Dalvin Ertimus DeGrate (born July 23, 1971, in Hampton, Virginia) is an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

musician, singer and

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, best known for his days as Mr. Dalvin, one-quarter of the R&B group

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...

Career

The rapper for the group, DeGrate rarely sang lead on Jodeci tracks, although he has production and songwriting credits on '' Diary of A Mad Band'' and ''

The Show, The After Party, The Hotel ''The Show, the After-Party, the Hotel'' is the third studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released July 18, 1995, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album was recorded at Dajhelon Studios in Rochester, New York.Jod ...

''. He occasionally played drums onstage. He released his first solo album, ''Met.A.Mor.Phic'', on April 18, 2000, with the single "Why Can't We". He moved to

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

, and recorded his second album, ''Met.A.Mor.Phic 2: The Rivalry of a Singer and A Rapper'', with appearances by

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

, Redman,

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

. The album was due to be released in 2010, but he decided to leave Def Jam and form his own label, DeGrate Productions, after a dispute. In 2012 he announced he was working on an album called "Egomaniac", but it has been shelved. In 2014 DeGrate set up a new record label with music executive Cassandra Mills, called Christo Chrome Music. In 2017 he released a single called "Vindication (Get Money) feat GOODZ", he also did a video for this single, a new album is yet to come in 2018.

Family

DeGrate has a brother,

Devante Swing Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. He is the older brother of fellow Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate. Career In his ea ...

, born Donald DeGrate, Jr. They toured as Gospel singers before they joined with JoJo Hailey and K-Ci Hailey (born Cedric Hailey), forming Jodeci. and a younger brother Derick DeGrate

Discography

with Jodeci * ''

Forever My Lady ''Forever My Lady'' is the debut studio album by American R&B quartet Jodeci, released May 28, 1991, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Background The album's production and composition was largely attributed to DeVante Swing, who worked along ...

'' (1991) * '' Diary of a Mad Band'' (1993) * ''

The Show, the After Party, the Hotel ''The Show, the After-Party, the Hotel'' is the third studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released July 18, 1995, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album was recorded at Dajhelon Studios in Rochester, New York.Jod ...

'' (1995) * '' The Past, The Present, The Future'' (2015) Solo albums * '' Met.A.Mor.Phic'' (2000)

References

External links

* Record producers from North Carolina American soul singers Jodeci members Living people Singer-songwriters from Virginia 1971 births Musicians from Hampton, Virginia African-American male songwriters 21st-century African-American male singers {{music-producer-stub