Meet Oakland Artist And Songwriter Brookfield Duece

Before today, I didn’t know much about Oakland artist Brookfield Duece and I honestly hadn’t heard much of his music. But after getting a little insight into his life and his music career, he’s more than just an artist and it’s deeper than the music. He’s hungry, humble and has a distinguished musical gift that’s overlooked.

In 2011, Duece experienced a life changing situation in which he was involved in a drive by shooting that nearly killed him as his car was hit with 15 bullets but thanks to god he was not hit at all. Since 2012, Duece has been in the lab cooking up heat and has completed well over 5 projects. Due to his outstanding work ethic and creative attributes, he signed to Front Page Music label. The label is founded by NBA star Damian Lillard, who also is Duece’s cousin.

Fast forward to now, he has finally released his official studio album America’s Orphans today available on all major streaming platforms. I could honestly say its worth the hour and 3 minute listen. Down to the production, the narratives, the wordplay – everything is absolutely perfect and it’s one of the best projects I have heard in a very long time.

We got a chance to chat with Brookfield Duece about the album, his life growing up and much more. Check out the full interview below.

RizeMag: Who is Brookfield Duece?

Duece: I’m just an artist from Oakland, California trying to reach people with my art.

RizeMag: How would you describe your sound?

Duece: I would say it’s street conscious, like Common, Ice Cube, Jay Z and Kanye got in a lab and created a little Gemini from the hood.

RizeMag: What’s your background story on how you first got into music?

Duece: I think it’s the same as most. Mom and family are church rooted. We listened to other music outside of gospel but it was mostly 80’s and 90’s R&B and 70’s Pop and Funk. The rap we consumed was from the radio. Through the radio songs I was able to become big fans of Death Row and Bad Boy and the surrounding artists in those camps like Snoop, Dre, Hov, Puff, Mace, etc. It just spread from there.

RizeMag: Since your last project, how would you describe your growth?

Duece: A high amount of growing. Learned to pick beats better, incorporated live instruments, arrange songs better, hear the correct features for songs and not just a name to get attention, this album above all my other projects I stuck to my guns. I chose a concept that was close to my heart and I went after it on EVERY song. I didn’t detour. In the past I’ve listened to people around me say I should do something like this or like that and then I end up with an album or mixtape that even I’m skipping songs. I like them, but don’t love them, I’m not performing them. This album was all I gave my time to. Quit my job, my car got repo’d, on the bus until I got a car and started driving Lyft, lost friends and relationships over this album. I honestly destroyed my old me to rebuild the me today. And I’m still under construction.

Even more than that, I learned a lot more about the business of being a signed artist and how being signed doesn’t mean a label will just have everything laid out for you. It’s quite the opposite, you sign and the people think you’re set, but you’re not, you’re broke, you’re not getting any favors either, they think you got it, so beats and studio time and mixing and artwork, everything is getting taxed! Lol it’s sick!

Everyone is doing sort of a waiting game, like, alright you signed, go platinum or you’re trash! Like the fans and the placements and the interviews get themselves. Even the label is waiting for the proof before they really get behind the idea that you’re this artist and they signed you! Like “when you get it popping, we’ll be there. Until then, keep working”.

It makes sense, you know, a label signs you and you aren’t the only one they have to worry about. So the squeaky wheel gets the oil. It’s the reason most artists get back to indie or never sign. Nobody wants to be shelved or mistreated when they’ve worked so hard to get that help to get them over the hump.

I wouldn’t trade this knowledge since my last album though. There are parts that are lacking and parts that are great, it’s all the ingredients to the growth. It’s been integral in who I am as an artist and man that’s for the people and the culture.

RizeMag: You are an artist under superstar Dame Lillard’s Front Page Music label. And who also is your cousin which is dope. How did you get involved with Dame and his label?

Duece: We’ve always been around music. He was around it before basketball got serious. So once getting to the NBA, the talk was about all of us starting the label and really pushing this movement. It was a really easy decision to make as a family. We’re all still learning how to really put our fingers on the pulse of the people because the music business isn’t just throwing money at something, there is a formula that changes daily. It requires laser focus.

RizeMag: What was some of the best advice Dame has given you? If any.

Duece: He’s more of a show you over tell you kind of person. So his advice is shown through action. I’d say the biggest thing is “set your target and go hit it! Don’t tell 100000 people, just go to work. If nobody wanna come to the gym with you that’s fine. It’s your dream. Not theirs.”aka “Don’t let that worry ya!”

RizeMag: What’s the message behind your new album and the cover art for  “America’s Orphans?”

Duece: Basically me using my vision to ask questions about who we are and the situation we’ve found ourselves in.

The lack of cultural parenting we have from our European fathers and African mothers. We can’t go back to either country and be accepted fully, the choices we make are heavily attributed to the fact that we don’t know any better. So putting myself in the shoes of a potential oppressor, seems like an easy target to aim at. And a lot is things we now do to ourselves based on conditioning and enough of us don’t know it’s happening.

I wanted to make sure I wasn’t preachy, but I for sure wanted to start the conversation regarding this music and the visuals I’ll be releasing to pair with it. There will be a few shock moments regarding the visuals attached to this album.

As far as the art goes, I just wanted to show us alone. The artwork was conceptualized by myself, my homie Ryan, and my homie Alex Wright. The original photo was a white man attempting to stab a black man (Ted Landsmark) who is actually a major factor in black history in the architectural world. Look him up. He was just walking through a rally because there weren’t any close parking spaces and the whites that were there were protesting the city government for desegregation busing. They seen a black man and it was on sight! Everyone should really look him and his story up. It’s important. But things haven’t changed. We’re still being mistreated, cops still aren’t protecting and serving us, we still feel alone. So we took multiple moments and made one picture. We took Ted Landsmark off the cover because it could anybody and we added the police because they aren’t stopping it from happening. They with it. The boy sitting down is a level of accepting it. We don’t have hope. And nobody cares. So the goal for the art was to get the people to ask the question of what the music sounds like if the art looks like this.

RizeMag: How long have you been working on the album? And tell us a little about the creative process.

Duece: I’ve been working on this album for 2 years plus. The concept has been on my mind for about 5 years but i didn’t think the times were ready to talk about it and I wasn’t ready to deliver it properly.

I started the creative process during the recording of Damian’s first album The Letter O, that’s where I met Like of Pac Div, Swiff D and bunch of other dope producers. We did a few tracks that ended up on the mixtape I released called Better Late Than Never. By the time we started Damian’s second album Confirmed, my manager Derrick Hardy and I decided we should do the entire album with one producer and Like should be it, I’ve been a fan of his and Pac Div for years, one of my favorite songs by Kendrick Lamar (sing about me, dying of thirst) was produced by him so it made sense to me to work with someone I looked up to and respected. At the end we added an eggshell to a future album and we had Kelly Portis produce that.

The funny part about it all is it took my 3 days to write and record 85% of the album. The rest came as we added more beats that helped finish the story. I did about 40 songs and picked 15 for the final list. But the writing and recording took no time. The time came from all the paperwork, adding features, mixing, mastering, adding all the live instruments, and more paperwork! I pushed the album back like 9 times.

RizeMag: Would you say this is your best project to date?

Duece: I think it is. But I can’t decide that. The world has too. People still call me or message me about my last album Hoop Dreams and it’s biggest song on there Screw Up. I do think a song or two on this will knock screw up off as my best song to most people but we’ll see.

RizeMag: What are your favorite tracks and why?

Duece: My favorites change daily. Currently it’s a song called While featuring Mani Draper from Richmond, California, really dope artist, everyone should check him out! And a song called Swervin featuring Freddie Gibbs, it has an intro that my then 13 year old son rapped. And Gibbs killed his part.

Both those songs are my current favorites but the whole album surprises me that it’s my album sometimes. It’s the first album I went outside of my region for features and beats. And I did so much of this album without much help so it’s really cool to know I completed the shit!

RizeMag: Who or where do you draw inspiration from?

Duece: My family, my culture, and my country. Everywhere honestly. I’m always learning and drawing from everywhere.

RizeMag: Did you face any major challenges creating this album?

Duece: My own anxiousness. Wanting it to come out as fast as possible because of my belief that music would take the turn that it’s starting to take with known trap and street artists starting to talk about real issues and real opinions on black ascension and coming together to fight against the oppression we face. The obstacles were normal for a person in my position and was honestly God allowing the album to get everything it needed so it could be released  without fences, getting the right Distribution (with Soulspazm) for the album because I was talking to a few labels that may not have been the best fit for my currently. I just wanted it out yesterday so that was stressful. But it’s all the seeds of growth.

RizeMag: Do you write down your verses or you like to just freestyle?

Duece: Absolutely wrote every word. I used to attempt free styling but I’m too technical in my writing to not sit with the words. I will say that it doesn’t take me long to form verses. That’s fast. But I am sitting or driving around with every word.

RizeMag: What do you think of about the current state of hip hop?

Duece: I think it’s in a good place. You got 4 generations involved now. We’re all a family. Support could always be better but that’s life. But I think the right artists are starting to speak and act in a manner that will inspire the kids to change our world issues. Just like Pac said “won’t change the world, but I’ll spark the mind that will” I think more artists are listening to Pac now.

RizeMag: Lastly, what’s next for you after the album drops? Another album?

Duece: I’m already working on the next few things. Plan on doing a tape with my DJ, Drae Slapz. We are also sitting on at least an EP as a label right now and I’m already collecting and recording new music for another album. But we’re gonna talk about AO for a good amount of time. I got a lot to get off with this album. I refuse to cut corners, so stick around for a minute. I don’t plan on slowing down once this album drops.