Anwan Glover
Ralph Anwan Glover (born May 5, 1971) is an American rapper, actor, model, DJ, and founding member of the D.C.-based go-go band "BackYard Band" (also abbreviated as "BYB"). Glover is also known for his portrayal of Slim Charles in the HBO crime-drama television series The Wire.
Also recorded as Ralph Anwan Glover
Anwan Glover

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- Name
- Anwan Glover
- Birth Name
- Ralph Anwan Glover
- Born
- 5 May 1971
- Occupation
- * Musician
- Nationality
- United States.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Ralph Anwan Glover (born May 5, 1971) is an American rapper, actor, model, DJ, and founding member of the D.C.-based go-go band "BackYard Band" (also abbreviated as "BYB"). Glover is also known for his portrayal of Slim Charles in the HBO crime-drama television series The Wire.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q4778001 · wikipedia · Anwan Glover
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Anwan Glover • Birth Name — Ralph Anwan Glover • Alias — * Big G • Genghis Glover • Lil NUTS • Big Genghis • Genghis • The Ghetto Prince • Born — 5 May 1971 • Origin — Washington, D.C. United States • Occupation — * Musician • actor • model • disc jockey • Genre — Go-go • Instrument — * Vocals • Years Active — 1988–present • Label — * Future Records • Associated Acts — * Little Benny • Wale • Rare Essence
Career
Career
Glover first gained local fame as a teenager in 1992 (some sources say 1988) as one of the founding members of the BackYard Band. He is described as the leader of the band, and credited as its "lead talker." The band got its start, according to its website, "beating on buckets." Glover stated that the band members learned much of their craft from go-go godfather Chuck Brown, who mentored them when they started out. The band still regularly performs in the D.C. area, has toured East Coast locations including New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Miami, and has released five albums; one, Hood Related, debuted at number 69 on the Billboard Magazine R&B albums chart on November 22, 1997. In February and March 2018, the band toured Ghana, bringing D.C.'s go-go music back to Africa. Explaining the band's longevity, Glover said, "Most important, we realized early on that we had a special kind of chemistry — we liked it and our fans like it — and we refused to mess with it. Other bands chose to switch members in and out but that only messed with the sound and the vibe." Glover made his acting debut in late 2003 as Slim Charles in the HBO television series The Wire. He has also appeared in music videos, such as Boyz n da Hood's "Dem Boyz" and Wale's "Chillin", among others. He hosted a nightly radio show on 93.9 WKYS-FM radio in the Washington metropolitan area. Glover starred in three episodes of the first season of the HBO television series Treme as a convicted killer named Keevon White. He also speaks to youth in the Washington metropolitan region, and has been accepted in the New York Film Academy. He has been working on a film titled Shoedog since 2009. It is written by author and The Wire contributor George Pelecanos.
Personal life
Personal life
Glover reportedly (in 2016) had six children, and a wife whose name he had not made public. On August 26, 2007, Glover's brother Tayon was shot to death in Columbia Heights. Glover addressed the press, along with D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty, saying that "we're tired of seeing the yellow [police] tape" and calling for an end to revenge shootings. He also stated that he has been shot 13 times. On August 3, 2014, Glover was beaten and stabbed at a nightclub in downtown Washington, D.C. The injuries were non-life-threatening. In August 2022, Glover's 29-year-old son Kavon Glover was killed in a shooting in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Albums
Albums
• We Like it Raw (with the BackYard Band, 1995) • Hood Related (with the BackYard Band, 1997) • Skillet (with the BackYard Band, 1999) • Street Antidote (with the BackYard Band, 2016) • Triple Threat
Singles
Singles
• The Dippa (2001) • Hello (2015)
Television
Television
• We Own This City (2022) - David Baker EP1 Black Driver • The Deuce (2017-2019) • Scream Queens (2015) • Unsung (2015) • 68 Square Miles (documentary) (2014) • Elementary (2013) • Treme (2010) • Ugly Betty (TV series) (2009) • American Gangster (2008) • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2007) • The Wire (2004-2008)
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. Recorded with the occupation actor. The record continues: anwan Glover is recorded with the occupation television actor. Institutional cataloguing adds that anwan Glover is recorded with the occupation musician. It is also recorded that anwan Glover is recorded as a citizen of United States. Recorded with the gender male. Institutional cataloguing adds that anwan Glover was born on 5 May 1971.
Films
• DC Noir (2019) • Prospect (2018) • 179th Street (announced) (2017) • Desiree (2015) • Jamesy Boy (2014) • 12 Years a Slave (2013) • LUV (2012) • Dead Money (2012) • Misunderstandings (2009) • Divided City (2003)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Anwan Glover”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4778001: Anwan Glover
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and recognition
Glover received an NAACP Youth Leadership Award in 2004. He received the key to the city for Washington, D.C., on November 20, 2007, which was proclaimed Anwan Glover Day. He was recognized by a "DMV Honors Anwan Glover" event at Washington's Howard Theatre on January 18, 2014. He has been named an outstanding spokesman to youth for HIV/AIDS awareness.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hopkinson, Natalie. The Guru of Go-Go. The Washington Post. April 26, 2003.
- 2.Cauvin, Henri E. A Day in Court for Actor on 'The Wire'. Washington Post. December 23, 2004.
- 3.Glover, Anwan. From the Streets to the Silver Screen: A Story of Redemption. Ebony. 63. 6. 45. April 2008.
- 4.Anwan "Big G" Glover. Majic 102.3 - 92.7. 4 August 2021.
- 5.Listen: Rare Essence and Backyard Band Collaborate For The First Time on 'You Can't Run From the Crank'. Washington City Paper. 28 April 2017.
- 6.About Us. backyard4lifedc.com.
- 7.McNeir, D. Kevin. BackYard Band Keeps Go-Go Going Strong. The Washington Informer. 12 September 2018.
- 8.Backyard Band Brings Go-Go to West Africa. The Washington Informer. 25 April 2018.
- 9.Top R&B Albums. Billboard. 25. 22 November 1997.
- 10.Lamond, Walker. Q&A (Excerpt): ANWAN GLOVER :: Stop Smiling Magazine. Stopsmilingonline.com. November 22, 2008.
- 11.TSS Crew. TSS Presents Fifteen Minutes With Anwan Glover | The Smoking Section. Smokingsection.uproxx.com. September 4, 2009.
- 12.Shoedog. IMDb.
- 13.Karki, Ashmita. Anwan Glover has is married with 6 kids. One of them got shot. Know All. FamousStardom. 12 November 2016.
- 14.Williams, Clarence. We're Tired of Seeing the Yellow Tape. The Washington Post. August 25, 2007.
- 15.Swift, Tim. 'Wire' actor stabbed inside Washington nightclub. The Baltimore Sun. August 3, 2014.
- 16.Staff Writer. Anwan Glover, Actor in "The Wire," Stabbed Beaten Inside DC Nightclub. NBC Washington. August 3, 2014.
- 17.Seemayer, Zach. 'The Wire' Actor Anwan Glover Stabbed In D.C. Nightclub. Entertainment Tonight. August 3, 2014.
- 18.Duke, Alan. 'Wire' actor Anwan Glover: 'My spirit is unbreakable' despite nightclub stabbing. CNN. August 4, 2014.
- 19.Associated Press. Anwan Glover Stabbed at D.C. Nightclub. People Magazine. August 4, 2014.
- 20.Son of Anwan 'Big G' Glover killed in Prince George's County shooting. FOX 5 DC. 17 August 2022.
- 21.Watkins, Grouchy Greg. The Wire Tap: Anwan Glover. AllHipHop. 13 January 2008.
- 22.ANWAN GLOVER - Resume - Roberson's Artist Management. resumes.breakdownexpress.com.
- 23.DMV Honors Anwan "Big G" Glover (Photo Gallery) TMOTTGOGO Radio – Internet Radio Station The #1 Trusted Voice of the Go-Go Community. TMOTTRadio.com. 20 January 2014.
- 24.Knapp, Jackson. How the Go-Go Cover of Adele's "Hello" Got Made. Washingtonian Magazine. January 29, 2016.
- 25.Schweitzer, Ally. BackYard Band's Adele Cover Is Putting Go-Go Back In The Spotlight. WAMU 88.5: Bandwidth.fm. January 15, 2016.
- 26.Cohen, Matt. You Oughta Go-Go: Go-Go Covers of Pop Songs, Ranked. Washington City Paper. January 21, 2016.
- 27.Butler, Adam. 10 Go-Go Remakes You Absolutely Must Hear. BuzzFeed. January 25, 2016.
- 28.Richards, Chris. What a viral cover of Adele's 'Hello' means for go-go. The Washington Post. February 4, 2016.
- 29.Prospect (2018) - IMDb. IMDb.
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Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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