Schoolly D

Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr born June 22 1962 better known by the stage name Schoolly D sometimes spelled Schooly D is an American rapper from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Schoolly D was born Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr in West Philadelphia and spent part of his youth in both Philadelphia and Georgia In the mid1980s Schoolly D began collaborating with DJ Code Money developing a raw style of hip hop characterized by gritty beats and lyrics focused on urban street life violence drugs and sexual bravado His 1985 selfreleased single PSK What Does It Mean short for Park Side Killers is widely considered one of the first gangsta rap songs and helped shape the foundation of the subgenre This groundbreaking record influenced future artists like IceT and NWA and its strippeddown aggressive production has been sampled and referenced for decades In 1986 he appeared in the Dutch hiphop documentary Big Fun in the Big Town further exposing his influence on early hip hop culture internationally Around this time Schoolly D also adopted a more Afrocentric philosophy aligning himself with artists like KRSOne to bring themes of Black empowerment and cultural pride into his work He contributed music to several Abel Ferrara films including King of New York and Bad Lieutenant Notably his track Signifying Rapper based on the folk tale and influenced by Led Zeppelins Kashmir was used in Bad Lieutenant but later removed due to legal action over sample clearance Schoolly D also composed original scores for films like The Blackout and R Xmas collaborating with composer Joe Delia In 2006 he cowrote the soundtrack to the indie scifi film Order of the Quest alongside Chuck Treece His 2000s output included the album Funk N Pussy released by Chord Recordings featuring collaborations with Chuck D Chuck Chillout Lady B and a drum and bass remix of Mr Big Dick by Sneaker Pimps Beyond music Schoolly D became known to a new generation of fans through his contributions to the cult animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force where he provided theme music and occasional narration He also appeared on Space Ghost Coast to Coast and created the song Sharkian Nights for 12 oz Mouse n December 2022 Schoolly D independently released a new album titled Cause Schoolly D Is Crazy