Dan-e-o

Daniel Faraldo (born June 10, 1977), known professionally as Dan-e-o, is a Canadian hip hop artist and actor of Jamaican and Spanish descent. In June 2015, Dan-e-o received the award for Best Hip Hop Artist at the Black Canadian Awards. He is a member of the groups Monolith and Perfeck Strangers, both based in Scarborough, Ontario. Early career Born in Toronto, Canada, Dan-e-o won a contest on the television dance show, Electric Circus, at the age of 13 and went on to become a consistent winner of rap battles and talent show contests. His recording career was officially launched in 1996 when his first single "Dear Hip Hop" was featured on Beat Factory/EMI's, RapEssentials Volume One compilation. The track is now considered by many to be a Canadian hip-hop classic. Dan-e-o helped to establish his crew, Monolith in 1997 by co-founding One Rock Records and independently releasing the EP, The Long Awaited... the following year. With two videos, "At The T.O.P." and "Plan Eh", this project helped put Dan-e-o and the 10-member Monolith crew permanently on the hip-hop map. Rap competitions and awards In May 1991, Dan-e-o performed live on Electric Circus and won a rap-off competition. The win sparked his career as a professional hip-hop artist. Dan-e-o won the Darknights Freestyle Battle in July 2003 in Markham, Ontario, defeating Detroit's Swann in the finals.