Dukeboi headed to the stars
Published 3:26 pm Tuesday, June 10, 2008
He’s only 15, but headed to the stars.
Jordan Dukes has released his first single “DA JUKE” under RL Entertainment Group out of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Atlanta. While the teenager splits his time in Montgomery and Chattanooga, he got his musical start here in Selma.
Denise Dukes, a stage artist and drama instructor, explained that Jordan, also known as Duke Boi, was born in Atlanta, but soon she and her husband, Roger, moved to Selma.
“Shortly after we moved here, we put Jordan and his brother, Joshua, three years yonger, in piano lessons with Pauline Anderson,” Denise Dukes said. “She is a well-known piano teacher and resident of the Selma area.”
After school, Jordan hung out at the Selma Police athletic League Center, where he played basketball.
Selma Police officer Pat Cowan, who runs the center, noticed the youth right away. “He had that quality,” she said.
Last week, Jordan and Joshua, who backs up his brother on the single, returned to Selma and filmed a companion video to the single.
“It went very well,” said Denise Dukes. “We had a good time.”
Jordan attended Valley Grande Elementary and Martin Middle School, an honor student. He also studied percussion and played on the football and basketball teams.
Jordan sums up his road to the studio succinctly, “At the beginning of 2007, my freshmen year there was no thought that I could become an entertainer even though I already had the foundation. My first gift I ever recognized I had was my feel for dancing since I was a toddler. As I grew into a young boy I took piano lessons in the 4, 5, 6, and 7th grades. Then by the time I entered middle school I joined the middle school band playing in the position of a percussionist. After that, I started writing poetry and songs here and there. Then one day during my high school pep rally I danced in front of a couple thousand people and realized that I could become a star.”
He launched into hip-hop with a little assistance from his father. On his first single, Jordan has worked with some of the industry’s top music producers and engineers, his mom said.
“Da Juke” is the first song Jordan has written. It’s in the style of his musical influences — Tupac, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, T.I., Jay-Z and R. Kelly.
“But my personal goal is to someday be a positive influence to someone else,” he said “My main goal is to give hip-hop a reason to stay alive by producing great music.”