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Published on February 9th, 2017 | by Oliver Maroney

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Brookfield Duece Discusses New E.P. And What It Means

Last month, Damian Lillard (Dame D.O.L.L.A.) announced that he’d be opening his own record label called Front Page Music. The first person he’d reach out to? His cousin, fellow rapper Brookfield Duece. Brookfield was featured on the hit album “The Letter O” which was Dame’s first project. But now, Brookfield is coming out with his own E.P.

The E.P. which drops on Valentine’s day has meaning behind every song. From his roots in Brookfield to his journey into a more mainstream audience, it’s got all of his stops and stories along the way.

“I have a few different directions behind the inspiration of this album,” Brookfield told us. “I’m a big Common and Chicago music fan overall. So I called it ‘One Day It’ll All Make Cents’ which is a play on Common’s album titled ‘One Day It’ll All Make Sense’. I put ‘Cents’ in the title because this is my first project on the label and so I’ll be giving it away for free. But one day, I’ll make money.”

The E.P. is a preview of what his full album should sound like.

“It’s a sampler of sorts,” said Brookfield. “There are a couple different styles on this project that can look directionless. But they’re all different styles of me and it wouldn’t be fair to exclude those sides of me. So there is singing, 90’s hip-hop sounds, trap, auto-tune, and messages in every track.”

What’s most intriguing about the project is the meaning behind each song. For instance, his first song titled ‘Mowgli’s Song’ is based on Mowgli from Jungle Book. Duece says that Brookfield (the city in Oakland where he’s from) is known as the jungle.

“The song is about growing up in the jungle and being raised rough,” Duece added. “Just like Mowgli being raised by Wolves, we made an animal in every youth coming up during that time.”

Move further down the track list and the meaning of each song continues. His third song ‘Unwilling’ is about doing whatever it takes for him and his family. While others may not be willing, he knows the “other side” as he told us, and that’s what makes him hungry to succeed.

Other songs like ‘Silver Screen’ talk about enduring friends that have hidden agendas and are just “friends” because of the fame.

While Damian Lillard gets all the shine on the court and from his first album, Duece’s project is sure to bring Front Page Music resounding success.

“I’m very excited,” Duece told us. “It’s an ever-changing mix of confidence with my lyrics and a fear that people may not catch them all. But I’m happy with this being my first impression to the mainstream world.”

Some of the songs are already uploaded to SoundCloud in anticipation of the release. Duece recognized his manager Derrick “Lottery” Hardy as being the guy who was fully embedded in the process.

“From beat selection to titling, to forcing me to do my own art and not outsourcing, Hardy’s been that guy,” Duece said. “He’s been a positive voice and if not for him, I’d still be working on this.”

While his cousin Lillard is in the middle of his regular season playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Duece still says Lillard has been as involved “as he can be.”

As most sports stories go, someone in the family gets a big contract and the family distances themselves from that person. In the Lillard family, that’s not the case and in fact, the opposite. He’s kept his family close and it’s a testament to how they were raised. In fact, they’re moving together as a unit thanks to the creation of Front Page Music.

“The goal isn’t to get one person in,” Duece said in an interview with the K/O Show.  “The goal is to turn hunger and dreams into careers and turn careers into financial comfortability. We want the next generation to not have to go through the struggles we did.”

The two (Lillard and Duece) are members of an incredibly supportive and giving family. While they grew up rough, Lillard and his cousin are examples of hard-work and dedication. They give hope to other inner-city kids that want to make it. They represent a bigger brand than just Front Page Music or the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s the common goal of success that can be achieved when you put your head down and just flat-out work.

Take a listen to Brookfield Duece’s songs below.

 

 

 

 


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I write about basketball and have a love for music.


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