DANNY DIABLO Who is Danny Diablo? Many stories told, some true, some exaggerated, tell a myth of a fearless street fighter, a Keyser Soze of sorts, who repeatedly finds himself in uncompromising situations, forced to confront impossible odds, only to emerge victorious time and time again, virtually unscathed, usually with a girl in one hand and a beer in the other. If James Bond were from the streets, he would be Danny Diablo. Born Danny Singer back in the seventies, Diablo was the first child to proud and loving parents -- mom a Puerto Rican from the East River Houses in Spanish Harlem -- and dad a Jewish cop from Brooklyn, with red hair and blue eyes, who worked the streets of Spanish Harlem. “I was born in money making Manhattan, because my mom worked in Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital,” recalls Danny, “but I was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, home of the drug cartels and crackheads.”
The oldest of three kids, Danny was raised on music and strong family values. “Growing up in Queens, especially in Jackson Heights, you heard all kinds of music: hip hop, salsa, meringue, classic rock, metal, blues, folk.” But it was Danny’s Uncle Tafty who opened his eyes and ears to music. “He had one eye, the other one was glass but a different color, because he was ghetto, and he always used to play guitar and sing for me.” USA Roller Rink was just in walking distance away where rap and metal were the music of choice for the kids in this rotten borough. Music was all around and so was violence. “It was easy to get caught up in some shit when you were young”, Danny remembers.
In the mid-eighties Jackson Heights became the mecca for a brand of punk rock known as New York hardcore with bands like Gorilla Biscuits, Raw Deal, The Mob and SFA. By now Danny was heavily into graffiti and went by the tag “Lord Ezec”; Lord as another word for king, and Ezec short for the biblical prophet Ezekiel which signifies “whom God makes strong”. Danny saw his first show in 1987 at CBGB’s, a Sunday hardcore matinee with Raw Deal, Absolution and Underdog. Danny quickly identified with the spirit, attitude and aggression of this unique local music scene, and Sunday matinees at CBGB’s, The Ritz, L’Amour’s or Irving Plaza soon became the norm.
For those who knew Danny, it didn’t take long to realize that Danny was someone you wanted on your side. While others had a reputation for starting fights, Danny was known for finishing them. Danny went on his first tour as a roadie for Sick Of It All on their 1992 United States run with Biohazard. On a tour marred with enough fights to make the World Wrestling Federation jealous, Danny came back from tour a legend in his own time. Danny never looked for trouble, but trouble always seemed to find him, often because he was as good as beer muscles to his crew of friends.
In 1994 Danny formed the critically acclaimed NYHC act Crown Of Thornz. As vocalist for the group, Danny quickly developed into a charismatic and powerful frontman, belting out emotionally charged lyrics of introspection, pain and anger. Crown Of Thornz released their debut EP “Train Yard Blues” in 1995, a dedication to Danny’s younger brother David whose life ended tragically the year prior. Later in 1995 Danny branched off with members of NYHC act Madball to form Skarhead and release “Drugs, Money, Sex”, an alter-ego side project in which Danny sang of the harsh realities of living in the NYC. The following year Crown Of Thornz struck back with their 1996 underground classic “Mentally Vexed”, a juggernaut of riffs and melodies that had hardcore fans as far as Europe and Japan in a frenzy.
The year 1998 ultimately proved to be Crown Of Thornz’ final curtain call as Danny shifted all of his efforts to Skarhead and released “Kings At Crime” the following year. For Danny, Skarhead epitomized the hardcore lifestyle, living day to day, hand to mouth in an unforgiving world filled with drugs and violence. Tours with The Misfits, GWAR and Hatebreed soon followed as Skarhead always left a lasting impression both on and off the stage, regardless of where they played. Eventually Danny took Skarhead all around the United States and the world, culminating in a 1999 summer Warped Tour appearance alongside acts such as Suicidal Tendencies, Eminem, Sevendust, Ice-T, Dropkick Murphys and Blink 182. Where other hardcore acts often held themselves back for fear of losing their credibility, Skarhead embodied a hardcore sound with a hip-hop mentality, setting the standard for not giving a fuck, doing and saying whatever they wanted without fear of repercussion. What other hardcore act could tour with Vanilla Ice and get away with it? Skarhead eventually called it quits in 2002, releasing “NY Thugcore: The Hardcore Years 1994-2000”, a mind-numbing collection of early demos, rare tracks, singles and live cuts.
Now everyone’s favorite redheaded Puerto Rican Jew is back in his truest form, Danny Diablo, ready to bring his brand of real-life thuggery to the masses. With “TCOB” squarely tattooed on his fist, Diablo is taking care of business with his unique blend of hardcore rhymes over hip hop beats. Making his debut on The Transplants’ new joint, Diablo’s creative juices are flowing and he is ready to take his show on the road. With the production skills of Dante Ross (Everlast, Brand Nubian, 3rd Bass) in his corner, and a list of cameos that would make P. Diddy jealous, Diablo is poised to knock out the competition in 2004. The legend of Danny Diablo lives on…
What happens when two immovable forces like the New York hardcore scene and the hip hop world collide? What does the intersection of the two very different, yet very similar genres look like? Look no further than Danny Diablo. Danny is the "Lord" of his musical empire, he is singer, he is actor, he is entrepreneur; he is more than a person, Danny Diablo has successfully built and marketed himself as an underground icon and a product.
Born as Daniel Singer, but known worldwide as Danny Diablo and Lord Ezec, Singer grew up in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, a backdrop musically known as the mecca of the hardcore world, a backdrop that proved integral to his musical career. Like most kids, Singer participated in sports, but would eventually abandon much of the athletics he played as a child, and turn to both hardcore music and graffiti. He would often frequent the famed and now closed CBGB's along with his friends in the Dirty Money Syndicate, and as the face and name of Lord Ezec spawned and increasingly gained recognition in New York, both in it's clubs and on it's buildings, so too came some of the trouble that would force Ezec to seek the solace and refuge a hardcore band can provide. It was in 1994 that Ezec's younger brother committed suicide and trouble was also beginning to find some of his fellow DMS'ers. Normally trouble begets trouble, but for Ezec, trouble begot fame.
After following the hardcore scene since the late eighties, Danny turned from fan to performer in 1994 when he started the acclaimed Crown of Thornz. Crown of Thornz released the Train Yard Blues E.P. in 1995 and their only full length, Mentally Vexed , in 1996. Although Crown of Thornz disbanded in 1998, Lord Ezec was well on his way to international recognition.
The term "Thugcore" was coined in 1995 when Lord Ezec formed the at the time side project Skarhead with members of Madball and Subzero. Meant to resemble a revolving hardcore super group, Skarhead featured some of the most recognizable hardcore personalities from the New York area. The Drugs, Money, Sex E.P. was released in 1996, followed by Kings at Crime in 1998, and ultimately NY Thugcore: The Hardcore Years 1994-2000 in 2001. Having toured the world with Skarhead, it was eventually time to call the band quits in the late nineties. It was the end of Skarhead that brought on the beginning of Danny Diablo and the start of his hip hop career.
Danny Diablo spent his solo career building up an insuperable reputation as a juggernaut in the New York City underground. In addition to his solo career, Danny Diablo is also a member of the Jewish Gangsterz and Shotblockers, and in 2006 he returned to his hardcore form when he teamed with Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta on the project Icepick, releasing Violent Epiphany.
And while Danny Diablo never really went away, he is back and as strong as ever. Diablo is set to release Thugcore 4 Life: The Album on Suburban Noize Records on October 9, and he is currently recording his newest record, International Hardcore Superstar , to be released on Epitaph/Hellcat Records. While International Hardcore Superstar is a long time in the making and will be comprised of all newer material, Thugcore 4 Life was also a long time in the making – only in a different sense.
Thugcore 4 Life contains a collection of some of music's biggest names, including Production by Tim Armstrong (who is also co-producing International Hardcore Superstar), Zeuss and Dante Ross, and Executive Producer Jamey Jasta. Guest spots on Thugcore include Daddy X of Kottonmouth Kings fame, the Sub Hoodz Stress and Paulie Havok , DJ Lethal , Slain, Daddy Boy, La Coka Nostra's Big Left and Ceekay, Necro, the Transplants own Skinhead Rob.
In addition to his continued achievements in hip hop and hardcore, Danny Diablo has also spent some time on the big screen. Most recently Diablo filmed his role in Charles Nordeen's The Crackdown, in which he fittingly plays a gang member by the name Israel Rodriguez. Lord Ezec can also be seen in the documentary N.Y.H.C. that chronicles New York City's hardcore scene of the mid nineteen nineties and the rise of Crown of Thornz. Previously released on VHS only, the much anticipated DVD release of N.Y.H.C. features lengthy interview spots with Lord Ezec about his life and the hardcore scene.
Crown of Thornz, Skarhead, Jewish Gangsterz, Shotblockers, Icepick, solo records, feature films, documentaries, the Dirty Money Syndicate. And it doesn't stop there. Danny Diablo has graced the cover of international magazines over a dozen times, and he is also sponsored by several clothing companies including SRH, Pitchfork Hardware, Black Flys, Hatewear, Tribal, and the Joker Brand.
The past fifteen years may have been jam packed with trials and triumphs for Danny Diablo, but really they were just the start of a career that is as young as it is old. What will the future bring for the hip hop and hardcore genres that are just now intersecting and reaching their maximum potential? One can only guess, but if the future is anything like the past, Danny Diablo will be the real International Hardcore Superstar, and Thugcore 4 Life will be more than an album, it will be a mantra. As the immovable hip hop and hardcore worlds collide, Danny Diablo and Lord Exec continue to be among the few still standing.
written by:Andrew Gargano
DANNY DIABLO - FUNKY RHYME VIDEO WITH DADDY X OF THE KOTTON MOUTH KINGS & STRESS AND HAVOK OF THE SUBHOODZ Danny Diablo feat. Daddy X of KMK "Funky Rhyme"
YO EVERYONE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH OUT THE YEARS. THIS IS A NEW BEGINNING FOR ME. I JUST DID A ONE ALBUM DEAL WITH SUBURBAN NOIZE. IT'S CALLED "THUGCORE 4 LIFE: THE ALBUM" AND WILL DROP OCTOBER 9! I'M CLOSE TO FINISHING MY DEBUT FOR HELLCAT/EPITAPH, TOO!!! PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD FOR ME!!!
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