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Harlem hip-hop pioneer D-Nice helped bring the world closer together during the pandemic with his widely viewed live DJ sets dubbed "Club Quarantine."
The 52-year-old legend, perhaps best known for his work with influential rap group Boogie Down Productions and discovering Kid Rock, is hoping to continue that work on an even larger scale.
Towards that end, he recently announced an investment in Silicon Valley-based startup Simplicity.
The company boasts of revolutionizing how cities and residents communicate and interact.
It touts its U.S. Simplicity app as a "city in your phone where people can find all critical city updates, emergencies, outages and more."
D-Nice, whose real name is Derrick Jones, has joined the company's Advisory Board as an investor and ambassador for the City of Los Angeles.
Michelle Obama, Rihanna and More Tune in to DJ D-Nice's Virtual #ClubQuarantine pic.twitter.com/H5yn5JpbSp
— NewsOne (@newsone) March 23, 2020
"Club Quarantine demonstrated the power of technology as a tool to bring together a community of people around the power of music," he said in a statement. "Simplicity is another example of leveraging technology to lift the spirits and deepen the relationships among people in cities around the world. The alignment was too obvious not to be part of the movement."
Simplicity co-founder Juraj Gago added, "Having Derrick back up this critical mission is significant and can help the company achieve our main goal: to improve life in cities."
"Club Quarantine" was a genuine phenomenon during the pandemic's peak. The eclectic and inclusive live DJ sets grew from having an audience of thousands to over a million, seemingly overnight, as the shows became a virtual social gathering spot for music lovers.
D-Nice was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards and has taken the show on the road. He will fulfill a lifelong dream on Aug. 4, when he performs the show live at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall.
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