Dujeous
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Dujeous is a live hip-hop band based in New York City. They are known for their high-energy live shows, non-stop touring, smart, sociopolitically conscious lyrics, and an acclaimed debut album, City Limits. Dujeous songs are a diverse mix of topics, but they often talk about the highs and lows of life in New York City ("City Limits," New York Views"), post-millennial paranoia ("Sometimes,""It's..."), and sometimes, just having a good time ("Good Green," "Drowsy"). Their music has been frequently used on the small screen (the theme to Crank Yankers, for example) and big screen (scoring Universal Pictures film Blue Crush).
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[edit] Members
The band consists of seven main members:
Mojo the Cinematic, born Loren Hammonds:
Born and raised in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan (as he says in the title track of City Limits, Mojo is known for his articulate rhymes and singing voice. He has collaborated with Immortal Technique, Akir, Delta, Aesop Rock, Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox, producer Omen, and many others. Mojo is also an aspiring film-maker (hence his "Cinematic" nickname).
Rheturik, born Aaron Jones: Born and raised in Uptown Manhattan, Rheturik is the group's second MC. His rhymes tend to be more tongue-twisting and multisyllabic. He attended Philadelphia's University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate, where he was roommates with R&B singer John Legend and producer Devo Springsteen. Rheturik also produced "Dominant Species" on Immortal Technique's Revolutionary Vol. 1.
Mas D, born David Kupferstein: Also an Uptown Manhattan native, MasD is Dujeous' third MC. Perhaps the most eccentric vocalist in the group, D, the son of Jamaican and Jewish immigrants, is every bit as unorthodox as his background. His rhymes read like stream-of-thought poetry, though he delivers them with street-wise fierceness. Mas D is also a photographer and designer, and is responsible for much of the group's artwork, such as album covers, single covers, and flyers.
Taylormade, born Taylor Rivelli:
Taylormade is the group's guitarist and one of its main producers. He was raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. He is the group's primary recording engineer. As a producer, he has also worked with Saigon, Rhymefest, MTV2, Renee Neufville, Kardinal Offishall, Grand Master Caz, Dip Set, Nas, Keith Murray, HBO, BET and many more.
Dave Guy:
Manhattan native Dave Guy is Dujeous' trumpeter, and is quite simply one of the best young brass players on the scene. He brings a melodic, jazzy edge to Dujeous' hard-grained beats. He frequently tours with UK sensation Amy Winehouse. He is a member of Daptone Records funk bands the Dap-Kings, Sugarman 3, and Budos Band, and is first trumpeter in Charles Tolliver's Big Band, He has also played for Mark Ronson, Nancy Sinatra, Wynton Marsalis, and Lily Allen.
Tomek, born Tomek Gross:
Tomek, some of Polish immigrants, is the group's drummer and one of its main producers. He is also known for singing on certain Dujeous songs and onstage. He has also produced for NYC rapper Subconscious.
Apex, born Alex Gale: Apex is the group's bassist and one of its main producers. He has also produced for underground MCs Akir and Subconscious.
[edit] Early years
Dujeous was formed in the early 90s. All of the members attended either Hunter College High School or Laguardia School for the Performing Arts, both public high schools located in Manhattan. The three vocalists attended elementary school together, which is where they conceived the word Dujeous, which they have claimed is a "shape-shifting word" that means "all things good" in various interviews.
Dujeous got its start at high school talent shows and the moved on to small venues throughout NYC. Some small clubs they played at in their early years, some now defunct: Bond St. Cafe, Village Underground, Spiral, Harlem School of the Arts, Museum of Sound Recordings. Dujeous' first received radio airplay on the infamous, now-defunct Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito radio show on 89.9 WKCR-FM. The frequent shows and underground airplay helped Dujeous amass a loyal fanbase in New York.
[edit] City Limits
After years of touring in the NYC area and releasing products independently, Dujeous came into its own in 2004 with the release of City Limits, their first internationally distributed full-length release. The album garnered the group praise in the New York Daily News, The Source magazine (in which they were featured in the prestigious Unsigned Hype column, which also brought Biggie Smalls, Common, Eminem, and many other notable rap groups to fame), Time Out New York, and Urb (which named the group one of the Top 100 new artists of the year. (See External Links for press coverage of Dujeous.)
2004 also saw Dujeous travel the globe in support of City Limits. They toured France and Poland, and also reached the West Coast and Midwest for the first time.
[edit] TV and Movies
Dujeous music has been featured in many television shows and movies. They recently produced and cowrote the theme song for MTV2's Crank Yankers with Chicago MC Rhymefest. Their music has also been featured in TNT's Saved, Universal Pictures film Blue Crush, and many other notable shows and movies. (See discography)
[edit] Discography (partial):
For full discography, see external links.
2007
- Game 7 (mixtape)
- album, TBA, forthcoming
2006
- Live at Southpaw (CD, live album)
- Half Nelson Soundtrack (“Sometimes”)
- Mojo, The Cinematic Advances (mixtape)
2005
- AOL mixtape
- Live in Warsaw (CD, live album)
2004
- City Limits (CD, 2xLP)
- Sometimes b/w The Rules (12)
- Good Green b/w City Limits & The Wrench & The Chain
2003
- Heavy Traffic Mix Tapes I and II (CD)
- The Bastard EP (EP)
- As Promised (CD)
2002
- Spilt Milk b/w All MCs (12")
1999
- Breathtaking? b/w Epic Proportions & Cinematics (12)
1998
- Wax Pos Greatest Hits (tape)
1997
- Live in the Studio (tape)
1996
- Leading by Example (tape)
1995
- "New York Views" b/w "Expo" (exclusive)
Dujeous Featured Recordings:
2007
- Lily Allen, “Smile” (Mark Ronson RMX) feat. Mojo & Dave Guy
2006
- Akir, Legacy, "Legacy," feat. Mas D & Mojo
- Akir, Legacy, No Longer My Home, feat. Mojo,
- Akir, Legacy, Louisiana Purchase, feat. Mojo
- Delta, The Lostralian, The Greater Good, feat. Mojo
2005
- EQ f. Mojo, "Follow Through"
- EQ f. Mojo, "Groupie"
2003
- Rob Swift, Sound Event, Salsa Scratch feat. D-Styles & Bob James, Dave Guy (trumpet)
- Rob Swift, Sound Event, The Caper, Dujeous
- Rob Swift, Sound Event, The Ghetto, Dujeous
1999
- Mr. Len feat. Dujeous, Hidden Jewels, Sightlines
- Rob Swift, The Ablist, All That Scratching
- Rob Swift, The Ablist, Modern Day Music
Dujeous Production/Songwriting:
2007
- Mark Ronson, Versions, several songs co-written by Dave Guy & Apex
2006
- Akir, Legacy, "Legacy," prod. by Apex
2005
- Nas feat.Saigon, War Remix, co-prod. by Taylormade, featured in HBOs Entourage
- Purple City, "Gun Go" feat. Jim Jones & Juelz Santana, prod. by Taylormade & Dujeous
- Keith Murray, "Swagger Back", He's Keith Murray, co-written by Taylormade
- Beetroot, 13, co-written by Apex
2003
- Immortal Technique, Revolutionary Vol. 1, Dominant Species, prod. by Rheturik
2002
- Mojo & Subconscious, "The Angel & The Insect," prod. by Apex
Dujeous Session Work:
2007
- Mark Ronson, Versions, several songs, Dave Guy (trumpet) & Apex (bass)
- Amy Winehouse, Back to Black, several songs, Dave Guy (trumpet)
- Charles Tolliver, With Love, Dave Guy (trumpet)
2006
- Rhymefest, Sista, produced by Mark Ronson, Apex (bass)
- Mark Ronson, untitled forthcoming album, Apex (bass) & Dave Guy (trumpet)
- Akir, Legacy, Homeward Bound," Dave Guy (trumpet)
- Akir, Legacy, This Is Your Life," Apex (bass)
2005
- Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Naturally, Dave Guy (trumpet)
- Ladybug Mecca, Trip The Light Fantastic, Children Say, Oh Poor You, You Never Get It, Apex (bass)
2004
- Immortal Technique, Revolutionary Vol. 2, Cause of Death, Taylormade (guitar, bass)
- Immortal Technique, Revolutionary Vol. 2, Internally Bleeding, Dave Guy (trumpet)
2003
- Rob Swift, Sound Event, Salsa Scratch feat. D-Styles Dave Guy & Bob James (trumpet)
- Rob Swift, Sound Event, The Caper, (bass, guitar, trumpet, co-writing)
- Rob Swift, Sound Event, The Ghetto, (bass, trumpet, co-writing)
2002
- Lil Stef, "Misdemeanor," prod. by Kanye West, (bass, guitar, trumpet)
Film, Television, and Multimedia:
2007
- Crank Yankers (TV series, MTV 2), theme song
- Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes, (documentary, PBS), several songs featured in score
2006
- Final Fight: Streetwise, video game, Capcom: City Limits, Its, and First/Last featured in score, album image featured in game
- Half Nelson, feature film, Hunting Lane/Think Films: Sometimes featured in score and soundtrack
- Andy Milonakis: Season 1, TV series on DVD, MTV: Good Green, Sometimes, and Its featured in score
- Entourage, TV series, HBO: Nas feat. Saigon War Remix featured in score
2005
- Ultimate Hustler, TV series, BET: background scoring
- Kings & Queen, feature film, Wellspring Films: Spilt Milk featured in score
2004
- Soul Purpose, feature film, Teton Gravity: Good Green featured in score
2003
- The Life, TV series, ESPN: background scoring
- Just Another Story, feature film, Showtime: Spilt Milk featured in score
2002
- Blue Crush, feature film, Universal Films: Move and Sightlines featured in score
2001
- Lift, feature film Showtime Networks: All MCs featured in score
- PSA, Partnership for a Drug-Free America/MTV: scoring
- Paper Soldiers, feature film, Roc-a-Fella Films: scoring
1999
- Song for Celia, feature film: scoring
- Featured band, www.levis.com Web Launch
