Kriti Mehrotra
With documentaries like ‘Quiet on Set’ (2024) as well as ‘Showbiz Kids’ (2020), the pressures and struggles of child stardom have really come into the limelight over the past few years. However, while they are undeniably paving the way for changes to protect upcoming young actors, the transition back into real life for them is something many still tend to overlook. That’s precisely what former child performer Dorjan “Dee Jay” Daniels underscores in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Violent’ by sharing his own story.
Dee Jay Daniels Was Once a Well-Known Actor
Although born on October 17, 1988, in Montclair, California, as Dorjan Lyndell Daniels, Dee Jay primarily grew up in Compton, California, alongside his big, loud, and proud family. According to records, several of his loved ones had long been associated with the streets, driving his parents to encourage him to act while he was still a kid in the hopes of protecting him. They believed that if he had an outlet for all his energies, kept busy, and was away from any kind of negative influence, he would be able to break the cycle, only for them to largely be right.
Dee Jay reportedly kickstarted his career with commercials for brands like Honey Nut Cheerios before he got the opportunity to spread his wings with television sitcoms as well as movies. His first big role was ‘In the House’ (1996), following which he made appearances in ‘Grace Under Fire’ (1996), ‘Coach’ (1997), ‘Family Matters’ (1997), and ‘The Wayans Bros’ (1998). He then starred in the ABC sitcom ‘The Hughleys’ (1998-2002) before making his way to ‘The Bernie Mac Show’ (2004), the Disney superhero film ‘Sky High’ (2005), and other smaller projects.
Dee Jay Daniels Was Accused of Murder After He Stepped Away From Acting
While Dee Jay’s roles were well received, he reportedly had trouble booking jobs after 2005 due to his being at the transition age of 17/18, where he was either too young or too old for most roles. The fact that he had allegedly wound up following in his family’s footsteps by getting involved with a gang didn’t help matters either, so he only landed a couple of small parts in the ensuing years. In fact, by the time the late 2000s rolled around, he was no longer active in the entertainment industry; instead, he was reportedly engaging in street life alongside friends.
However, everything turned upside down for Dee Jay on August 26, 2011, after he had gone to a restaurant by the name of Chivitas in Stockton with two friends: Djuane Nunley and Marcus McCliman. That’s because the trio allegedly got into a fight with 26-year-old John Lewis at some point in the evening, just for him to be stabbed multiple times both inside the establishment and in the parking lot. He sadly passed away from his wounds, following which, witness statements helped officials arrest the trio on charges of street terrorism, premeditated murder, and attempted premeditated murder.
The count of attempted premeditated murder was there because the young woman John was on a date with on that fateful evening had also been injured in the reported scuffle between the four men. During Dee Jay’s trial in late 2012, he was surprised when his former coworkers testified as character witnesses on his behalf, making him realize it was high time he returned to the right side of the road. Fortunately for him, he was given the chance to start doing so when all the charges against him were dismissed after he was acquitted on December 21. Marcus, though, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
Dee Jay Daniels is a Rising Hip-Hop Musician Today
The moment Dee Jay was found not guilty of the accusations against him, he reportedly started focusing on turning over a new leaf because he never wanted to experience jail or the pressure of it again. According to records, his parents had divorced at some point while he was still actively serving as an actor, but it had allegedly affected him to such an extent that it played a role in his later struggles. That’s because his ensuing experiences were reportedly marked by instability – not only was his home life entirely different from what it used to be, but his career had also begun to decline soon after.
Therefore, among the many things Dee Jay did to turn his life around, one of the primary ones was deciding to face his emotions through self-reflection before figuring out what career to pursue. He did try his hand at acting again and landed the role of Thug #2 in the musical short ‘Blame It on the Streets’ (2014), only to quickly realize it was no longer his calling. That’s when he found hip-hop music, falling in love with it owing to the way it allowed him to be very creative and express himself without changing any aspect of his past or who he is.
So, Dee Jay subsequently adopted the moniker Boi Truth, under the banner of which he has not only worked alongside several other renowned artists but also released his own original rap music. The collaborator is not very active on his social media accounts, but he does seemingly tend to share whenever he is working on a brand new project, so as to get fans excited for its release. His most recent single was titled “Look at Me” (2023), which featured fellow rappers A.D. and Unda Dawg. Prior to this, he had released “Sacrifice 2” (2020), worked on a single titled “Yired” (2019) by Twinn Boi and Kid Stink, as well as released “Kill ‘Em All” (2019) and “The Sacrifice” (2019).
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