Dwele
Dwele | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andwele Gardner February 14, 1978 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Contemporary R&B music; guest vocals on Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" and "Power" |
Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978), professionally recognized as Dwele (), is a Detroit, Michigan-based American artist specializing in contemporary R&B, who also performs as a rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence through his guest vocal contributions on Kanye West's 2007 hit "Flashing Lights" and an uncredited vocal part on West's 2010 track "Power," both of which secured positions within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gardner’s initial solo release, the single "Find a Way" (2003), served as the lead for his debut album Subject (2003), issued by Virgin Records.
Biography
Raised in a musically inclined family on Detroit’s west side, Gardner began piano lessons at age six before expanding his instrumental skills to include trumpet, bass, and guitar. The tragic loss of his father to gun violence when he was ten years old deeply affected him, prompting him to express his emotions through music as a form of healing. His artistic development was shaped by influences such as Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, alongside the hip hop collective A Tribe Called Quest. He also honed his skills as an MC and collaborated with Slum Village.
Gardner independently produced a demo titled The Rize, which sold approximately 100 copies within his local area. This grassroots success attracted attention from Slum Village and producer J Dilla, resulting in his feature on their song "Tainted" from the album Trinity (Past, Present and Future). This opportunity opened doors for further collaborations with artists including rapper Bahamadia, Lucy Pearl, and the London-based New Sector Movement. In 2001, Dwele secured a contract with Virgin Records, who subsequently released his debut album Subject in 2003—a project combining elements of neo soul and hip hop.
A 2005 critique published by The Independent characterized Dwele’s sound as grounded in classic soul traditions but prominently infused with a hip-hop influence reflective of his rap origins. His sophomore album Some Kinda... followed in 2005. By March 2008, he had signed with RT Music Group alongside KOCH Records. His fourth studio effort, titled W.ants W.orld W.omen, was released on June 29, 2010.
Dwele contributed vocals to Kanye West’s singles "Flashing Lights" (2007) and "Power" (2010), significantly elevating his standing within the music industry. In 2012, he introduced "What Profit," the lead single from his fifth studio album Greater Than One, produced by Mike City—the same producer behind his tracks "I Think I Love U" and "What's Not to Love." This single was distributed to radio stations beginning May 22, 2012.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Ind | US R&B | |||
| 2000 | Rize (self-released) | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | Subject | 108 | — | 20 | |
| 2005 | Some Kinda... | 54 | — | 10 | |
| 2008 | Sketches of a Man | 35 | 4 | 7 | |
| 2010 | W.ants W.orld W.omen | 28 | 3 | 9 | |
| 2012 | Greater Than One | 30 | 6 | 9 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Singles
| Year | Song Title | Chart Rankings | Associated Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||
| 2003 | "Find a Way" | 93 | 42 | align="left" rowspan="2">Subject | |
| 2004 | "Hold On" | — | 53 | ||
| 2005 | "I Think I Love U" | — | 53 | align="left" rowspan="2">Some Kinda... | |
| 2006 | "Weekend Love" | — | 116 | ||
| 2007 | "The People" (featuring Common) | 111 | 56 | Finding Forever | |
| "Flashing Lights" (featuring Kanye West) | 29 | 12 | Graduation | ||
| 2008 | "I'm Cheatin" | — | 29 | align="left" rowspan="2">Sketches of a Man | |
| "A Few Reasons (Truth Pt.2)" | — | 75 | |||
| 2010 | "What's Not to Love" | — | 43 | W.ants W.orld W.omen | |
| 2012 | "What Profit" | — | 38 | Greater Than One | |
| 2013 | "Drive the Future" | — | — | Template:N/A | |
| 2017 | "Wanna Dance" (featuring Phife Dawg and Mike City) | — | — | Template:N/A | |
| "—" indicates singles that did not chart or were not released in the specified market. | |||||
Featured on
rowspan=2 |2010 rowspan=4 |2011| Year | Details |
|---|---|
| 2000 | BB Queen (Bahamadia) |
| 2002 | Trinity (Past, Present and Future) (Slum Village) |
| 2003 | 'New Awakening' (DJ MITSU The Beats) |
| 2004 | 'Pure' (Boney James) |
| 'Detroit Deli' (Slum Village) | |
| 'The Undeniable' (Phat Kat) | |
| 2006 | 'Shine' (Boney James) |
| 'SOULidified' (Hil St. Soul) | |
| 'The Shining' (J Dilla) – "Dime Piece (Remix)" | |
| 'Dirty District Vol.3' (Brucie B.) | |
| 'Witness My Growth' (Elzhi) | |
| 2007 | 'Desire (Pharoahe Monch album)' |
| 'Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2' (2Pac) – "Straight Through My Rear View" | |
| 'Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire' | |
| "The People" (featuring Common) from Finding Forever | |
| "Flashing Lights" (featuring Kanye West) from Graduation | |
| "Who'd of Thought" (featuring BrassMunk) from FEWturistic | |
| 2008 | 'Brooklyn's Don Diva' (Foxy Brown) – "Never Heard This Before" |
| 'Of All the Things' (Jazzanova) | |
| 'The Dresden Soul Symphony' | |
| 'Tronic' (Black Milk) – "Long Story Short" (flugelhorn solo) | |
| 'Man vs. Many' (Nefew) | |
| 2009 | 'Death of a Man Rebirth of a King' (Pryslezz) |
| "Lay It on the Line" & "Mad at Me" (featuring Marv Won) from Wayne Fontes Music | |
| "Power" (featuring Kanye West) from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | |
| "Flower Girl" (featuring Maysa Leak) from Motions of Love | |
| "Celebrity" (featuring Big Sean) from Finally Famous | |
| "Time Stands Still" (featuring DJ Quik) from The Book of David | |
| "All I Know" (featuring Ro Spit) from The Glass Ceiling Project | |
| 2013 | "Worries" (featuring Robert Glasper) from Black Radio 2 |
| 2014 | "Bad Boys" (featuring Hush) from Danny Boy: The Life & Times of a Kid in the D |
| 2018 | "2 Would Try" (featuring Black Milk) from Fever |
| 2020 | "Everything That's Missing" (featuring Big Sean) from Detroit 2 |
| 2022 | "God Send" (featuring Phife Dawg) from Forever |