Darnell Robinson (born February 9, 1991) known professionally as Darnell Roy is an American rapper, record executive and record producer.[1] He appeared in First Family of Hip Hop as the president of Sugar Hill Records.[2]

Darnell Roy
Birth nameDarnell Robinson
Born (1991-02-09) February 9, 1991 (age 33)
Tenafly, New Jersey, United States
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • Record executive
  • Record producer
InstrumentVocals
Years active2010–present

Early life

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Roy was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, United States. He is the grandson of Sylvia Robinson, the founder of Sugarhill Records.[3] In 2008, he enrolled at SAE Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, but left to pursue music.[4]

Career

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Roy began recording songs as a child at the Sugarhill studio.[5] In 2006, he appeared on MTV's My Super Sweet 16.[6] In March 2010, he produced his first record, "Drip", with Young Joc featuring Lil Wayne. He later collaborated with the Young Money artists Lil Twist and Lil Chuckee.[4] He went on to participate in the Scream Tour with Bow Wow, Omarion and Chris Brown.[1] In 2016, he appeared in Bravo's docu-series First Family of Hip Hop.[7] Following the show's debut, he released the song, "NASA".[8] In January 2017, his single "Not So Low Key Ft. Velous" was released and in June the same year, he shared the track "Preserve" where he discusses his family's legacy in hip hop.[9]

Filmography

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Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2006 My Super Sweet 16 Himself Episode: "Darnell Robinson"
2016 First Family of Hip Hop Himself Lead role

Discography

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Title Details
"Go Wild"
  • Released: May 2, 2012
"Promise"
  • Released: December 13, 2012
"Dividends"[10]
  • Released: February 9, 2016
"NASA"
  • Released: October 10, 2016
"Not So Low Key" ft. Velous
  • Released: January 14, 2017
"Preserve"[11]
  • Released: June 20, 2017

References

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  1. ^ a b "First Family of Hip Hop: Darnell Robinson". Bravo TV. December 8, 2016.
  2. ^ Blake, Liza. "Sugarhill Records Returns to the Spotlight With Bravo's 'First Family of Hip Hop': Exclusive Trailer Premiere". Billboard.
  3. ^ Michaels, Sean (September 30, 2011). "Sylvia Robinson, 'mother of hip-hop', dies aged 75". The Guardian.
  4. ^ a b C, Lu (August 1, 2017). "DARNELL ROY: HEIR TO THE THRONE". The Source.
  5. ^ "See Where the Rich Teens From 'My Super Sweet 16' Are Now!". In Touch. June 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Palmer, Tamara (January 19, 2017). "Darnell Robinson Once Rode a Camel with Rihanna on My Super Sweet 16". Bravo TV.
  7. ^ Coleman, Vernon (December 24, 2016). "'First Family of Hip Hop' TV Series to Explore Inner Workings of Sugarhill Records". XXL.
    - "'First Family of Hip Hop' - Darnell Robinson". Respect. January 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Eustice, Kyle (November 1, 2016). "Darnell Roy Reaches For The Stars With "NASA"". HipHopDX.
  9. ^ Perez, Madelyn (June 16, 2017). "Darnell Robinson "Preserves" His Family Legacy with New Track". HipHop Enquirer.
  10. ^ "Darnell Roy Delivers Emotional Video for "Dividends"". Boi-1da. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  11. ^ Bullock, David (January 19, 2017). "Darnell Roy - "Not So Low Key" (video)". AllHipHop.