Ralph Anwan Glover (born May 5, 1971) is an American rapper, actor, model, DJ, and founding member of the D.C.-based go-go band "BackYard Band" (also abbreviated as "BYB"). Glover is also known for his portrayal of

Slim Charles Slim Charles is a fictional character in the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Anwan Glover. An enforcer for the Barksdale Organization and later the top lieutenant of kingpin Proposition Joe, he is portrayed as principled, loyal, and competen ...

in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

crime-drama television series ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

''.

Career

Glover first gained local fame as a teenager in 1992 (some sources say 1988) as one of the founding members of the BackYard Band. He is described as the leader of the band, and credited as its "lead talker." The band got its start, according to its website, "beating on buckets." Glover stated that the band members learned much of their craft from go-go godfather

Chuck Brown Charles Louis Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist, bandleader, and singer known as " The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C., area in the mid-1970s. While ...

, who mentored them when they started out. The band still regularly performs in the D.C. area, has toured East Coast locations including New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Miami, and has released five albums; one, '' Hood Related,'' debuted at number 69 on the

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

R&B albums chart on November 22, 1997. In February and March 2018, the band toured Ghana, bringing D.C.'s go-go music back to Africa. Explaining the band's longevity, Glover said, "Most important, we realized early on that we had a special kind of chemistry — we liked it and our fans like it — and we refused to mess with it. Other bands chose to switch members in and out but that only messed with the sound and the vibe." Glover made his acting debut in late 2003 as

in the HBO television series ''The Wire''. He has also appeared in music videos, such as

Boyz n da Hood Boyz n da Hood was an Americans, American Southern hip hop, Southern gangsta rap hip hop group, group from Atlanta, Georgia. They were formerly signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records and consisted of Jeezy, Young Jeezy, Jody Breeze, Gorilla Zoe, ...

's "Dem Boyz" and

Wale Wale or WALE may refer to: Places * Wale, Devon, a hamlet in England * Wale, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, a village in Poland People * Wale (surname) *Wale (rapper), stage name of American rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin Radio and televisi ...

's "Chillin", among others. He hosted a nightly radio show on 93.9

WKYS WKYS (93.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., United States. The station is owned by Urban One through licensee Radio One Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format. It is co-owned with W ...

-FM radio in the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

. Glover starred in three episodes of the first season of the HBO television series '' Treme'' as a convicted killer named Keevon White. He also speaks to youth in the Washington metropolitan region, and has been accepted in the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...

. He has been working on a film titled ''Shoedog'' since 2009. It is written by author and ''The Wire'' contributor

George Pelecanos George P. Pelecanos (born February 18, 1957) is an American author, producer and television writer. Many of his 20 books are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. On television, he frequently co ...

Personal life

Glover reportedly (in 2016) had six children, and a wife whose name he had not made public. On August 26, 2007, Glover's brother Tayon was shot to death in Columbia Heights. Glover addressed the press, along with D.C. mayor

Adrian Fenty Adrian Malik Fenty (born December 6, 1970) is an American politician who served as the mayor of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2011. A Washington, D.C. native, Fenty graduated from Oberlin College and Howard University Law School, then ser ...

, saying that "we're tired of seeing the yellow olicetape" and calling for an end to revenge shootings. He also stated that he has been shot 13 times. On August 3, 2014, Glover was beaten and stabbed at a nightclub in downtown Washington, D.C. The injuries were non-life-threatening. In August 2022, Glover's 29-year-old son Kavon Glover was killed in a shooting in

Upper Marlboro, Maryland Upper Marlboro, officially the Town of Upper Marlboro, is the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population within the town limits was 652, although Greater Upper ...

Awards and recognition

Glover received an

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

Youth Leadership Award in 2004. He received the key to the city for Washington, D.C., on November 20, 2007, which was proclaimed Anwan Glover Day. He was recognized by a "DMV Honors Anwan Glover" event at Washington's

Howard Theatre The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., has been a pillar of the community since its opening in 1910. This historic venue, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, show ...

on January 18, 2014. He has been named an outstanding spokesman to youth for HIV/AIDS awareness.

Discography

Albums

*''We Like it Raw'' (with the BackYard Band, 1995) *'' Hood Related'' (with the BackYard Band, 1997) *''Skillet'' (with the BackYard Band, 1999) *''Street Antidote'' (with the BackYard Band, 2016) *''Triple Threat''

Singles

*''The Dippa'' (2001) *''

Hello Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich Cou ...

'' (2015)

Filmography

Films

*'' DC Noir'' (2019) *'' Prospect'' (2018) *''179th Street'' (announced) (2017) *''Desiree'' (2015) *'' Jamesy Boy'' (2014) *''

12 Years a Slave ''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., whe ...

'' (2013) *'' LUV'' (2012) *''Dead Money'' (2012) *''Misunderstandings'' (2009) *''

Divided City ''Divided City'' is a novel written by Theresa Breslin and published on 5 May 2005 by Doubleday. The novel is written for teenagers and adults concerning the problems of sectarianism in Glasgow and racism against asylum seekers.

'' (2003)

Television

*'' We Own This City'' (2022) - Fat Charles EP1 Black Driver *'' The Deuce'' (2017-2019) *''

Scream Queens A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...

'' (2015) *'' Unsung'' (2015) *''68 Square Miles'' (documentary) (2014) *'' Elementary'' (2013) *'' Treme'' (2010) *'' Ugly Betty (TV series) (2009)'' *'' American Gangster'' (2008) *'' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2007) *''

'' (2004-2008)

References

External links

Bio from HBO
* *
Panel discussion: OTHERtone with Pharrell, Scott, and Fam-Lay - A Go-go Celebration with Big G, Kacey, and Lil Chris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glover, Anwan 1971 births Living people American funk musicians American male television actors American shooting survivors Male actors from Washington, D.C. Go-go musicians 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians