Duke Deuce

Fronting trap-styled productions while championing crunk traditions marks the style of multifaceted rapper Duke Deuce. The Memphis native launched his career on his own before joining the Quality Control Music roster, where his second mixtape Memphis Massacre (2018) served as his label debut, followed by the similarly horror-themed Memphis Massacre 2 (2020). In between those projects he appeared on multiple tracks from the label’s Top Five Billboard 200 album Control the Streets, Vol. 2. A subsequent joint venture with Motown yielded his first solo album Duke Nukem (2021), which charted, and two further releases, Crunkstar and Memphis Massacre III (both 2022), extended his commercial reach. Operating independently once more, he issued the typically assertive singles “GTD” and “Wassup” in 2023.

Born Patavious Isom, he is the son of producer, rapper, and MaddHouz Ent. CEO Duke Nitty, so music surrounded him from childhood, including nights spent in a bedroom that also functioned as a studio. He first gained attention in his twenties via “Whole Lotta.” After Atlanta-based dancer SheLovesMeechie featured the track in a video, it reached Migos’ Offset and secured Duke Deuce a Quality Control deal. His initial QC mixtape, Memphis Massacre, arrived by late 2018 and included “Whole Lotta” plus guest spots from Offset and Memphis legend Project Pat. Momentum built in 2019 through contributions to Control the Streets, Vol. 2 and the solo single “Crunk Ain’t Dead.” Memphis Massacre 2 followed in February 2020, carrying a new version of “Crunk Ain’t Dead” that featured Project Pat and Lil Jon. After signing with Motown, he released Duke Nukem in February 2021; the set, which featured Offset on “Gangsta Party” along with Latto and A$AP Ferg, peaked at number three on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Two additional albums appeared the next year: Crunkstar surfaced in June, led in part by the GloRilla-assisted “Just Say That,” which quickly surpassed seven-digit streaming totals, while Memphis Massacre III landed in October as his last Quality Control/Motown project. Resuming independent activity without delay, he delivered “GTD” and “Wassup” in 2023.