Dwele | |
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 Dwele in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Dwele G, Elleuud |
| Born | Andwele Gardner (1978-02-14)February 14, 1978 (age 48) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | dwele.com |
Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978),[3] known professionally asDwele (/ˈdwɛleɪ/DWEH-lay), is an AmericanR&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer fromDetroit,Michigan. He is best known for his guest appearance onKanye West's 2007 single "Flashing Lights" as well as his often-uncredited performance on West's 2010 single "Power", both of which peaked within the top 30 of theBillboard Hot 100. Gardner's 2003 debut solo single "Find a Way" narrowly entered the chart and led his debut studio album,Subject (2003), released byVirgin Records.[4]
Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical family. He played piano from the age of six, later taking up trumpet, bass and guitar.[5][6][7] He was deeply affected by the fatal shooting of his father outside his home when he was age ten, later stating "I learned to put my emotions into music; it was my therapy."[5][8] He citesStevie Wonder,Donny Hathaway,Roy Ayers,Miles Davis, andFreddie Hubbard as favorite artists, and took inspiration fromhip hop groupA Tribe Called Quest, becoming an MC, and working withSlum Village.[5]
Gardner recorded a demo in his bedroom, called,The Rize, and sold it out of the trunk of his car.[5] He had about 100 copies, which sold out within a week. He caught the ears of local hip hop groupSlum Village and their producerJ Dilla.[7] Slum Village invited Dwele to sing the hook of the song "Tainted" for their albumTrinity (Past, Present and Future). It was successful and led to more high-profile work with rapperBahamadia, the groupLucy Pearl and London's New Sector Movement.[7] Dwele signed toVirgin Records in 2001, and the label released his debut album,Subject in spring 2003, which mixedneo soul and hip hop.[5]
In a 2005 review inThe Independent, his style was summed up: "Dwele's rooted in vintage soul but isn't stuck in the past, overly reverential or an exercise in pastiche - there's a major hip-hop edge which betrays his original incarnation as a rapper."[9] A second album,Some Kinda..., followed in 2005.[5] He then later signed with RT Music Group and KOCH records in March, 2008.[10] He released his fourth album titled,W.ants W.orld W.omen, on June 29, 2010.
Dwele was featured on the first single from Ye's fifth studio album,My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song is entitled "Power".[11] He is also featured on "Flashing Lights" from West's 2007 albumGraduation.
Dwele released the first single, "What Profit", from his fifth studio albumGreater Than One. The song was written and produced byMike City,[12] the same producer behind his other singles "I Think I Love U" and "What's Not to Love". The song was sent to radio on May 22, 2012.
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [13] | US Ind [13] | US R&B [13] | |||
| 2000 | Rize(self-released) | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | Subject | 108 | — | 20 | |
| 2005 | Some Kinda... | 54 | — | 10 | |
| 2008 | Sketches of a Man | 35 | 4 | 7 | |
| 2010 | W.ants W.orld W.omen | 28 | 3 | 9 | |
| 2012 | Greater Than One | 30 | 6 | 9 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B [14] | ||||
| 2003 | "Find a Way" | 93 | 42 | Subject | |
| 2004 | "Hold On" | — | 53 | ||
| 2005 | "I Think I Love U" | — | 53 | Some Kinda... | |
| 2006 | "Weekend Love" | — | 116 | ||
| 2007 | "The People"(withCommon) | 111 | 56 | Finding Forever | |
| "Flashing Lights"(withYe) | 29 | 12 | Graduation | ||
| 2008 | "I'm Cheatin" | — | 29 | Sketches of a Man | |
| "A Few Reasons (Truth Pt.2)" | — | 75 | |||
| 2010 | "What's Not to Love" | — | 43 | W.ants W.orld W.omen | |
| 2012 | "What Profit" | — | 38 | Greater Than One | |
| 2013 | "Drive the Future" | — | — | N/a | |
| 2017 | "Wanna Dance"(feat. Phife Dawg and Mike City) | — | — | N/a | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
| Year | Information |
|---|---|
| 2000 | BB Queen (Bahamadia) |
| 2002 | Trinity (Past, Present and Future) (Slum Village) |
| 2003 | New Awakening (DJ MITSU The Beats) |
| 2004 | Pure (Boney James) |
| Detroit Deli (Slum Village) | |
| The Undeniable (Phat Kat) | |
| 2006 | Shine (Boney James) |
| SOULidified (Hil St. Soul) | |
| The Shining (J Dilla) "Dime Piece (Remix)" | |
| Dirty District Vol.3 (Brucie B.) | |
| Witness My Growth (Elzhi) | |
| 2007 | Desire (Pharoahe Monch album) |
| Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 (2Pac) "Straight Through My Rear View" | |
| Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire | |
| "The People"(withCommon) fromFinding Forever | |
| "Flashing Lights"(withYe) fromGraduation | |
| "Who'd of Thought"(withBrassMunk) fromFEWturistic | |
| 2008 | Brooklyn's Don Diva (Foxy Brown) "Never Heard This Before" |
| Of All the Things (Jazzanova) | |
| The Dresden Soul Symphony | |
| Tronic (Black Milk) "Long Story Short" (flugelhorn solo) | |
| Man vs. Many (Nefew) | |
| 2009 | Death of a Man Rebirth of a King (Pryslezz) |
| 2010 | "Lay It on the Line" & "Mad at Me"(withMarv Won) fromWayne Fontes Music |
| "Power"(withYe) fromMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | |
| 2011 | "Flower Girl"(withMaysa) fromMotions of Love |
| "Celebrity"(withBig Sean) fromFinally Famous | |
| "Time Stands Still"(withDJ Quik) fromThe Book of David | |
| "All I Know"(with Ro Spit) fromThe Glass Ceiling Project | |
| 2013 | "Worries"(withRobert Glasper) fromBlack Radio 2 |
| 2014 | "Bad Boys"(withHush) fromDanny Boy: The Life & Times of a Kid in the D |
| 2018 | "2 Would Try"(with Black Milk) fromFever |
| 2020 | "Everything That's Missing"(withBig Sean) fromDetroit 2 |
| 2022 | "God Send"(withPhife Dawg) fromForever |
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