MC Duke
Encyclopedia
MC Duke was a British rapper
from the East End of London
, who recorded with DJ Leader 1. He was one of the pioneers of the early British hardcore sound and later went on to record as IC3.
World Championships after show party, where the winner of the MC battle
competition got on stage and boasted that he would beat any rapper who challenged him. Duke climbed on stage to take the challenge, and emerged victorious. The battle was witnessed by Derek B
owland, who was acting as an A&R
man for Music of Life
records. He quickly arranged a meeting between Duke and Simon Harris
, the head of the record label
, where instead of bringing a demo
tape, Duke rapped live in Harris' office. Harris agreed to sign him.
He debuted with the track "Jus-Dis" on the compilation album
Hard as Hell (Music of Life
, 1987) - an album
which also included Overlord X
's first track before he was later signed by Mango Records: in later years, Duke and X would develop a grudge that led to both recording
records
to belittle the other. In 1988 Duke was support to Salt-N-Pepa
on their UK
tour.
A series of singles
followed, with Duke finally pairing with longtime partner DJ Leader 1 (sometimes DJ Leader One) on the single "Throw Your Hands in The Air" (Music of Life, 1989) and adding his name to the sleeve. Leader 1 had previously released the single "Silver Suckers" (Beast Records, 1987) with MC Clay Luv in the U.S.
but stayed with Duke right up to their reincarnation as IC3 for the EPs
Excalibur (Shut Up and Dance, 1992) and Untitled (Shut Up and Dance, 1992).
1989 saw Duke and Leader 1's first album - Organised Rhyme (Music of Life, 1989), and it was heavily featured on Music of Life's 1989 Hustlers Covention album. Later lampooned by Overlord X
for having Duke on the cover "looking like a farmer" - and their most famous single, "I'm Riffin' (English Rasta)" (Music of Life, 1989). The single was popular amongst hip hop fans, and received radio
airplay and often crops up on compilation albums.
More singles followed, as well as the follow-up album Return of the Dread-I (Music of Life, 1991), but Duke parted company with Music of Life. Following this, he guested on other artist's
tracks - such as Phat Skillz' "Dress Like Your Enemy"/"Phat Skillz" (Effect, 1992) before moving to the Shut Up and Dance
record label
for the IC3 project.
An album for Shut Up and Dance never materialised, but Duke continued to guest on other artist's tunes, such as Lisa Pin-Up, DJ Elvira & DJ Modelle's "Another Jam" (Rock Hard Recordings, 2000). Following this, Duke disappeared from the limelight, although his track "I'm Riffin' (English Rasta)" was sampled for C90's dance hit "Miracle Maker (I'm Riffin)" (Twenty-Three Seven Recordings, 2001).
In 2007 he also appeared in UK hip hop artist Charlie Sloth
's song "Can't Forget About UK". The song was a tribute to pioneering rappers from the UK.
British hip hop
British hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of urban music...
from the East End of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, who recorded with DJ Leader 1. He was one of the pioneers of the early British hardcore sound and later went on to record as IC3.
Biography
Duke began his career at a DMCDMC
-Computer Science or IT:*Diffusion Monte Carlo, a method that utilizes a Green function to solve the Schrödinger equation*Dynamic Markov Compression, a general purpose statistical data compression algorithm...
World Championships after show party, where the winner of the MC battle
Battle Rap
Battle rap is a type of rapping that includes a lot of braggadocio content "combined with put-downs, insults, and disses against real or imaginary opponents"...
competition got on stage and boasted that he would beat any rapper who challenged him. Duke climbed on stage to take the challenge, and emerged victorious. The battle was witnessed by Derek B
Derek B
Derek Boland , better known by his stage name Derek B, was a British rapper. His most commercially successful releases were "Goodgroove" and "Bad Young Brother" in 1988.- Biography :...
owland, who was acting as an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man for Music of Life
Music of Life
Music of Life is a British independent dance music label formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy and Simon Harris. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No3 in the UK pop music charts Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label, they were offered a...
records. He quickly arranged a meeting between Duke and Simon Harris
Simon Harris
Simon Harris , is predominantly known as the owner and founder of the record label Music of Life and writer/producer of most of its extensive catalog of songs, although he is also an influential DJ, award winning producer, remixer of several Grammy Award winning artists and pioneer of electronic...
, the head of the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, where instead of bringing a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape, Duke rapped live in Harris' office. Harris agreed to sign him.
He debuted with the track "Jus-Dis" on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Hard as Hell (Music of Life
Music of Life
Music of Life is a British independent dance music label formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy and Simon Harris. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No3 in the UK pop music charts Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label, they were offered a...
, 1987) - an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
which also included Overlord X
Overlord X
Overlord X was one of the earliest British hip hop artists to receive national acclaim in the UK, with his most well known song still being his second single release, "14 Days in May" about Edward Earl Johnson. He worked with DJ Sir Preme T as well as other members of the "X Posse"...
's first track before he was later signed by Mango Records: in later years, Duke and X would develop a grudge that led to both recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
to belittle the other. In 1988 Duke was support to Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews....
on their UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour.
A series of singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
followed, with Duke finally pairing with longtime partner DJ Leader 1 (sometimes DJ Leader One) on the single "Throw Your Hands in The Air" (Music of Life, 1989) and adding his name to the sleeve. Leader 1 had previously released the single "Silver Suckers" (Beast Records, 1987) with MC Clay Luv in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but stayed with Duke right up to their reincarnation as IC3 for the EPs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
Excalibur (Shut Up and Dance, 1992) and Untitled (Shut Up and Dance, 1992).
1989 saw Duke and Leader 1's first album - Organised Rhyme (Music of Life, 1989), and it was heavily featured on Music of Life's 1989 Hustlers Covention album. Later lampooned by Overlord X
Overlord X
Overlord X was one of the earliest British hip hop artists to receive national acclaim in the UK, with his most well known song still being his second single release, "14 Days in May" about Edward Earl Johnson. He worked with DJ Sir Preme T as well as other members of the "X Posse"...
for having Duke on the cover "looking like a farmer" - and their most famous single, "I'm Riffin' (English Rasta)" (Music of Life, 1989). The single was popular amongst hip hop fans, and received radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
airplay and often crops up on compilation albums.
More singles followed, as well as the follow-up album Return of the Dread-I (Music of Life, 1991), but Duke parted company with Music of Life. Following this, he guested on other artist's
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
tracks - such as Phat Skillz' "Dress Like Your Enemy"/"Phat Skillz" (Effect, 1992) before moving to the Shut Up and Dance
Shut Up and Dance
For the hit 1994 single by Aerosmith, see "Shut Up and Dance ." For the British hip hop/house music group, see Shut Up and Dance ....
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
for the IC3 project.
An album for Shut Up and Dance never materialised, but Duke continued to guest on other artist's tunes, such as Lisa Pin-Up, DJ Elvira & DJ Modelle's "Another Jam" (Rock Hard Recordings, 2000). Following this, Duke disappeared from the limelight, although his track "I'm Riffin' (English Rasta)" was sampled for C90's dance hit "Miracle Maker (I'm Riffin)" (Twenty-Three Seven Recordings, 2001).
In 2007 he also appeared in UK hip hop artist Charlie Sloth
Charlie Sloth
Charlie Sloth is a hip hop artist who was born and raised in Camden Town, North London, England.Sloth become notorious for his "Cant forget about UK" track which named pioneers such as MC Duke, Stereo MC's and TY...
's song "Can't Forget About UK". The song was a tribute to pioneering rappers from the UK.
Discography
- Organised Rhyme (Music of Life, 1989)
- Return of the Dread-I (Music of Life, 1991)