DeVante Swing has made a name for himself as a rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is notable for being one of the founding members of the R&B group, Jodeci alongside his younger brother Dalvin DeGrate. Through his career exploits, the Hampton-grown entertainer has contributed to the creative work of other musicians like Timbaland, and Missy Elliot.
Apart from his career, Devante is also the father of two children; a son, Justin Degrate, and a daughter, Dyana DeGrate. Like his father, Justin has also launched a career as a singer-songwriter and record producer. However, this cannot be said for his daughter who has taken a controversial path as a strip dancer which has put her in a position of criticism.
The 55–year-old Music Producer is from Hampton
DeVante Swing was born Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. on September 29, 1969, in Hampton, Virginia to Rev. Donald Degrate, a church minister, and Mary Degrate. He grew up alongside a younger brother, Dalvin DeGrate. Moreso, DeVante’s father was also a musician who is notable for the 1979 song I Wanna Be Ready.
Unsurprisingly, the brother’s lives were influenced by the message of the gospel as they started practicing their craft in the choir at Christ Tabernacle Church where Donald was pastoring. Also, they toured with their father during his presentations, an experience that they would later use in their own music career.
He Became Popular Singing with Jodeci
As mentioned earlier, he and his brother, DeGrate started singing as part of a gospel choir. Yet, they later left the church and founded Jodeci, a quartet comprising Devante, DeGrates, and two other friends, Jojo Hailey and K-Ci Hailey.
After coming together, they moved to New York to concentrate on their career. Shortly after their move, they met Andre Harrell of Uptown Records who signed them. They released their first album My Lady to great acclaim. Following this, the group released two more albums which were equally as successful.
While the band’s rise also meant DeVante and the other members were getting more popular, they also had their share of controversies involving drug use and allegations of sexual harassment. It would be recalled that in 1992, DeVante and K-Ci were accused of sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint. The following year, they were accused of harassing a female participant in one of their videos, yet nothing was made of it. Regardless of these unverified accusations, things soon came to a standstill when Jodeci disbanded in 1996.
One would be curious to ask what truly happened to make a successful band quit at the peak of its career. According to speculations, it was a result of creative differences due to the growing ambition of individual members as well as financial disagreements and personal issues caused by drug use.
He produced many Successful Musicians Through his Record Label
Aside from his work in Jodeci, he has extended his work to other musical acts, especially during the earliest stages of their careers. Through his record label, Swing Mob, he signed artists including Stevie J, Missy Elliot, Timbaland, and Ginuwine. Looking at these names, they are some of the big names in the industry.
Away from his signees, he also traded his craft as a producer on famous songs like TuPac’s All Eyez on Me.
Is Devante Swing Married?
From what we gathered, DeVante is not married at the moment. Moreover, he chooses to keep his private life away from the public making it difficult to know if he is dating someone.
Nonetheless, he was married to a woman identified as Miranda Santana in the past. Prior to the marriage, Miranda was previously in a relationship with Tremaine Neberson. She welcomed her daughter, Nia Santana Neberson when she was 15. Sadly, Neberson left her to raise the child alone.
He is the Father of Two Children
Moving on, DeVante and Miranda welcomed two children, Justin Degrate, and Dyana Degrate. On their own, DeVante’s children have forged their career paths.
According to Justin’s Instagram profile, he is a composer and a close look at his updates shows that he is deeply involved in music production, singing, writing, and directing. According to IMDB, he is credited with a composition for the 2018 short drama, Your Lips Kiss Well, but They Lie Better.
Dyana, on the other hand, is a stripper and this has drawn criticism from people who feel she should do other work considered ‘better’. She has defended her choice. Apparently, the mother of one has been on her own for a long time. She revealed her mother left when she was 14 and her father when she was 19. We gathered that DeVante did not accept her choice.
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What is DeVante Swing Upto?
Looking at his rise to fame, he noticeably keeps a low profile these days. Regardless of this, DeVante is alive and still pursuing his career. In 2010, DeVante made waves for not-so-good reasons. According to reports made available by TMZ, he was arrested for being publicly drunk at a Subway restaurant in Burbank, California.
Apparently, the police were alerted when he was seen falling and crashing on the floor. Upon arrival, the police arrested him and took him to the station. The singer was later released around 11 p.m. when he had sobered up. It was also revealed that he would not charged for any crime. Following the incident, he once more disappeared from the public eye.
The next time anything was heard about him was in 2014 when Jodeci staged a reunion. While many had assumed that the band had broken up due to its long silence, Dalvin clarified that it had never done so. From what we gathered, Swing now lives in L.A. Considering that Jodeci performed at the 2022 BET awards, we can conclude that Swing is very much vested in music.
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