Dana Dane

Dana Dane's distinctive style of lighter-hearted rap took shape in early-'80s New York, where he and his Music and Arts high school friend Slick Rick honed their British-accented rhymes in the Kangol Crew. After high school, Dane began a solo career, landing a contract with Profile records in 1985. Dane's first release was the horror-comic single "Nightmares," followed by the 1987 album Dana Dane with Fame. Boosted by the hits "Cinderfella Dana Dane," a contemporary reworking of the classic fairy-tale, the album went gold. Dane's follow-up, Dana Dane 4 Ever, was released in 1990 and featured "A Little Bit of Dane Tonight" and "Tales From the Dane Side." Dane's most recent album, Rollin' Wit Dana Dane, was released on Maverick Records.

Dane's playful storytelling stands out in a genre that, by and large, strives for toughness and gritty authenticity. Dane also pioneered the combination of rap and fashion into an overall hip-hop culture with the (since closed) IV Plai boutique, a clothing store he opened with Play of Kid 'n Play.

RollingStone.com