Pidgeon John

John Kenneth Dust (born John Kenneth Dunkin: November 30, 1972), better known by the stage name Pigeon John, is an American rapper based in Los Angeles, California. He is a former member of L.A. Symphony.

Early life

Pigeon John claims that his stage name was provided by Jesus who was driving around Inglewood: "He hopped out and handed me a dead pigeon. He whispered, 'Please have a good time, you're really bumming me out.' I watched him sink back into the cushioned seats and drive, quickly away. And that's when it happened, the pigeon started shaking violently and became awake, picked up and flew away. I don't think I had a choice... it was 'pigeon' or die." He later explained that he was discussing his need for a stage name with a friend when the friend suggested "Chicken John", taken from the character Chicken George in ''Roots''. The friend's mother then interjected that John didn't look like a chicken, claiming that he looked like a pigeon and should therefore be called "Pigeon John".

Career

In the early 1990s, Pigeon John and his childhood friend B-Twice formed the hip-hop duo Brainwash Projects. Brainwash Projects contributed the single "Muchas Muchachas" to the Christian rap compilation "Sanktifunctafyd" released by N-Soul Records in 1995. Brainwash Projects eventually released a record titled ''The Rise and Fall of Brainwash Projects'' on the independent label Jackson Rubio.the rise and fall of the BRAINWASH PROJECTS
. Published by Jackson Rubio. Available through the Internet Archive. One reviewer characterized ''The Rise and Fall'' as "pure, uncut, holy hip-hop" but gave mixed reviews of its beats and lyrics.

Between 1997 and 2000, Pigeon John recorded the songs that became his first solo album, ''Is Clueless''. The album was released in 2001 by The Telephone Company and then re-released in 2002 by The Telephone Company/Syntax Records with three new tracks and new artwork. Pigeon John then signed to Basement Records and released ''Is Dating Your Sister'' (2003) and '' Pigeon John Sings the Blues'' (2005). In 2005, Lyrics Born saw Pigeon John on the Cali Comm Tour and brought him into Quannum Projects. That same year, Pigeon John's single "Deception" was featured on a series of Nestle Crunch commercials. In 2006, after signing to Quannum, Pigeon John released his fourth solo album, ''And the Summertime Pool Party''. The album has received positive reviews from many sources, including ''LA Weekly'', ''Entertainment Weekly'', and ''Vibe''.

A new album, entitled ''Dragon Slayer'', hit physical and digital retail October 12, 2010. With the aid of General Elektriks' Herve Salters, he produced the whole record, including, for the first time, sampling original instrumentation rather than flipping samples from records. A single from the album, ''The Bomb'', was used to promote the premiere of the Cartoon Network live-action TV film '' Level Up'' in late 2011. In 2014, he released an album titled ''Encino Man''.

In 2019, he released "They Don't Make Em Like Me", included in the official Motorola Razr advertisement, which was based on Motorola's default ringtone for the new Razr. On April 24, 2020, he released his eighth studio album: ''Gotta Good Feelin''.

The single "Step on Out" by Pigeon John and Spencer Ludwig was prominently featured in television and online advertisements for the 2024 Chevrolet Trax compact crossover SUV.

Personal life

John was married to Harmony Dust from 2002 to 2010.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Is Clueless'' (2001)
* ''Is Dating Your Sister'' (2003)
* ''Sings the Blues'' (2005)
* ''And the Summertime Pool Party'' (2006)
* ''Dragon Slayer'' (2010)
* ''Encino Man'' (2014)
* ''Good Sinner'' (2016)
* ''Rap Record'' (2017)
* ''Gold'' (2017) (with Flynn, as Rootbeer)
* ''Gotta Good Feelin (2020)

References

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pigeon John
1972 births
Living people
Quannum Projects artists
American performers of Christian hip-hop
Midwest hip-hop musicians
Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska
Rappers from Nebraska
Musicians from Hawthorne, California
21st-century American rappers
Project Blowed