Dana Dane

Revered as a legendary Hip Hop artist, Dana Dane helped pioneer the rap genre in the early 1980s. His 1987 debut album, Dana Dane With Fame, was the first rap album by a solo Brooklyn artist to be certified gold thanks in part to his landmark story raps on songs such as "Nightmares" and "Cinderfella Dana Dane." The project also garnered him a Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best Album of the Year, and celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2017. Beyond making music and performing, Dana Dane has expanded his reach into other media. He had a cameo appearance in Brown Sugar - 2001, playing himself and providing new music for the soundtrack. In 2003, Dana Dane launched his own Def Beat Entertainment media company and is a published author (Numbers - 2009; Dwaffes - 2017), and a screenwriter and film producer, whose credits include: Da Stuy: 5 Part Series - 2007; Passive Aggressive - 2010; Jesus - 2014 (Ocktober Film Festival, Indie Night Film Festival), all independent film projects.