Donny Goines is an American rapper and hip-hop artist from Manhattan, New York, who was born as Donny Scott. He spent his early childhood in Manhattan before relocating to Philadelphia following the incarceration of his father. He subsequently returned to New York City and grew up in the Bronx and Harlem. His professional career began in January 2006 when he uploaded three compositions to MySpace. He adopted the stage name Donny Goines as a reference to the author Donald Goines. In 2006, he performed as a production assistant for Disco D. Their recording career began with the debut studio recording The Non Fiction (2007). Goines subsequently released the online studio recording Minute After Midnight (2008), which was executive produced by Dame Grease. He reached wider visibility in 2008 for his participation in the video series BARS and for receiving the Buzz Factor Award at the Underground Music Awards. His discography included the studio recording The Breakfast Club (2009), which featured collaborations with Kwamé, Statik Selektah, and Planet Asia. Goines subsequently released the extended play 20X (2010) followed by the studio recording Success Served Cold (2011). In 2012, he reached professional recognition after breaking the world record for the longest freestyle rap with a performance lasting 12 hours and 20 minutes. Goines retreated from public activity in 2013 due to illness but reestablished activity in 2015 to release the extended play Gala.
