Danny Boy

The R&B singer Danny Boy signed with Death Row Records at 16 years old, kickstarting a career that would soon find him collaborating with acts like 2 Pac, Jodeci, and MC Hammer. He was born as "Daniel Steward" on October 31, 1977, in Chicago, Illinois. After being discovered by Death Row founder Suge Knight, he made his public debut with the single "Come When I Call," which appeared on the soundtrack to Snoop Dogg's short film Murder Was the Case. His follow-up release, "Slip N Slide," featured an appearance by fellow up-and-comer Ginuwine, who sang the song's the chorus. Danny Boy began making appearances on other artists' songs as a vocalist, too, most notably singing a number of songs on 2 Pac's chart-topping, Grammy-nominated, diamond-certified album All Eyes On Me, including "I Ain't Mad at Cha," "What'z Ya Phone #," "Picture Me Rollin'," and "Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find." The album was released in February 1996. 2Pac's posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released later that year and featured Danny Boy's vocals on another track, "Toss It Up." Although he continued to make cameo appearances on various artists' albums, Danny Boy didn't release an album of his own until 2010, when It's About Time — a compilation of material he recorded between 1994 and 1999 — was issued by Death Row Records. Black Heart, his second full-length record, followed in 2023, along with the single "Just Friends," which debuted at number 27 on the Top 30 Radio Adult R&B chart that November.