Jules welcome to Nefarious Supply, I wanted to start by thanking you for sharing your debut project with us and coming on to interview with us. So to get this interview started just tell us about yourself who is Dukie Jules, and what led you down the path to become a musician?
Ayo, thank you for taking the time to listen. My name is Jules. I’ve never really had to describe myself, but I’d start with shy. I don’t speak much unless I know you. I’d also say I’m a geek, or nerd, whatever you wanna call it. I’ve always had an appreciation for artistic expression of any sort: movies, comic books, poetry, clothes, and obviously music. I’ve always found it easiest to relate my life to symbolism and art, so if I’m not talking I’m day dreaming. I had a single mother for most of my childhood so I had to create my own fun. My freshman year of high school my English teacher loved my poetry, and told me to keep going. I loved to write almost as much as I loved listening to rap, so the jump to music wasn’t hard. I told my family to only get me production software for my birthday because that was cheaper than individual gifts anyways. I tried my best to avoid YouTube beats because if my music isn’t me, what’s the point? That was 2013.
Where are you from and how has this area had an influence on your, as well as your music?
I was born in Chicago but my mom moved before I can remember. I’ve spent the majority of my life in Milwaukee so I call it home. It’s a majority-minority city that is as segregated as it is diverse, and small enough that I have family and friends everywhere. I’ve always assumed being biracial played a large part in the variety of people I know. I know a lot of people who don’t have the luxury of meeting people without school. And my art is a reflection of what was, is, and what’s to come for me. If anybody can relate I call it progress.
Who would you say right now are some of your biggest musical influences to date and why?
My momma was a huge punk rock head, so I’ve always loved rebellious shit or anything off kilter. When my father came back into the picture I was 10 and he loved Motown and most rap, so I’m not picky. I grew up on anything from The Clash, Talking Heads, and David Bowie to 50, Kanye, and JAY-Z. Right when I had gained control over what I listen to, all those worlds seemed to collide. The internet age of rap had a HUGE influence on my music today. I loved Odd Future, Black Hippy, Chance, and Childish. It was beautiful to watch Hip-hop, genre-bend and inspire kids like me to be ourselves.
So let’s talk music bro, you released your debut project “Dukie - EP” give us some background on it and what inspired you to make it?
Dukie Ep was not something I had intentionally set out to make; but more so a byproduct of spending a year having fun in the studio with Joey Indigo, and Sam Catral. Joey assembles the beats and engineers, and just so happens to be an amazing photographer. Sam is a freak jazz guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist. Both of them are the architects of the sound on Dukie Ep, literally bringing to life what I’m feeling sonically and inspiring me to step my shit up when I’m in a slump. It had been 9 months since we put any music out but we had a lot in the vault. So I went back and chose the puzzle pieces that I felt flowed together both in train of thought, and sound. Internationally dukie means shit (which is fucking hilarious), however if you from the Mil you know dukies are Air Force 1s. Dukies have always been my favorite shoe since I was little. I remember how excited I was when my mom could afford to buy them for me. The title really isn’t any deeper than homage to my favorite shoe and the play on words for the cover to make sense.
So four tracks on it walk us through each one?
Lowtide: I had the beat from joe for a long time, but I fell in love with it on the first listen. The guitar was warm and filled my brain with imagery, and the drums were dope too. Super Boom-bappy. I kept picturing a warm overview of a beach with waves. I was driving to work listening to the intro track from Beats, Rhymes, and Life by a Tribe Called Quest. It addressed the state of rap at that time, and the influence the genre had on the younger generation. What they called fads, we now call waves and most come and go. If you are incredibly successful, but you are not you, kids see that and follow suit. This track was my take on that and a brief introduction to me as an artist.
Up (how you like that): The structure of my sobering verses was to juxtapose the chorus. The verses addressed my parents impact on my childhood, trauma, belief in a higher power, and paranoia. I wanted it to run like a train of thought that gets interrupted by the chorus. The confident chorus is just a reassurance to niggas asking me if I’m good. Ultimately I am, but I don’t want to talk about what I think right now. We’re driving.
Toilet Thoughts: This is the interlude to the EP that I had written as a spoken word, after almost losing one of my best friends. Just a reflection of what I had been feeling afterwards, a quarter life crisis if you will. Usually these anxieties hit me anytime I let my guard down or am left with an idle mind... like when I’m taking a shit.
Same ole Shit: I wanted this as an outro because it sounded like winning. The regal piano, upbeat 808s and hi-hats sounded like movie credits, and personally the weekend feels like movie credits. Juggling my mental health, being broke and chasing my dreams can be as tiring as ever. Flexing my ability to let go and not stress, even when I should, feels great. It feels new every time, even though it’s a weekly occurrence. I gave Kenny the open verse and he completed the puzzle like a fucking g
What producers did you work with on the album and how was it in the studio having so many different creatives work together?
The production on the tape was handled by Joe, Sam and I. We have all been great friends since before the music, so this never felt like a chore. I’d usually get off work at 8pm and meet them at sams crib; smoke, talk shit and make music until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. (HUGE THANKS TO THE CATRAL FAMILY) There was never any real conflict throughout production, but leading up to the release there was plenty of debate on what to release or what to finish. Occasionally Sam and Joe would get into it over mixes and transitions, but never anything we took personal. We all listen to different shit, and have different ears so if we come to an agreement then the track has to be pretty smooth. My brothers.
What about Kenny Star, how did you guys meet and what led you to tap him in as a feature on the project?
I met Kenny in high school through mutual friends, that too was before the music. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met; great energy across the boards. Once I found out he rapped I didn’t have to investigate because I knew he would be cold. From then on we would get in the stu every time he was back in the Mil from college and chop it up whenever we can.
So safe to say that the Dukie is a solid piece of work, so my next question is when can we expect some new music from you?
I never fully stop writing and want nothing more than to expand my sound, it’s just incredibly hard to do that during this lockdown. I do however have a lot of completed ideas I’m ready to execute ASAP. Expect something as soon as we are let out the house. Maybe a music video, we’ll see.
What are some of your biggest goals in 2020, and where do you want to be by the end of the decade?
Goals for 2020: Make it out this bitch alive, and help my family and friends however I can. Of course report on the experience through whatever I create. In all honesty I just want to make great shit as long as I possibly can and continue to grow with my music. The accolades would of course be cool because that indicates people can relate. As long as my family is fed and I’m still making exactly what the fuck I want, the decade will be a success.
Big shout out to Jules for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply, if you enjoyed this interview be sure checkout “Dukie - EP” which is available on Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Spotify, If you want to stay up to date with Jules you can also find him on Instagram as well as Twitter.
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