During the late 1980s as a Graffiti Artist he and other members of TDK were part of the first World Graffiti Art Championships in Bridlington, England and featured in a number of newspapers and magazines including Hip Hop Connection.

In February 1988 the Prince’s Trust due to TDK receiving a grant of £700 to purchase art materials, invited Dee and other members of TDK to paint a Spray Can Art mural that would be presented to HRH Prince Charles in person during his visit to Cutlers Hall, Sheffield.  Dee on behalf of the crew presented the mural to HRH Prince Charles for him to sign, which provoked a number of positive and negative press reactions on a national scale.  This was the last time members of TDK physically saw the painting that was dedicated to Goldie, now signed by HRH Prince Charles, as it was mysteriously misplaced or stolen by the time they had arrived to collect it the following day.  As a result of the meeting between TDK and HRH Prince Charles, Dee and other members of TDK featured in BBC 1’s Panorama report on HRH Prince Charles titled ‘Charles, Prince Of Conscience’, which was a report on Prince Charles’ involvement with political issues such as urban decay and youth unemployment that featured TDK.”  Originally Broadcast 11th April 1988.

Footage taken from the meeting that took place between TDK and HRH Prince Charles in February 1988 has also featured on BBC News on 9th September 2022 just after Queen Elizabeth passed away, BBC 1’s ‘The Coronation of The King and Queen Camilla’ on 6th May 2023 and on BBC 1’s ‘Charles R – The Making of a Monarch‘ documentary broadcast 9th May 2023.

Dee and other members of TDK also featured in a number of Graffiti Art exhibitions and delivered countless demonstrations and workshops in cities throughout the UK including 1989 Hillsborough Disaster Appeal at the Nelson Mandela Building in Sheffield,  The National Arts Festival in Devon, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Bristol University Students’ Union Conference.

In December 1989 Dee secured funding to enable himself and another member of TDK to conduct a feasibility study in New York City on Hip Hop Culture, which required Dee to compile his first Project Proposals, Risk Assessments, Budgets, Project Evaluations and Case Study Reports.  This was also the first time he’d travelled outside of the United Kingdom (UK).

1990 – 1999

In the early 1990’s Dee spear-headed the development of the new TDK Collective sponsored by JD Sports, to diversify into other elements of the Hip Hop Culture such as dance, merchandise and event promotion, partly due to the fact that Graffiti Art was receiving a lot of bad publicity due to the increase in ‘tagging’ in South Yorkshire and throughout the UK in the early 1990s, which resulted in a substantial reduction in private and publicly funded Graffiti Art commissions and workshops in the UK.

Later that year Dee and Samuel ‘Sammy’ Palmer were approached by the owners of Warp Records to provide live dance performances for one of their artists ‘LFO’ that resulted in Dee and Sammy touring UK, Europe and USA with artists such as Altern 8, Nightmares on Wax and Moby. This then led to a number of other TDK dance performances around the UK including the ‘Tizer Tour’ event at ‘The Fridge’ nightclub in Brixton, London.

In 1991 Dee, Sammy, Gregory ‘Gee’ Edwards, Dancing Danny, Shaun ‘ Saker’ Tummings and Paul ‘Steady’ Steadman were asked by Normski to perform on TV show ‘Dance Energy‘ on BBC 2. This appearance also led to TDK being featured in the popular teen magazine ‘Jackie’ under the name of Zodiac Youth.  Years later ‘Steady’ went on to join ‘Flawless‘ who made it to the finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.”

After the unfortunate and heart-breaking death of Dee’s first son Niké at the tender age of 5 months in November 1991, Dee decided to retire as an Hip Hop Dancer, and commenced studying a number of short-term business development courses to grasp the basic principles of establishing and running a business.

In November 1992 Dee’s first daughter Tia was born.

In 1995 after returning from his father’s funeral in Kingston, Jamaica, Dee returned to full-time education (due to him not completing Secondary School and having no formal qualifications), and commenced studying a Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Business and Finance at Stradbroke College, Sheffield, which he completed with an overall grade of 2.1 Merit in 1997.

In 1997 Dee negotiated with and received the rights to fanzine ‘Just The Facts’ from long-term friend and fellow former B-Boy and Rapper Michael ‘Blue Eyes’ Mottershead.  Dee then applied and received funding from the Arts Council England to develop, produce and distribute the magazine as a free ‘Urban Culture’ publication, which lasted for three issues with an approximate total circulation/readership of 75,000+.  ‘Just The Facts’ was shelved by The NonStop Foundation in 2001 due to funding shortfalls.

In 1998 Dee approached Sheffield Community Enterprise Development Unit (SCEDU) with a draft business plan for The Nonstop Foundation, which materialised into start-up business support and an investment of £25,000 Great British Pound (GBP) to help develop and establish The Nonstop Foundation as a company limited by guarantee.

In 1999 Dee and John ‘Eazel’ Latham featured in the ‘Graffiti Wars‘ documentary by Hugo Smith that focused on the mid to late 1990’s culture clash.  The documentary was aired on Channel 4 February 1999; and during that same year Dee and John ‘Eazel’ Latham co-founded ‘Infinite Kreationz‘.

In August 1999 Dee’s second son Tai was born.

2000 – 2009

After the Nonstop Foundation’s company registration in March 1999, the company then went onto secure further funding for its Cultural Development Programme (CDP), 3DOM Festival and Creative Workshops from the European Social Fund (ESF), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Department for Trade and Industry, Phoenix Development Fund (PDF), the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB), and the  European Cohesion Policy Objective 1 Fund.

In April 2000 Dee’s sister Patricia unfortunately passed away.

From 2002 to 2005 the 3DOM Festival attracted over 100,000 attendees and featured a number of artists and groups including DJ Skitz and Rodney P (BBC Radio 1 Xtra), Goldie, DJ Noize (DMC Champion), Mister Jam (BBC Radio 1), Tru Masters, Major Props, Lisa Maffia, Estelle, Big Brovaz, and live Graffiti Art by Mode 2, Chu, Daim, Ma’ Claim, Keith ‘Part 2‘ Hopewell, Temper and Tats Cru.

1st June 2003 Dee’s close friend and business partner Matthew Pedro set off with a group of friends on a motorcycle trip to Skegness. Sadly he never arrived, having fallen from his bike, sustaining injuries from which he did not recover.  Shortly after Matthew’s death, Dee publicly stated, “Matthew’s entrepreneurial skills and his ability to represent the public face of NonStop were important elements in helping us develop upon a strong foundation.  He brought enthusiasm and a sense of fun to the company that helped drive everyone forward. He truly believed in NonStop’s objectives and his faith never faltered. Recently he stepped back from his day-to-day role to pursue a BSc course in Computer Visualisation at Sheffield Hallam University, but he retained his role as Director. His death has obviously come as a shock to us all. He was a valued friend and colleague, and will be greatly missed by everyone. All NonStop’s future activities will be dedicated to Matthew’s memory.”

In September 2003 Dee returned to Higher Education (HE) and commenced a BTEC Level 5 two year full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) in Multimedia course followed by a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art and Design degree course, which he completed with full distinctions and a (1.0) first class honours degree classifications, whilst simultaneously managing over 16 members of staff on a daily basis as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The NonStop Foundation.

As a co-founder and CEO of The NonStop Foundation, Dee successfully tendered, obtained and managed over £1.8 million GBP in public and private funding for a range of community and private based arts projects that helped a countless number of beneficiaries gain work experience, nationally recognised accredited qualifications and/or establish their own businesses; hence him receiving a SRB1/Urban Award in 2001 for his contribution to regeneration and a Black History Month Award for his outstanding dedication and commitment towards business development in 2002.

In April 2005 Dee was approached by BBC New Talent London to be a Nominator and Assessor for their ‘Fame Academy Urban Music Award Scheme’ that supported aspiring Urban Artists, Producers, and Promoters aged between 18 and 30.  As a BBC New Talent Nominator and Assessor, Dee worked with and had the pleasure of meeting a number of acclaimed Artists and Musicians including Sir Paul McCartney.

 In 2005 as the CEO of The NonStop Foundation Dee negotiated and purchased the rights to stage and re-establish the award winning multicultural festival ‘Music in the Sun’, that was publicly announced at the 3DOM Festival 2005.

In June 2006 The NonStop Foundation unfortunately ceased operations and in 2007 was voluntarily dissolved due to the end of public funding contracts and the regional and national demise of public funding streams caused by the 2007 – 2008 economic recession.  In March 2008 after 18 months of unsuccessful meetings with a number of funding bodies, the trustees transferred the remaining assets and liabilities owned by The Nonstop Foundation to Dee.

In November 2007 Dee’s sister Marvia unfortunately passed away.

In August 2008 Dee spear-headed and re-staged ‘Music in the Sun 2008’ that featured Wiley, Jazzie B Soul II Soul, Taio Cruz, Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Levi Roots, Fatman Scoop, Chris Goldfinger (BBC Radio 1), Toddla T, Cut Master Swift and Nicky Blackmarket, plus a host of other artists and bands from Sheffield, South Yorkshire and across the UK.

In December 2008, NonStop Events Ltd (the company behind Music in the Sun 2008) was forced into voluntary liquidation due to the unfortunate financial losses incurred from staging the ‘Music in the Sun 2008’ festival.  Dee and other Directors of the company felt that this was due to a mixture of (1) receiving no financial support or sponsorship from any public funding organisations; (2) prior to the festival taking place a series of unfortunate murders of young people took place in Sheffield; (3) unforeseen international Artist booking restrictions enforced by South Yorkshire Police, and (4) unforeseen mandatory increased event policing costs also enforced by South Yorkshire Police due to rumours circulating that postcode gang members (connected to the unfortunate murders) were going to settle their differences at the festival. These malicious rumours that were proven false, negatively affected the overall attendance of the festival.

In 2009 Dee was invited to exhibit some of the canvasses he owns at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Lyon and Turnbull Gallery in Pall Mall, London.

In November 2009 Dee’s second daughter Kaya was born.

2010 – 2019

In July 2010 Dee was one of 80 people in the UK to be granted a full Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Scholarship, to enable him to study a MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation and Special Effects degree course at Sheffield Hallam University.

In March 2011 after being approached by a number of public and private bodies Dee transferred the ownership of the ‘Music in the Sun’ festival brand and website domain name back to the Sheffield Afro-Caribbean Community (SADACCA) for free.

After successfully completing his MA in 3D Animation and Special Effects degree course in October 2011, Dee then achieved his Level 3 Preparing To Teach in Life-Long Learning Sector (PTLLS) teaching qualification, followed by his Level 4 Certificate To Teach in Life-Long Learning Sector (CTLLS) teaching qualification; and as a Protocol National Lecturer, Associate Member of the Society for Education and Training (SET) and a Member of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) Dee has been teaching, assessing and managing Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) qualifications and curriculum’s in Art & Design, Illustration, Graphic Design, Moving Image, Interactive Media, 3D Modelling and Animation at a number of colleges and universities in the UK.

In 2016 his knowledge was harnessed in the creation of a Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National unit titled ‘Advanced Art Practice Studies’ that now recognises Graffiti Art and Street Art as legitimate contemporary art forms in HE. This unit that Dee suggested, championed and was then commissioned to write is now being studied by HE students in more than 70 countries across the globe.

In March 2019 Dee’s brother Lloyd unfortunately passed away.

In December 2019 Dee received the ‘Going the Extra Mile’ award from Principal/CEO Dr Joy Kettyle.

2020 – Current

In April 2020 during the first corona virus lock-down Dee set about forming the ‘ART vs Covid‘ online art auction platform, and with the support of some legendary Graffiti and Street Artists that includes Blade, Crash, T-Kid, BG183 (Tats Cru), Mode 2 (The Chrome Angelz), Daim, Tasso (Maclaim), Temper, James ‘Ame 72‘, Cheeky, Holy Moly and other emerging and established Artists’, the platform successfully raised funds for NHS Charities Together (UK), Shelter Homeless Charity and a number of other front-line charities. The platform now renamed ‘ART Versus…’ continues to try and make a difference, with new pieces being donated by Artists’ to help raise funds for their chosen charities. Please visit: ART Versus… (charityauctionstoday.com)

In October 2020 Dee was honoured to be contacted by Dr Alex Mason from the University of Sheffield to take part in the first ‘The Hip Hop and Higher Education‘ online conference, funded by the British Association for American Studies (BAAS), which took place on 15th July 2021 via Eventbrite on Zoom. As part of the online conference, Dee compiled a now published paper on ‘Entrepreneurialism in Hip Hop’ (The Secret 5th Element), and delivered a session on the ‘Evolution of Graffiti Art’.

In July 2022 Dee received the ‘Manager of the Year’ award from Principal/CEO Janet Gardner.

In August 2022 Dee was interviewed for FE News and during the interview he confirmed how he’s equipping young people to plan a rewarding career path in Creative Industries in the interview titled ‘Launch Your Creative Career in Digital Arts‘.

In May 2023 Dee was interviewed for ‘ARTEFACT Magazine’ under the title ‘The Man Who Went From Vandal To Artist‘ and was recognised as an Artist who popularised Graffiti Art and the reason Graffiti Art is now being taught in Higher Education.

In December 2023 UK Graffiti Art scene book ‘Old So Kool – The Lost Years’ by Authors Paul Pilgrim and Steve O’Hara featured Graffiti Art pieces created by Dee as a solo Graffiti Artist and as a member of Too Damn Kreative (TDK), which also included courtesy of @JackEamesPhotography the Rest In Peace (RIP) memorial mural Dee painted over 20 years ago for close friend and colleague Matthew Pedro.

Since working in the Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) sectors a number of Awarding Bodies including Pearson BTEC, Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE) and the University of Arts London (UAL) have all recognised Dee’s leadership, management and organisation skills as exemplary, which is evidenced in all of his External Quality Assurance Moderation reports to date.

Please also visit: www.infinitekreationz.com