Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. (born June 22, 1962), better known by the stage name Schoolly D, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Early life Schoolly D was born Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Philadelphia as well as Georgia.
Career In the mid-1980s, Schoolly D teamed up with DJ Code Money with lyrics reflecting urban realism, violence, and sexual bravado. He was interviewed in the 1986 documentary Big Fun in the Big Town. He later embraced an Afrocentric style, bringing Afrocentric culture to hip hop along with KRS-One.
Schoolly D contributed songs and music to many Abel Ferrara films, including "P.S.K." and "Saturday Night" (from Saturday Night! – The Album) as well as "King of New York" to Ferrara's film of the same name and the title track from Am I Black Enough For You? that was played during the climactic shoot-out in that film, the title track from How a Black Man Feels, and "Signifying Rapper" (from Smoke Some Kill), which was used in Ferrara's film Bad Lieutenant. Because Led Zeppelin successfully sued because of an uncleared interpolation of its song "Kashmir" in "Signifying Rapper", the song was omitted from the soundtrack of the film and from subsequent releases of the film.
Composer Joe Delia tapped Schoolly to co-write and record "The Player" for Ferrara's film The Blackout, which Delia scored. Schoolly also wrote the score to Ferrara's 'R Xmas. In 2006, Schoolly D co-wrote the indie film soundtrack of the historical science fiction thriller Order of the Quest with Chuck Treece. The project series is produced by Benjamin Barnett, and Jay D Clark of Media Bureau. His eighth album, Funk 'N Pussy, on Jeff "Met" Thies' Chord Recordings features guest appearances by Public Enemy's Chuck D, Chuck Chillout, Lady B and a drum and bass remix of the classic Schoolly D track "Mr. Big Dick" (remixed by UK trip hop crew The Sneaker Pimps).
Schoolly also performed the music and occasional narration for the cult animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block. He was a guest on a first-season episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. He also created the song "Sharkian Nights" for the Adult Swim series 12 oz. Mouse.
Legacy Rapper Ice-T, who is often given credit for the creation of gangsta rap, discussed Schoolly D's influence on him in his autobiography:
Discography Studio albums
1985: Schoolly D 1986: Saturday Night! – The Album 1988: Smoke Some Kill 1989: Am I Black Enough for You? 1991: How a Black Man Feels 1994: Welcome to America 1995: Reservoir Dog 2000: Funk 'N Pussy 2008: Schoolly D's Out Cold 2010: International Supersport 2019: The Real Hardcore 2024: ’Cuz that Nigga’s Crazy, That’s Why!
Compilations 1987: The Adventures of Schoolly D 1995: The Jive Collection, Vol. 3 1996: A Gangster's Story: 1984–1996 2000: Best on Wax (5 Years of Schoolly D) 2003: The Best of Schoolly D 2019: The Official Adventures of... Schoolly D
References
Further reading
External links
Article about his graphic career as an album cover designer