Dallas Penn (September 1970 – May 1, 2024) was an American fashion designer, sneaker head, musician and internet personality.

Early life and education

Penn, a native of

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, was born in September 1970. Penn attended the

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...

before being transferred to City-As-School High School. At City-As, he got an

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

as an interior designer. Penn, according to ''Complex'', was stealing cars at the time and would sometimes drive stolen vehicles to school.

Career

Penn started his career in 1984. He gave up his hobby of collecting comic books to focus on fashion. He was said to have been a member of the

Decepticons The Decepticons are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. Serving as the main antagonists in the franchise, their goals include conquering their fictional homeworld planet Cybertron, defeating ...

gang. He was also a member of the Lo Lifes Crew, a

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

subculture who wore a considerable amount of Polo apparel. Penn was a co-host on the '' Combat Jack'' show. He was known for his early work in

Hip Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

fashion and internet streaming.

Personal life and death

Penn suffered from

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

. He was married to Susan Penn. He died on May 1, 2024, at age 53.

Rob Swift Rob Swift (born Robert Aguilar; May 14, 1972) is an American hip hop DJ and turntablist. He was an original member of the turntablist group The X-Ecutioners until 2004. Over his career, he has released numerous solo albums and collaborated w ...

paid tribute to Penn, saying "Some ... won’t realize how much of a trailblazer you were in Hip Hop... ...It was you who introduced me and many of my peers to internet streaming in the ‘90s. Thank you for your contributions to our culture. I’ll always remember your smile."

Discography

*''

63/19 ''63'' and ''19'' are mixtapes by Kool A.D, released as a double-album on February 7, 2013. The albums include collaborations with Pictureplane, Young L, SKYWLKR, Keyboard Kid, Trackademicks, Fat Tony, Mike Finito, Lakutis and Spank Rock as ...

'' Album - "Rap Genius" (ft. Lakutis, Dallas Penn, DVS, and Meyhem Lauren) (prod. Amaze 88)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Dallas 1970 births 2024 deaths American marketing people American YouTubers Hip-hop fashion Diabetes-related deaths Musicians from New York City