE SAID THERE’S A DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR WORK IN THE ’80S AND CLUB QUARANTINE. HOW SO?
D-NICE: There’s no CQ without ‘Self-Destruction.’ Producing that song when I was 17 was about doing something good for people through music. And that’s the same energy I brought to Club Quarantine. It was about bringing people together, giving them something positive during a hard time. That’s the foundation of who I am.
WHY DID THEY CALL YOU THE 808 BACK IN THE DAY?
The human TR 8 0 8 is what they called me when I first started in hip hop. I wasn’t an mc at that time. I was just a human beatbox. So think of Dougie Fresh, but the cheap version of Dougie. They called me that since I was a beatbox, the human TR 8 0 8, which is a drum machine. But those times were extremely important times to me. I produced self-destruction when I was 17 years old, so I was a young kid who was really inspired by the culture
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE.
STAY INFORMED! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!
IN ADDITION TO MUSIC, YOU’RE ALSO A PHOTOGRAPHER AND A SELF-TAUGHT WEB DEVELOPER. WHAT DREW YOU TO THOSE CREATIVE PATHS?
D-NICE: I started learning web development in the late ’90s. One of my buddies had a business, and I used to sit over their shoulders and watch them program. I taught myself how to code. Around the same time, I got into photography. Seeing Gordon Parks’ work was life-changing for me. He was still documenting culture well into his 70s, and I thought, ‘I want to do that.’ I’ve been fortunate enough to capture a lot of important moments in hip-hop—like photographing Kendrick Lamar inside Nickerson Gardens when he was just 16 or 17. I love telling stories in different ways.
SPEAKING OF STORYTELLING, YOU HAVE A BOOK AND DOCUMENTARY IN THE WORKS. WHAT CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS?
D-NICE: We’re working on a book and a documentary about the role of music in difficult times. It’s not just a Club Quarantine documentary—it’s about how, when the world needed some uplifting, music did that. The energy of that moment was something powerful, and I want to capture that story.
YOU EXPERIENCED THE LA FIRES FIRSTHAND. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
D-NICE: I could see one of the fires from my roof deck, and we had to evacuate. That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do—preparing to say goodbye to everything in my home. It was a moment of pure sadness. But when they got the fire under control, I just wanted to do something good for the people affected.
AND YOU DID—YOU HELPED RAISE A LOT OF MONEY FOR FIRE RELIEF, RIGHT?
D-NICE: Yes. I did a Club Quarantine IG Live from will.i.am’s studio and we raised $300,000 for the Annenberg Foundation. That money went directly to help people affected by the fires and to first responders. Even though I’m a New York guy, I love LA, and it felt good to be able to give back to a community that I’ve been a part of.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE.
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR SIGNATURE LOOK. YOU’RE RARELY SEEN WITHOUT A HAT. WHY?
D-NICE: It actually started by accident! When we shot the cover for Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded, I had cut Scott La Rock’s hair, and it was so bad that we had to cover it up with hats. The hat looked good. And from then on, hats just became part of my look!
AND NOW YOU HAVE YOUR OWN HAT LINE!
D-NICE: Yeah, it’s funny how things come full circle. During Club Quarantine, I always wore wide-brimmed hats, and people started asking about them. It became a whole thing. Now I have my own line, and it’s dope to see people rocking them.
FANS ARE CURIOUS—ARE YOU STILL WITH THE BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS JENNIFER FREEMAN OR CAN THEY SLIDE INTO YOUR DMS?
D-NICE: (Laughs) No DMs. No sliding in the DMs. But they can definitely join the party and have some fun.
DOES THAT MEAN YOU’RE OFF THE MARKET FOR GOOD?
D-NICE: I’m happy. And love is amazing. That’s what I will say. Being with the right person feels really good, but I’ve learned to keep my personal life private
WHAT’S YOUR WORST HABIT?
D-NICE: I’m addicted to music and photography. That is a really bad habit of mine. I can play a show for thousands of people, leave, come home, and jump on Instagram to play more music.
THAT’S NOT A BAD HABIT!
D-NICE: (Laughs) Okay, okay. A real bad habit? I bite my nails. I’ve been trying to stop, but yeah, it’s terrible.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
D-NICE: More storytelling, more music, and continuing to build community. Whether it’s through Club Quarantine, my photography, my book, or whatever’s next, I just want to create meaningful things that bring people together.
For those lucky enough to experience the Club Quarantine 5th anniversary celebration, March 22 will be more than just a concert. It will be a testament to the enduring spirit of an artist who has never stopped pushing boundaries—and to the people who have danced with him through it all.
Interview
by Jazmyn Summers. You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz . Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
HEAD TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM HOMEPAGE