Donnie Shaquan Lewis, born on June 2, 1974, in Detroit, Michigan, is an American rapper who first emerged under the stage name Mad Skillz. His breakthrough came with the 1996 single "The Nod Factor" from the debut album From Where???, which highlighted roots and gained modest attention. In 2002 he released I Ain't Mad No More on Rawkus, later reissued as Confessions Of A Ghostwriter in 2005. Subsequent albums included The Million Dollar Backpack (2008), The World Needs More Skillz (2010), Made In Virginia (2014), Im The DJ & The Rapper (2018), and The Bop Gods (2023). He received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Seven Number Ones, and he won the award for Words For Days Vol. 1, solidifying legacy in hip‑hop and spoken‑word circles.
