User:DukeBuzzard/sandbox

Duke Buzzy is a Hip Hop recording artist, producer and podcaster in Toronto, ON, Canada. He has collaborated with AntiFrantik, Trace Motivate, Mindbender Supreme, Prolific, Spesh K, Robbie G, Mic Boogie, producer James Pew of Euphonic Sound, and numerous other independent Canadian Hip Hop artists.

Duke is also the host & producer of "Between Bars" on Round Table Radio (a half-hour podcast featuring must-hear independent Canadian Hip Hop music and interviews with the artists).

Biography

Duke was born Seth Ellis at Grace Hospital in Toronto. His family moved around Canada until six years later, settling in a small town on the Alberta/NWT border. They left twelve years later for Yellowknife. During that time, he raided & listened to his dad's extensive record collection. Eventually he found out about Hip Hop & immediately started writing.

Despite being hindered by undiagnosed mental illness, he was able to produce an album by age 18 under the handle "Giant Leroy" (a name he took from a derisive moniker slapped on him by fellow high school students) entitled "Hyena." When asked why Hyena, he said "Because they're dirty, cackling, scavenging bastards who pick fights with lions. That's me." He has since disowned the album for its "bitten content," but still likes the title.

After dropping out of college, he spent a decade sporadically employed, visiting various doctors and a engaging in a bit of group therapy. In 2007 he finally produced "Go Time" & followed it up in 2008 with "Tip the Bar," having changed his name to Duke (apparently after the alter-ego of Hunter S Thompson, Raoul Duke).

Unhappy with the production value of these projects, Duke moved to Toronto & completed an audio engineering / music production program at the Trebas Institute. He then interned at Euphonic Sound under the mentorship of James Pew. During this time, the two founded "United in Flow," producing the collaborative album "United in Flow: Volume 1" with over 40 Toronto emcees, beatboxers, singers, poets and other artists.

2012 saw the launch of "Between Bars" on Round Table Radio (with founders Jules Minaker and Gideon Greenbaum-Shinder), and the release of Duke's album "Burn It Out."

Duke now lives and works in Toronto.

Discography

Go Time: 2007 Go Time I Am the Love God Call Me Duke Smoker in the Studio (skit) Drop with the Mercury No S#!t No Wonder Threat Legend and Torchbearer (featuring Jack Ellis) It's Only Me

Tip the Bar: 2008 The Apartment (intro skit) Headed Underground Tip the Bar Dum-Dum People I Love Tonight Get a Leg Up  Grimball Hawstyle Rattle the Cage Runaway Theme (instrumental)

United in Flow: Volume 1 (collab album with James Pew & 40 other artists): 2010

Burn It Out: 2012 Spark (instrumental) Crash Landing Scorched Earth Rock the Temple Smoke Signals (instrumental) Shadow of the Fire Where the Wild Things R (ft AntiFrantik, Trace Motivate & Mindbender Supreme) Burnout (Dead or Alive) Outta the Frying Pan (instrumental) Homeward Bound Smokescreen Man-Eating Couch Embers (instrumental)