Danny Boy (rapper)

For the R&B artist, see Danny Boy (singer).

Danny Boy
Danny Boy at the Eurockéennes in 2011
Danny Boy at the Eurockéennes in 2011
Background information
Birth nameDaniel O'Connor
Born (1968-12-12) December 12, 1968 (age 55)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • art director
  • hype man
  • museum curator
Years active1984–present
Member of

Daniel O'Connor (born December 12, 1968), better known as Danny Boy or Danny Boy O'Connor, is an American rapper, art director, and the executive director of The Outsiders House Museum. O'Connor spent his childhood in New York, before moving to Los Angeles in the 1980s. In the 1990s, O'Connor co-founded the rap group House of Pain, with fellow rapper Erik Schrody (Everlast) and DJ Leor Dimant (DJ Lethal). Based on their cultural heritage they fashioned themselves as rowdy Irish-American hooligans. O'Connor played the role of art director, designing logos, branding, hype man, and co-rapper. In 1992, with the singles "Jump Around" and "Shamrocks and Shenanigans", their self-titled debut album, also known as Fine Malt Lyrics, went platinum.

They followed it up with Same as It Ever Was (1994), which went gold, and Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again (1996), before they all went their separate ways. O'Connor took part in several music projects, and continued doing designs as freelance work. In 2006, O'Connor founded the rap group La Coka Nostra where he was joined by George Carroll (Slaine), William Braunstein (Ill Bill), Dimant, and Schrody (only for the first album). Together they have three releases: A Brand You Can Trust (2009), Masters of the Dark Arts (2012) and To Thine Own Self Be True (2016).

In 2016, O'Connor, who is a lifelong fan of S. E. Hinton's book The Outsiders and its film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola, bought the house used in the film located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He turned it into a museum named The Outsiders House Museum, that contains much of the book and film memorabilia. For his efforts preserving a cultural landmark, he received a key to the city.