Danny! facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Danny!
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Daniel Keith Swain |
| Born | August 18, 1983 Killeen, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Interscope, Definitive Jux |
Daniel Keith Swain (born August 18, 1983), known as Danny!, is an American rapper, music producer, singer, and composer. He creates music and also writes songs for other artists.
Danny! became well-known after performing his song "Evil" on the TV show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He later joined Okayplayer Records and released his album Payback. This album was called one of the best hip-hop releases of the year by AllMusic. In 2013, Ebony magazine featured Danny! as one of the "Leaders of the New School," calling him an "innovator" in music.
Danny! has also written background music for many movies and TV shows. He is especially known for his work on the FOX animated series Bob's Burgers. In 2017, he received an Emmy plaque for his music in an episode that won the Outstanding Animated Program award at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.
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Early Life
Daniel Keith Swain was born in Killeen, Texas. His parents were in the military. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Columbia, South Carolina.
He went to Richland Northeast High School. During his second year, he started making music as a hobby. Danny! began writing his own song lyrics and recording songs to show off his music production skills.
Music Career
Starting Out (2004–2006)
After spending about a year meeting other local artists, Danny! released his first mixtape called The College Kicked-Out. This mixtape got mixed reviews. Some people, like a radio personality named Charlamagne tha God, didn't like it. Danny! would later mention these early criticisms in his music.
Soon after The College Kicked-Out came out, Danny! was accepted into the Savannah College of Art & Design. He moved to Savannah, Georgia, where he started working on his second project, F.O.O.D.. The next year, he released his third mixtape, Charm. This album had a theme of wanting to escape everyday life through music success.
During this time, Danny! also created instrumental albums to show off his production skills. These included Dream, Interrupted, Dream, Fulfilled, and Dream, Extinguished.
MTV and Major Labels (2007–2011)
After Charm, Danny! got a big opportunity when MTV helped him get a record deal with Definitive Jux. This was an independent music label. The deal allowed him to release an album and a single called "Just Friends." This song even appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Even though a full album wasn't released through the label, this deal started a relationship with MTV. MTV began using his music a lot in their different TV shows.
Danny! then released his first official album, And I Love H.E.R., on his own. Music publications like Pitchfork and LA Weekly said it was one of the best albums of the year. This album also showed a new musical style for Danny!, as he mixed hip-hop with other genres like downtempo and electronica.
After And I Love H.E.R. was successful, Danny! finished the Where Is Danny? album. Interscope Records helped distribute a new version of this album on iTunes.
Recent Work and TV Success (2012–Present)
After his third album, Payback, a song from his earlier album Where Is Danny? was used in a commercial for Sonos speakers. Danny! also started working as a composer for MTV's music label. This led to his music being used in many Viacom TV shows and commercials for companies like Nordstrom and McDonald's. He also continued to create background music for Bob's Burgers.
In 2014, Danny! began working on a new album, which he eventually named The Book Of Daniel. Around this time, he appeared in Sesame Street's "Party Bus" video. He created a new version of "The Wheels on the Bus" for it. He also started doing voiceover work, narrating a season of Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL for ESPN in 2016. The next year, he received an Emmy plaque for his music in the Bob's Burgers episode "Bob Actually."
While new studio albums haven't been released recently, Danny! continues to contribute music to Bob's Burgers. He also creates library music and background music for Extreme Music under different names.
Music Albums
Studio Albums
- And I Love H.E.R.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Where Is Danny?
- Payback
- The Book Of Daniel
Instrumental Albums
- Dream, Interrupted
- Dream, Fulfilled
- Dream, Extinguished
Images for kids
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Danny! performing live.
