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Pop Dukes: Brick City Thorough Bred

Written by: Mo’ B

Just Blaze, Red Man, Rah Digga, Joe Budden, Chino XL, Ice-T and Lauryn Hill are just some of the monumental musicians that hail from one of most underrated places to find great music—New Jersey. Who knows how different hip-hop would be today if it weren’t for some of these Jersey bred artists. How hard does an artist from that so close, but so far state need to work to make noise just to get noticed?

Meet Pop Dukes. This is an artist trying to put the lime light back on Jersey. This underground Brick City soldier is about creating feel good music whose inspiration can be sourced from his older brother & Wu-Tang. Currently signed to NewDaMention Records, the aspiring super star and Tony Black, well known engineer, have teamed up to create Pop Duke’s debut album Pop Dukes Vol. I. In the midst of an overly saturated industry where most people find their greatest talent as a lyricist, Thatshiphop.com decided to ask Pop Dukes a few questions to figure out why he chose music as his career choice, what Jim Jones & Flo Rida have in common, who is the most underestimated rapper and why Jersey has always been ruled out in finding new talent.

Thatshiphop.com: How has hip-hop changed your life?

Pop Dukes: Hip-hop’s been good. It’s been a big influence on everything. I grew up listening to it and so I started doing it.

Thatshiphop.com: Tell us about how you grew up and how music influenced your life.

Pop Dukes: Music was a big influence to me. I had the mother that cleaned the house bumping Diana Ross and all the good ‘70s music. That was a big influence on me. I had an older brother when I was younger. Him and my cousin rapped and that influenced me to rap as well as being out there and seeing what they do to people. They used to battle people and I was like, “Shoot! I want to do the same thing!” So, I worked on my art and got it together and here I am.

Thatshiphop.com: What was the first rap album you picked up?

Pop Dukes: Salt-N-Pepa.

Thatshiphop.com: Salt-N-Pepa?

Pop Dukes: *laughs*

Thatshiphop.com: And why were they your first? [laughs]

Pop Dukes: They had that “Push it” and it was jamming everywhere.

Thatshiphop.com: What was the first album that made you want to rap?

Pop Dukes: It had to be Wu-Tang.

Thatshiphop.com: Talk to us about Wu-tang.

Pop Dukes: Wu-Tang had a good mixture of artists in one group and I felt they were the best group alive. Every time I listened to them they got me amped to pick up a pen and start writing.

Thatshiphop.com: Who do you feel is the best one out of that whole clan?

Pop Dukes: Method! He had a whole different personality about things. He had a whole different style than the rest. It’s like he just stood out. His word play was just too ill and the way he put it together was real ill. That made him standout out of the rest.

Thatshiphop.com: I don’t want to say this next question for it to be taken negatively, but what artist do you feel does not need to be behind the mic right now?

Pop Dukes: [laughs] It’s a lot of them. You got Jim Jones –I know it’s cold, but I don’t think he belong on that mic. [long pause] Flo Rida.

Thatshiphop.com: What group or solo rapper do you feel is overlooked?

Pop Dukes: Right now I feel it’s Mims. He was labeled a one hit wonder, but now his progress right now is going hard in the game with a couple of tracks he came out with. I feel like Mims is an underrated rapper right now. He’s putting his thing together and I think he’s going to be on top.

Thatshiphop.com: How do you feel about music right now?

Pop Dukes: I feel like music is doing well right now. It’s 2009 and people are elevating and stepping the game up, so I feel it’s good. I like the music that’s out.

Thatshiphop.com: What do you despise the most about hip-hop right now?

Pop Dukes: I despise the fact that they only accepted one type of music. They’re not accepting hip-hop as a whole… the hard hip-hop, soft hip-hop—I feel that radio should accept hip-hop the way it is.

Thatshiphop.com: For over a decade hip-hop was only saying negative things like causing harm on another person, robbing, stealing. It’s at a point now where talking about that is lame. Do you agree with that or do you prefer the freedom to express those feelings over a track?

Pop Dukes: I feel as though it’s negative, but as an artist when you’re pissed off you’re going to write the way you’re feeling. Talking all that “I’m a rob you, shoot you, ya mama” type stuff? Yeah, it is getting old. I think that needs to be pushed back, that’s why I’m alright with the music that’s out right now. People being flashy and things like that—I rather them promote flashiness than promote gun shooting and everything. There’s no need for that.

Thatshiphop.com: Why do you think New Jersey is not on the map with artists? Over the years there have been some monumental artists that came out of New Jersey, but as of late nobody is really putting New Jersey on the map except Joe Budden.

Pop Dukes: We get overlooked because we’re Jersey. You got New York right there and everything comes out of New York, so we’re like the state next to New York. It’s like we’re under New York. I think Jersey as a whole—we’re not on the map because maybe we need to get together and start making noise together like how the South did it. I think once we get out there, it’s going to be dangerous.

Thatshiphop.com: What type of music do you feel you contribute towards the art form?

Pop Dukes: That “feel good” music. That music you put in and you just bop to it all the way through. To make you feel good.

Thatshiphop.com: What artist do you feel you relate to the most?

Pop Dukes: If I had to pick somebody, I’d have to go with—We’ll there’s nobody I can say I relate to as an artist.

Thatshiphop.com: You don’t necessarily have to be like them. It could just be the content in their music that speaks to you the most.

Pop Dukes: That would have to be Jay. The Hova.

Thatshiphop.com: What is it about Jay-Z that makes you relate to him?

Pop Dukes: He basically sums up life for you. Everything in his album ain’t “shoot ‘em up.” Everything ain’t about flashing money. He got a lot of raps where he talks about – it was that Kingdom Come record where he was talking about the Katrina [tragedy]. That was an ill song. His boy’s locked up and everything like that and I got people locked up. He just touches a whole base of things when he raps, so I could vibe with Hov.

Thatshiphop.com: What artist would you think would be a great fit to collaborate with you?

Pop Dukes: The boy Ne-Yo.

Thatshiphop.com: What is it about him?

Pop Dukes: He’s a fly dude, no homo. He’s a fresh cat and he got a nice vibe to him and—yeah, I’d like to do a song with him and make hits. That’s what it’s all about.

Thatshiphop.com: What deejay would you like to do a mixtape with?

Pop Dukes: All of them! [laughs] Any deejay that’s got it bumping right now, I’m with you!

Thatshiphop.com: Tell us about the projects you’ve been working on right now.

Pop Dukes: My album is self titled, Pop Dukes Vol. 1. I got a little bit of everything on it. I got something for the club; I got something for driving in the whips, cruising. I got something for my hood dudes. It’s a good mixture, hot album, very versatile.

Thatshiphop.com: What do you feel that you embody that other rappers don’t?

Pop Dukes: Versatility. I feel if you give me a hard track I’m a rip it up. If you give me a commercial track, I’m a rip it up. I’m very versatile.

Thatshiphop.com: Do you feel that’s the key to success?

Pop Dukes: Yeah and my creativity.