Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. He is the older brother of fellow

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci (singer), K-Ci, and K-Ci and JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their mu ...

member

Dalvin DeGrate Dalvin Ertimus DeGrate (born July 23, 1971, in Hampton, Virginia) is an American R&B and soul musician, singer and rapper, best known for his days as Mr. Dalvin, one-quarter of the R&B group Jodeci. Career The rapper for the group, DeGrate ra ...

Career

In his early career, Swing served as a mix engineer, while simultaneously producing for other acts. He mix-engineered Hi-Five’s "I Just Can't Handle It" as well as producing several remixes for the track. Swing rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founding member of the R&B group

, one of the most notable R&B acts of all time. Swing served as the main songwriter, producer and leader of the group. Jodeci also featured his younger brother

. Swing is also credited for discovering several groundbreaking acts such as

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic R ...

, Stevie J and

Static Major Stephen Ellis Garrett (November 11, 1974 – February 25, 2008), known professionally as Static Major (and previously as Static), was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B tri ...

. He is also credited as a video director for Jodeci, co-directing the videos for "

Feenin' "Feenin'" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci, recorded for their second album, '' Diary of a Mad Band'' (1993). It was released as the second single from the album in March 1994. Music video The music video for "Feenin'", filmed in a menta ...

" with the legendary

Hype Williams Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...

and "

Freek'n You "Freek'n You" is a song by United States, American Contemporary R&B, R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, ''The Show, the After Party, the Hotel'' (1995). The song, released as the album's first Single (music), single, peaked at number ...

" with

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several films ...

. Swing also mentored

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

in the early stages of his career.

Discography

*''

Forever My Lady ''Forever My Lady'' is the debut studio album by American R&B quartet Jodeci, released May 28, 1991, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Background The album's production and composition was largely attributed to DeVante Swing, who worked along ...

'' (1991) *'' Diary of a Mad Band'' (1993) *''

The Show, the After Party, the Hotel ''The Show, the After-Party, the Hotel'' is the third studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released July 18, 1995, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album was recorded at Dajhelon Studios in Rochester, New York.Jo ...

'' (1995) *'' The Past, the Present, the Future'' (2015)

References

External links

Devante Swing Interview with Sterlen Roberts
*James T. Jones IV (March 10, 1992)

''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', p. 4D * Record producers from Virginia American soul singers Jodeci members Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American hip hop singers Singer-songwriters from Virginia Musicians from Hampton, Virginia 1969 births African-American male songwriters 21st-century African-American male singers 20th-century African-American male singers {{US-hiphop-bio-stub