Photo by Blake Martin. Photo illustration by Crystal Simone for Okayplayer.
Pursuit of Happiness: Former 2Pac Collaborator Danny Boy Used Spirituality to Heal
Fresh off collaborating with former Death Row Records labelmate Snoop Dogg for the first time, Danny Boy discusses the role prayer plays in his mental health.
Tupac Shakur’s “I Ain’t Mad At Cha”is about a lot of things, but more than anything else, it’s a tale of begrudging acceptance. That’s a concept Shakur’s frequent collaborator Danny Boy, who sings the hook for the 1996 classic, has come to terms with in his years since the collapse of Death Row Records nearly 30 years ago.
After signing to the dynastic label as a young teen, the crooner endured a series of rebirths. First, a transition to life as an independent artist. And then there was the moment the suicide of a lover led him to come out to the world as a gay man. Through all the changes, which includes a spiritually enlightening job working at his family’s funeral home, Danny’s used prayer and a sense of optimism to persevere and rebuild.
Most recently, that positivity — and perhaps some nostalgia — led him to reconnect with his former Death Row Records labelmate Snoop Dogg for "My Everything," a romantic new single that sees the two collaborate on a track for the first time. “It felt great being back home,” says Danny, who signed a singles deal for the song.
With more new music on the way, Danny Boy reflects on his journey and how he worked to preserve his mental health during turbulent times.
Danny Boy: Coming out and being from Death Row Records changed the dynamic of relationships. I was kind of going through a depressed stage after the demise of Death Row. A lot of guys in my community contemplate suicide. Someone I dated committed suicide and that made me come out to put all of that together.
I think your mental health is something that's very important. I see a lot of people, regardless of how they think of me or the things or the insults that's been said, I feel better. It starts with helping yourself. You have to make sure self care is the most important thing. I'm a church boy, so I got to tap back into the Bible. I got to tap back into the spiritual side of me. I have to tap back into the thing that my grandmother and my mother have shown me. And those have been the things that keep me pushing.
There’s also the reality of what I do daily outside of music. My family owns a funeral home and I spend a lot of my days working there. I get an opportunity to see things a little differently than other people. I appreciate every moment of life. I've seen people come in our door at a person's funeral that was probably their family or friend, and maybe days later, I've seen them be put in the back and their arrangements are being made. So I realize how short life is. Being around that on a day-to-day basis, it humbles me and it makes me appreciate where I am right now.
I'm in a great space now, even if I'm experiencing the same things that the world is experiencing. The price of milk is high and the price of gas is high, but I still hold on. I'm grateful even through these moments from COVID all the way up until now. I may not have everything that I think I want, but I haven't been hungry and I'm allotted to work. I pray to be booked more, but I love the gift of singing and to get on platforms and talk to people interested in something that I did so long ago. That gets you up and keeps you going. I thank God for this moment. That's what keeps me humble. I'm grateful for this moment of music. I'm grateful to do what God has chosen me to do with the gift of singing and serving the people.
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