Manny Duke
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Music
Press
Incompatible Muzik presents the super hot lyricist Diamond Z Live at The Village Spirit in Round Lake Beach,IL. featuring Incompatible Muziks recording artists Voice Musiq, Rytchie Rich, with Dj Doga on the 1's and 2's..$7 @ Door - or $15 includes entry & 3 drink tickets - CBS and B96 Radio
Cross-State Connection Tour makes a stop in Kansas City, Mo to rock the stage with Manny Duke, Milla Boy, Netito's Way and more....
Read more here: - The Kansas City Star
Who is Manny Duke?
Manny Duke is an MC that produces beats, plays the drums and Keyboards for the group Blak2Con (Scottie Meyers plays lead Guitar).
How did you get started in the music scene?
Started touring colleges in the Midwest mainly Ashford University and Monmouth College with four other MC’s who where part of “Da Sickness based out of South Chicago and Park Forest,IL.
What are your music influences?
My major music influences are good and bad days due to outside influences relationships with people as well as jobs. This allows proper structuring songs.
What’s your method at the time of writing a song?
By developing a thesis that people can relate to. From there its just being creative with word play keeping the listener on the edge of their seat.
Sessions in the Blue Room. How was the recording and writing process? How you came out with the album’s title and any release date in mind?
“Session in the Blue Room” we would come up with song ideas first then Jam. After we jam I would write lyrics based on the melody, style and purpose where trying to achieve. Major influences came from the Darien Albert case as well as a woman being attacked while meeting her friends for a concert in the city. Also, Blak2Con’s own experience with dealing with being a such unlikely duo. Rapper meets Rocker, White meets Black, North meets South. Scottie Meyers comes from the North Side of Chicago, where as Manny Duke comes from the South Side of the City. Early on we would go perform Rock shows or Rap shows we get weird looks from patrons but after we play those usually turns to smiles and hand claps. Album tittle came from our first recording spot, a tiny blue room in Scottie apartment in Lincoln Square near Old Town of Folk. We thought why not use it as our album name we fell the tight spot helped with becoming closer to our instruments. Official Release Date for the album will be March 25th 2013 on vinyl as well as mp3!
So you are planning to hit the road?
Yes we are planning a Midwest Tour for the Spring 2013 that has stops in Kansas City, Mo/Iowa City,IA/Milwaukee,WI, Chicago,IL and Cleveland,OH.
What’s the message are you looking to spread with your music?
We would like to spread the idea that goals gives us power to dream how we please. It’s all about the execution. Being the voice of a generation comes with great responsibility also covering issues that most people wouldn’t touch with a 10 ft. pole.
What has been one of the funniest moments you have been or took part while touring?
Funniest moment during touring came when in Houston,TX a couple of years ago with an artist named NovelT, when after a show before going back to the hotel we asked our cab driver to take us to a Jack in a Box and another night club for drinks, he took us to a bath house haha. Well needless to say he did know where the party was just not for us.
Are there any plans for the future?
After we finish our EP were gonna work on our LP and release it in the Fall of 2013 then tour the west coast of the United States.
Where can we find more about your music?
You can always find our songs on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon as well as at www.mannyduke.com as well as @manny_duke for you twitter followers out there.
Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?
We feel that the only for us is up just like our positive attitude. We feel as long as we stay relevant to current events we can’t loose the listener. - Vents Magazine
Cap off Christmas in your ugliest sweater at this bash, which features a raffle and musical performances from Blak2Con, Drunken Monkee, Drama Foxx, Reign Supreme, Chink Monkey, Manny Duke, The Might UAC, Guttermayne, and DJ Ryz. - MetroMix
No plans for today? Not everyone gets a visit from the big guy in the red suit. Maybe you were naughty this year and want to keep it up, well, we found something for you to do!
The 3rd annual X-mas Sweater Party Hop-Rock Extravaganza is today! Subterranean is giving you a grand show on Christmas Day! Come cap of Christmas with one of your ugly sweaters you save for an event just like this. It explains why it still sits in your closet. The event features a raffle and musical performances by Blak2Con, Drunken Monkee, Drama Foxx, Reign Supreme, Chink Money, Manny Duke, The Might UAC, Guttermayne and DJ Ryz.
Tickets are $5-8 and you can find more information here!
Give that ugly sweater some purpose this year, and join in on the Hop-Rock Extravaganza! - Cheeky Chicago
“The Day Before Presidents Day, No School, No Work the next day could only mean one thing.......Time to Kick it with some of the Mid-West most talented MC's. -Manny Duke Fresh off his resent CSC Tour touching over 5 states leads the charge of original MC's w/ instruments and Dub-Step rocking the stage of Red Line Tap as on goers enjoy drink special starting @ $3 and more plans to dial you up while avoiding red lights! http://mannyduke.com/ ” - CBS Local-CBS Chicago
“THE CHICAGO BATTLE OF THE BANDS!http://www.gorillamusic.com/MANNY DUKE THE LEATHER SAULS ANSWER FOR AN ARROW SAINT TRAGEDY SOUTH OF SORROW LIAR PARANOIA 95TH STREET BAND SILENT REDEMPTION EPHEMERAL SUNRISE NEW OCEANS IN THE WINTER ” - Do312.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Emmanuel Minter born July 13, 1986 and raised on Chicago, IL. Performs as Manny Duke formerly known as Manny Da Duke. As a youth growing up on the South Side Woodlawn and Roseland neighborhoods learned how to play the piano at age 8. After experiencing a concert from Common Sense (Common) in the first grade at Carnegie Elementary gymnasium, he began writing lyrics. At age 11 he learned how to compose complete songs. After moving to south suburbs of Chicago during his High School years, he linked up with Charles "Chacho" Smith and Dam13n Chan. Dam13n and Charles who led the rap group "Da Sickness" who also included members Stylefree, and G taught Manny how to mix, master and record music. Dam13n taught Manny how to make instrumentals using the knowledge he'd gathered from his earlier years.
The 5-man rap group toured colleges in the Midwest as well as the greater Chicago-land area from 2006 to 2009. The group broke up in late 2009 and Manny Duke emerged creating solo projects, "Summer Slam Mayhem Mix-tape", "Love, Sex & Hip-Hop mix-tape", "Doppler Effect LP", "Proper Gander LP", and his latest project "Legal Thievery LP" released on October 5, 2012.
Manny has opened and hosted/sponsored shows for Big Sean, Smif-N-Wessun, GLC, Rymefest, Willie Da Kid, Mikey Halsted, Twon Gabs, DTP artist Shawna. Toured with Jeru Da Damaja YP, Milla Boi, The Mighty U.A.C, Microphone Misfits, Adebesi, Jargon and more. His major influences are Andre 3000, Outkast, Common, Juelz Santana, Kanye West, Phil Collins, Prince, Quincy Jones, T.I, Missy Elliot, Black Sabbath, Jay Z, White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime and The Roots.
What sets Manny apart from other bands is his versatility of style, music speed and arrangement. In 2010, Manny added another element to his live performance when he learned how to play the drums. When he raps without drums, the instrumentals he composes himself has an electronic/dub-step vibe with a drum and bass mix followed by mellow uptempo to dark heavy melodies.
When he performs with Scottie Meyers who plays guitar/bass, they form the band Black2Con playing at a punk rock pace and slowed down at times to a blues tempo with hard hitting lyrics about current events. Then speeding the tempo of their music with menacing drums like someone marched in rolling thunder meshed with a guitar producing a sassy melody that resonates off the walls. Since 2010, Manny Duke and Blak2Con have toured Kansas City, Houston, Milwaukee, Iowa, and Indiana.They continue to Gig multiple times each month out of their home base Chicago,IL and the Midwest. Blak2Con will release an EP "Sessions in The Blue Room" in Fall 2013.
Band Members
Links
