Music / Civil rights & activism
Sean Forbes
born 1982 · hip-hop artist, accessibility advocate
Deaf Detroit rapper who co-founded D-PAN to make music accessible in American Sign Language and signed with Eminem's first label, Web Entertainment.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 44- Birth name
- Sean Patrick Forbes
- Detroit years
- 1982–present
- Field
- Music, Civil rights & activism
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Sean Forbes lost most of his hearing in infancy but grew up in a Detroit musical family: his father and uncle were the country-rock duo The Forbes Brothers, and Johnny “Bee” Badanjek of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels taught him drums. After studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology he came home to Detroit, where at the Detroit Music Awards he met studio owner and Eminem publisher Joel Martin. In 2006 he co-founded D-PAN, the Deaf Professional Arts Network, a nonprofit that makes American Sign Language music videos of songs by artists from Eminem and the White Stripes to Christina Aguilera. Signed to the Bass Brothers' Web Entertainment, the label that launched Eminem, he released “I'm Deaf” (2010), “Let's Mambo” with Marlee Matlin (2011) and the album Perfect Imperfection (2012). In 2018 he organized the Deaf and Loud Symphonic Experience in Detroit, and in 2022 he performed in ASL during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show.
Highlights
- Co-founded D-PAN, the Deaf Professional Arts Network, in 2006.
- Signed to Web Entertainment, the label that released Eminem's Infinite.
- Album Perfect Imperfection (2012); Little Victories (2020).
- Performed in American Sign Language at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show (2022).