In the late 1990's the city of Richmond, Virginia had a very promising music scene. Hip hop was spreading and the city was home to some rising stars. One familiar voice that could be heard then and still be heard now is that of Danja Mowf. Born Adolphus L. Maples III, Danja is a devoted husband and a father to three
sons. Since the late 1990's he has been able to stay relevant not just with his music but also with his growing media business.
Danja Mowf first emerged on the musical scene in 1996 with his production of Vowel Movement a classic hip hop single. It featured the hip hop group co founded by Danja The Supa Friendz. This group was made of great company with Mad Skillz (who at the time was also signed to a major solo deal with Atlantic Records) and nationally recognized Dj and member of the national Heavy Hitter Dj Crew Dj Lonnie B. Danja Mowf was nationally recognize in 1997 for his debut solo album Word Of Mowf. In 1999 a remix of Aliyah's Are You That Somebody featuring The Supa Friendz landed in the hands of Dj Funk Flex. The remix grabbed the attention of the music industry to a point it was recognized as the official remix for the song and the Supa Friendz went on tour with Aliyah and recieved double platiunum plaques recognizing their contribution to pushing sales to over two million copies of the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack on which the song appeared. The attention from the national acclaim landed Danja a recording deal with Missy Elliot's Goldmind/Elektra imprint. Danja continued to be a pioneer creating Danja Zone Entertainment where he produced and oversaw operation for the release of Supa Friendz Volume 1 804 Compilation and Supa Friendz 2 Supa Vision. Danja Zone was nationally recognized for producing the hit song for Tyra Country Boy which rose to number 35 on the billboard charts.
Always the visionary, Danja saw a place in the market where the graphics and production talents he used to help him achieve success in entertainment could also be beneficial in the corporate world. Danja Mowf formed Maples Media Group where he provides: graphic design, radio commercial production, music trailers for movies and television. Just as with his entertainment career he has found national acclaim with production work in the trailors for the movie Kill The Irishmen, the trailer for season 3 of the TV show 24, and for a HBO boxing promo. It is almost impossible to listen to urban radio in Richmond without hearing a Danja Mowf produced commercial. Using his talents as a producer and rapper Danja has created a unique way of producing customized commercials remixing songs and doing skits that are dominant in the radio advertising business. Maples Media Group produces commercials for night clubs, events, concerts, bail bonding business, and even church's have used their services for commercial production. With an extraordinary eye for detail, Danja has made a mark for Maples Media Group with quality graphic design as well. You can see his work for branding the VCU Broad Street Mile, and doing design and branding work for companies such as The West Cary Group, and Fortune 500 company Owens and Minor. In 2013 while coaching his kids baseball team, Danja Mowf saw the lane for taking team photos, pulled out his camera equipment and added Maples Media Photos to the companies profile.
Since the 1990's Danja Mowf has continued to grow using his talents meanwhile keeping a balance in his personal life. In a Style Weekly article about Danja Mowf Dj Lonnie B was quoted saying "he is a perfectionist, but he has his life balance down, which I admire". To this day in the middle of creating Fortune 500 quality branding packages, and movie trailer quality production, Danja still finds time to coach his sons and be a model family man. The sky is the limit for this great talent, from the studio to the boardroom Danja Mowf has maintained being relevant for over 20 years. Check out his work at www.MaplesMediaGroup.com
Story by Juan "Don Juan Cardova" Braxton
for Don Style Solutions