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Duck City Music: The Duo Bringing Grit and Lyricism Back to the Game

October 21, 2024

West Virginia’s Duck City Music is making ripples in underground rap

Duck City Music, the hip-hop duo from Rand, West Virginia, is an emerging force in today’s underground rap scene. Comprising MCs CookieHead Jenkins (CHJ) and Ndakut, they’ve built a reputation for their raw, punchline-heavy lyricism that taps into the gritty, East Coast boom-bap tradition. Despite being firmly rooted in 90s hip-hop, their music feels current and fresh, providing a unique balance of nostalgia and innovation.

Their latest project, Timbz and Hoodiez, showcases their dedication to preserving hip-hop’s core essence while adding their own flavor. Featuring beats from renowned producer Alchemist and a guest appearance from Ty Nitty of The Infamous Mobb, the mixtape is a testament to their authenticity. This is a group that takes pride in their craft, delivering thoughtful lyrics over hard-hitting beats that resonate with both old-school heads and new listeners.

Duck City Music’s story is one of resilience and passion. Hailing from a small town better known for its sports legends, they’ve made a name for themselves by staying true to their roots. They use their music to reflect the realities of their upbringing, blending authentic storytelling with razor-sharp wordplay. As they continue to grow in the underground scene, CHJ and Ndakut are determined to show that real lyricism and substance can still thrive in a modern hip-hop landscape driven by trends.

We spoke with DCM and dove deeper into their creative process, inspirations, and up-and-coming releases.

Where is home?
Charleston, West Virginia is where we currently call home

Where is your artistic home? What city, neighborhood or country helped inspire and inform your art?
Rand, West Virginia is definitely our origin. Growing up during the crack era in our neighborhood was eye-opening! The music we listened to could narrate what was going on in our town even though the artist wasn’t from our town.

What was the defining moment you all realized you wanted to do music? What is the back story of how DCM came to be?
(NdaKut) For me, it was when I realized that some local guys that we know had a project out in the local music store for sale(Budget Tapes and Records). The project was packaged. It may have had 10 songs or so on it. It was complete! It was original! It was innovative! I know then that I too had to make or be a part of a creation like that! S/O the Rebals of Ruckus for the inspiration!

The origins of Duck City Music began in Rand, WV. NdaKut was gifted a pair of turntables for Christmas in the early 90s and instantly became engulfed in DJing. As a DJ, NdaKut had access to different instrumentals on vinyl. CHJ was a neighborhood friend who would come and kick rhymes over the instrumentals for fun. Nosis, the nephew of NdaKut, was a eager sponge soaking up all the game from the older MCs he was constantly near. Over time, evolution and progression happened and what began as fun turned into a real hobby that we were all totally consumed with. It became an ongoing friendly competition amongst all the MCs we were affiliated with at the time and not a single one of us wanted to be considered the “weakest/wackest” MC of the bunch. The desire to be better made us all better.

Music is all about expression. What do you like to express in your work?
Duck City Music originated in a time where lyrics were very important in the music. What DCM does very well at expressing is their wittyness within the bars. Metaphors, smilies, and punchlines are very prominent throughout most DCM tracks. The “wow” factor is often heard at some point in DCM’s music. We like to take an everyday topic/subject and discuss it from a perspective most would overlook and make the listener say to themselves “I never thought of it like that!” The craft of rhyme writing is most definitely a strength for Duck City and this expression can be heard in all of their music.

Who are some Hip Hop pioneers that have inspired you to create? What kind of impact have they had on you as an artist?
Rappers Delight definitely inspired us all. For many of us, that was the very first piece of Hip-Hop that we had ever consumed. It was a feeling of “What is that?” mixed with “I need more of that!”. It was like a drug to so many of us that we had to have.
A few short years later Hip-Hop pioneers like Big Daddy Kane, KRS-ONE, Chuck-D, Rakim, and others brought a newer updated version of rhyming to the game. These icons birthed styles that are still used to this day and are currently utilized by countless artists still creating Hip-Hop music.

How much has each of your styles changed from when DCM first started until now?
Stylistically, we haven’t changed a whole lot. We’re still heavy on the lyrics and punchlines. Our individual skill sets have gotten more precise and efficient due to repetition. What probably has changed the most is our content and subject matter. Life experiences are big inspirations in our music and we’ve had plenty of those since we began making music.

As a group that has collaborated with so many individuals, what are some of your favorite artist collaborations?
Over the years we’ve most definitely collaborated with a lot of different artists from all over. We’ve worked with numerous DJs, Producers, and other rappers at all different levels of skill and success. Some of Duck City Music’s most favorite collabs include Charleston, WV’s #TheDinosaurBurps(Duckasaurus Flex), Newark, NJ’s #DoItAll(Lords of the Underground), and Philadelphia, PA’s #RJPayne(Remember The Name).

The Fox Magazine is all about inspiration, what/who inspires you the most?
Inspiration comes from so many different people, places, and things. Everyday situations can inspire thoughts and feelings which eventually lead to lyrics, songs, and projects. Duck City Music is inspired by many things. Other artists and their creations inspire us. Our children and our want to provide for them inspire us. Underdog stories resonate and inspire DCM. Inspiration is like fuel in this game and just like in real life, it’s hard to go very far without fuel!

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
(NdaKut) People might be surprised to learn that I was awarded a full academic scholarship after graduating from high school.
(CHJ) People might be surprised that I don’t listen to music very often.

What’s your best advice for aspiring musicians?
(CHJ)My best advice for aspiring musicians is to have fun first. It will pay off in the long run.
(NdaKut)My best advice for aspiring artists is to be sure that this is the path that you really want to travel, because for most of us, it is not an easy grind. Your love for the music will be tested often and you have to be certain that this is what you really want to do. Enjoy the process and if your product is really good, trust the process.

Can you give readers a sneak peek at any upcoming releases DCM might be dropping soon?
2024 has been a great year for DCM. We’ve been getting played on various platforms all over the world. We have a few tracks with some DOPE underground MCs out of New York that we plan to drop throughout the remainder of the year. We have also done features for other artists that should be released soon as well. Please log on to DuckCityMusic.BandCamp.com for all of our latest drops!