Dujeous is a live hip-hop band based in New York City. Dujeous songs are a diverse mix of topics, but they often talk about life in New York City ("City Limits", "New York Views"), post-millennial paranoia ("Sometimes", "It's..."), and sometimes, just having a good time ("Good Green," "Drowsy"). Their music has been featured on television (the theme to Crank Yankers, for example) and big screen (scoring Universal Pictures film Blue Crush).[citation needed] They've recently been promoting their weekly "No Clearance" free downloads, and leaks from their second album Day In Day Out.
Members
The band consists of seven main members:
Mojo the Cinematic (Loren Hammonds)
Born and raised in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan (as he says in the title track of City Limits). He has collaborated with Immortal Technique, Akir, Delta, Aesop Rock, Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox, producer Omen, and many others. Mojo is also working on a solo album, titled Blackademic.
Also an Uptown Manhattan native, MasD is Dujeous' third MC and is the son of Jamaican and Jewish immigrants. Mas D is also a photographer and designer, and is responsible for much of the group's artwork, such as album covers, single covers, and flyers.
Taylormade (born Taylor Rivelli)
Taylormade is the group's guitarist and its main producer. He was raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. He is the group's primary recording engineer. As a producer, Taylormade has also worked with Saigon, Rhymefest, Nipsey Hussle, John Legend, Sharon Jones, MTV2, Kardinal Offishall, Dip Set, Nas, Keith Murray, HBO, BET and many more.
Manhattan native Dave Guy is Dujeous' trumpeter. He toured with Amy Winehouse. He is a member of Daptone Records funk bands the Dap-Kings, Sugarman 3, Menahan Street Band, and Budos Band, and is first trumpeter in Charles Tolliver's Big Band. He has also played for Mark Ronson, Nancy Sinatra, Wynton Marsalis, and Lily Allen.
Tomek (Tomek Gross)
Tomek, is the group's drummer and one of its producers. He is also known for singing on certain Dujeous songs and onstage. He has also produced for NYC rapper Subconscious, and is a founding member of New York electronica group WIldlife.
Apex (Alex Gale)
Apex is the group's bassist and one of its producers. He has also produced for underground MCs Akir and Subconscious.
Early years
Dujeous first came together in its current lineup in the late 90s, while the members were in high school. All of the members attended either Hunter College High School or LaGuardia School for the Performing Arts, both public high schools located in Manhattan. The three vocalists attended elementary school together, which is where they conceived the word Dujeous, which they have claimed is a "shape-shifting word" that means "all things good" in various interviews.
Dujeous got its start at high school talent shows and then moved on to small venues throughout the city. Their first show was at the Harlem School of the Arts. Dujeous' first received radio airplay on the Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito radio show on 89.9 WKCR-FM.
City Limits
After playing shows in the NYC area and releasing products independently, Dujeous released City Limits, their first internationally distributed full-length release. The album garnered attention in the New York Daily News, The Source magazine (in which they were featured in the Unsigned Hype column, which also brought Biggie Smalls, Common, Eminem, and many other notable rap groups to fame), Time Out New York, and Urb (which named the group one of the Top 100 new artists of the year).
2004 also saw Dujeous travel the globe in support of City Limits. They toured France and Poland, and also reached the West Coast and Midwest for the first time.
TV and Movies
Dujeous music has been featured in many television shows and movies. They produced and cowrote the theme song for MTV2's Crank Yankers with Chicago MC Rhymefest. Their music has also been featured in TNT's Saved, Universal Pictures film Blue Crush, and many other notable shows and movies (see discography).
Discography (partial)
For full discography, see external links.
2009
No Clearance (mixtape)
2008
"Break Bread" b/w "Research" (digital single release)
2007
Game 7 (mixtape)
album, TBA, forthcoming
2006
Live at Southpaw (CD, live album)
Half Nelson Soundtrack (“Sometimes”)
Mojo, The Cinematic Advances (mixtape)
2005
AOL mixtape
Live in Warsaw (CD, live album)
2004
City Limits (CD, 2xLP)
Sometimes b/w The Rules (12)
Good Green b/w City Limits & The Wrench & The Chain
