Crunk music was never dead, but Memphis rapper Duke Deuce has taken it upon himself to inspire a new generation to tear
the club up. With inexhaustible energy and a booming voice, the 28-year-old has been reclaiming the ecstatic subgenre for his
hometown, making music as grim as it is gleeful, and turning up all the while. Rapping about harrowing realities and detailing
the benefits of his hard-won success, Duke has reached millions of rap fans who dig his music’s intensity as much as they do the
playful dancing (a.k.a. gangsta walking) he does in his videos. With each release, Duke makes the case that crunk is more than
music. It’s a way of life.
“Crunk music is an expression, an energy. I want people to have fun and crank up when they listen to my music,” Duke says. “It’s
not about being serious all the damn time. I feel like that’s what was missing in rap.”
Duke started filling that void with his first projects on Quality Control Music (QC): Memphis Massacre (2018) and Memphis
Massacre 2 (2020). Those records split the difference between the dark crunk of Three 6 Mafia and the gleaming hits of Lil Jon
& The Eastside Boyz, offering vivid glimpses into Duke’s life before and after