D-Nice, known for his Club Quarantine sets on Instagram during the pandemic, was a teen member of Boogie Down Productions alongside KRS-One and the late Scott La Rock.
“Back then it was a little bit different for artists like myself, KRS, and our group BDP; there weren’t a lot of hip-hop outlets,” D-Nice recalled to AfroTech Culture. “In those days you wanted to be a part of Def Jam, you wanted to create your own, or you were on small, independent labels, and Sleeping Bag Records, and record companies like that, no disrespect, but we needed them back then. It was important because we didn’t have an understanding of the business, but we also needed an outlet.”
He added, “To have been out since back then, and here we are in 2026, where you almost don’t even need a record company. You can start your own business, and artists are smart enough now to own their masters and understand how important it is; it’s so different. I commend not just today’s artists, but the artists from back in the day who had to sacrifice to get the culture to where it is now. Now we can demand ownership or true partnership, so it becomes a legacy and artists can live off it in perpetuity. I think it’s important. All of these lessons.”
On the legacy of Rock the Bells
D-Nice will perform at this year’s Rock the Bells Festival during Hip Hop History Month in November.
LL Cool J’s 1985 song “Rock the Bells” is now the name of a media company he founded. Rock the Bells runs a SiriusXM radio station dedicated to classic hip-hop, and its first Rock the Bells Festival took place in Queens, New York, in 2022.
This year’s event is produced by Black Promoters Collective, a coalition of Black independent concert promotion and production companies in North America.
“I don’t know anything about creating a union, but I see what people like Nas and Todd [LL Cool J] have created,” D-Nice said when asked what has to change structurally so legacy artists can profit from what they’ve built.
“They’ve created these platforms to allow some of the older artists to, one, have health insurance. Most of us didn’t have health insurance growing up, and then you get into a culture of pouring into it, and still no health insurance. Luckily for me, I was able to provide that for myself, but it took a long time,” he said. “I didn’t grow up with it, and I’m a big advocate of that. I think when you see what they are doing, you can’t help but want to contribute, provide opportunities for some of the older artists, and not just the older artists, but also help guide some of the newer artists. A lot of these guys who are in the position of power in common ownership, they still need some guidance. They still need to understand the importance of it, and to not allow ego to get in the way of the bigger picture.”
“I see what these guys are doing now with LL and Black Promoters Collective, and even with Kendrick Lamar’s and his pgLang imprint,” D-Nice continued. “He started on another label owned by some brothers, you know, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), which was beautiful, but even someone like him had to learn to be like, ‘Hey, I want true ownership. I want to build my legacy, too.’ I think these examples are extremely important.”
The business of working alongside people who look like him
With Black Promoters Collective producing this year’s festival, Black-owned promotion companies have a hand in an event built around the culture.
“One of the things that I love about Black Promoters Collective and the idea of building these Black brands is that, growing up, you always felt that there was a sort of invisible ceiling like, ‘Okay, we can do this, but you can’t do that.’ When you start looking at what people like BPC have done to show that there’s more power in numbers, that we can all work together and build something that provides opportunity, not just for older acts, but even younger acts, to put artists on these stages.”
He added, “To be able to rent or own the venue, we’ve done a lot of that to be able to manage the venues, to be able to sell the tickets directly to people who look like us; that is an important thing. What they’re doing is showing the world, and our culture, that we can work together, and it can benefit everyone. We don’t have to rely on someone to give us this opportunity. And no matter the magnitude—it can be the largest stage, it can be the festivals and stadiums, to the smallest venue—they are all important to be able to continue to build on this legacy.”
Just ahead of the Rock the Bells Festival on Nov. 29, D-Nice will headline The Feast at the all-new Arena at Southlake in Atlanta on Nov. 27 and 28, with special guests including Lloyd, David Banner, Queen Latifah and more.
The Rock the Bells Festival takes place on Nov. 29 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and features headliners D-Nice, LL Cool J, Lil’ Kim, Method Man and Redman and SWV.
