He’s influenced by the energy and magic of the 1970s, a time when the black community was on the cusp of experiencing the newfound liberties birthed from the Civil Rights Movement. Ironically, the insurgence of year 2020 seems to be déjà vu and DUCKWRTH is eager to offer his talents to break the monotony of these times with his colorful new album SuperGood.
“It’s moreso just to take you away from your current situation,” DUCKWRTH says about his latest effort.
Born Jared Lee, DUCKWRTH navigated the difficult world of growing up in South Central Los Angeles, where in the light of the day stands a strong community of blue collar workers and tight-knit families forced to co-exist with the dark underbelly of an urban metropolis that comes along with gang violence, generational poverty and police brutality. It’s tough.
Although the rapper and songwriter admits that there was a lot of trauma growing up in those conditions, somehow he still manages to have a positive perspective on life, referring to himself as a “rose that grew out of concrete.” At the end of the day, it made him tough as teflon.
“It just taught me all the methods that I needed — it’s like, get the things I need to get, as an artist, as a man, as a businessman,” he said.
It also gave him a greater appreciation for what Southern California has to offer, from its beautiful beaches to its rich diversity. With that said, DUCKWRTH is the perfect prototype for duality, representing both sides of a complicated spectrum. He’s the ying and yang, beautiful and ugly, happy and sad.
Listening to his music makes you want to dance, but the gag is that you’re dancing all alone in your room. It’s not expectant. Because of that added element of surprise, it’s not difficult to see DUCKWRTH in the vein of eccentric greats like Prince, Michael Jackson, Rihanna and other artists who made being themselves the wave. Yeah, he has that much potential.
His approach to being himself is adverse to what music listeners of hip hop are used to today. DUCKWRTH is not interested in the “rockstar lifestyle” portrayed by other creators, where drugs and unhealthy ideas of self-worth are sellable commodities in hip hop. Instead, he has a keen understanding of living in his higher self.
“I remember when I was in church when I was little, this lady put her hand on my shoulder and she was like, ‘You’re anointed’ and she was like, ‘There’s a calling on your life,’ and I remember that sh– and it always stuck with me,” he recalls. “There’s something I’m supposed to be doing with my life and it’s supposed to be helping people.”
In his eyes, showing authenticity and vulnerability in his art will inevitably help people who need to see something different from the status quo represented in hip hop.
“I hate a lot of different things about the music industry and how they label, and everything, and– even some of the playlists that’s supposed to be the representation of hip hop– it is strictly this one genre that has some of the most derogatory lyrics against women or it pushes drug abuse, drug dealing or like gangbanging.”
Not one to be limited or defined by others, DUCKWRTH likes to flirt with a mixture of genres. His favorite genres of music that touch his soul are jazz, soul and gospel. But, his obsession with music lives in hardcore punk with his favorite band being Bad Brains, led by lead vocalist H.R., and known for songs, “Banned in D.C.,” “I Against I,” and “Rise.”
Continuing the mission of being true to thyself, DUCKWRTH prides himself in controlling the creative aspect of his career, including curating the visuals of his album covers and writing his own songs.
“I feel like my covers have always been a bit of fantasy in certain ways, from the An Xtra Uugly Mixtape to The Falling Man. For [SuperGood], it’s mainly about love. What happens when the character does fall in love? So, its like the ying and yang to The Falling Man. I feel like they all reflect each other really. It’s just showing the growth in the artist.”
What appears to be such an effortless process for the rising star can sometimes be a daunting task because of his high expectations. Released by Republic Records in late August, SuperGood delivers 16-tracks that include singles “Quick” featuring KIAN, “Kiss U Right Now,” and “Super Bounce” featuring EARTHGANG.
Out of all the songs, “New Love Song” was the most difficult for DUCKWRTH to write off of the new album. The song samples the hit 1986 gospel song “Jesus Is A Love Song” by the talented sister quartet The Clark Sisters.
“I wanted to like — give a nod to gospel music because that’s some of the earlier music that I remember from my childhood,” DUCKWRTH said.
He found it difficult to finish the bridge and reframe the concept of the song so that it was not specific to a religion. After some diligence, he was able to complete the song in the fourth week of working on it.
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Although he doesn’t mind being in the driver’s seat of his career, he also has an affinity for teamwork. DUCKWRTH attributes the success of SuperGood to a collective effort from his circle of support.
“From the writers to the producers, everyone’s contribution helped SuperGood to be a strong project,” he said.
SuperGood is available on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal and Pandora.
Check Out “New Love Song” Below:
