Jonathan Richard McDaniel (born May 17, 1985),[1] better known by his stage name Lil J, is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Devon Carter (Raven Baxter's boyfriend, and later ex-husband) on the hit Disney Channel shows That's So Raven and Raven's Home, as well as German Vega on BET's Hit the Floor.

Jonathan McDaniel
Born
Jonathan Richard McDaniel

(1985-05-17) May 17, 1985 (age 39)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • rapper
Years active2001–present
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11+12 in)
Children3

Career

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In 2002, he came on the music scene with his debut single "It's the Weekend" from his debut album All About J. He later released a follow-up album the next year titled Back 2 J, which featured the single "Baby Girl".

During this period, he started his acting career, landing his noteworthy role on the Disney Channel series That's So Raven. He also appeared in the film Nora's Hair Salon which starred Jenifer Lewis and Tatyana Ali in 2004. After the release of his studio albums on Hollywood Records, he left and joined 845 Entertainment/SMC Recordings, releasing his third album Back Like I Left Somethin' in 2006.[2]

McDaniel signed with London-based record label Transmission Records in 2009 and released his digital single 'London Girl' on May 16, 2010. In 2012, McDaniel starred in In the Hive to much acclaim. The film was shot in only 18 days.[3] In 2013, he joined the cast of BET's new series Hit the Floor.

In 2017, McDaniel reprised his role as Devon Carter on the revamp of Disney Channel's That's So Raven, titled Raven's Home. He appears as the ex-husband of Raven-Symoné's character Raven Baxter, with whom Devon shares twins Nia and Booker.

Personal life

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McDaniel has a daughter, Aiza Jae McDaniel, born on August 21, 2013.[4]

On July 30, 2017, McDaniel's son, Asher Levi, was born.[5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Ring of Darkness Coordinator
Nora's Hair Salon Leronne Video
2006 Da Jammies Mike Fresh Short film
2007 South of Pico Fernando
2010 Kill Katie Malone Dixie
Burning Palms Trey
Detention T-Loc
2012 In the Hive Xtra Keys
2016 My Many Sons Pete Froedden
2017 Call Me King Zho

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2003–06 That's So Raven Devon Carter Recurring role; 10 episodes
2007 Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board Sam Sterling Television film
2009 Cougar Town Ryan Episode: "Pilot"
2013–2018 Hit the Floor German Vega Series regular
2015 Real Husbands of Hollywood Chad Episode: "Broad Talk"
2017–2021 Raven's Home Devon Carter Recurring role; 11 episodes
2019 Michael Caine Brad Pryce Episode: "Disloyalty" and "Informant"
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Aim High Derek Long 6 episodes

Discography

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Albums

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Year Title
2002 All About J
2003 Back 2 J
2006 Back Like I Left Somethin'

Singles

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Year Title
2001 "It's The Weekend"
2002 "Baby Girl"
2006 "I Know (When We First Met)"
2010 "'London Girl"
2013 "Birthday Feat. Fletcher & iE-Z"

References

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  1. ^ "Jonathan 'Lil J' McDaniel". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
  2. ^ "AE: Music News By Industry - Page 1 - 24-7 Press Release". www.24-7pressrelease.com. Retrieved Mar 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "24-7 Style: Rave Reviews for in the Hive's Jonathan McDaniel". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
  4. ^ "Pic Of The Day: German From Hit The Floor Is A Dad!". VH1 News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
  5. ^ "Instagram post by Iam Geniuschild • Jul 30, 2017 at 7:29am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
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