Defari

Born Duane Johnson, Jr. in Santa Monica, CA, rapper Defari joined the Likwit Crew that also featured King T, tha Alkaholiks, and Xzibit. He started DJing in 1982 and took up MCing five years afterward, yet kept music strictly as a pastime. After completing a sociology degree at the University of California at Berkeley, he earned a master’s degree in history and education at Colombia and stepped into a high school teaching role. Defari laid down his first demo in 1994 and soon connected with Alkholiks producer E-Swift; the pair cut the track “Big Up,” which landed on the 1995 compilation Next Chapter: Strictly Underground. The single “Bionic” arrived the following year, after which Defari signed with Tommy Boy Records and delivered his debut album Focused Daily in 1999.