Bunduki Ramadan, also known as Hip Hop Duke, has stood out in the Gainesville hip-hop scene since opening up for the Ying Yang Twins in July 2014. You may now know Duke from his performances as Mr. Orange and Blue and the "Mic Man Hype Man." You may also know the 23-year-old UF economics senior as the guy who seems to know everyone on campus.
I sat down with Duke at the Institute of Black Culture on Monday, and the rapper talked growing up, music influences and community involvement.
J: So how did you become the mic man for the cheerleading squad and Mr. Orange and Blue?
D: So what happened was, one of my best friends since freshman year joined the cheerleading squad his senior year and that same year, they opened up tryouts for students to be the cheerleading squad mic man. So he told me about the tryouts and he thought I would be perfect for it. So I went and checked it out and I was like, "Oh snap, I am perfect for this!" So I went out and auditioned for it and I showed up in this gator onesie, bro! So I went in there with this Gator onesie and decked out in Gator gear and told them I was a rapper and that I could freestyle. So I dropped an Orange and Blue freestyle and had them throw out random words to me to use in my rap and I blew them away with that. So I got the mic man position and Mr. Orange and Blue was retiring around the same time, and he decided to pass the tradition on to me, so I really became two positions in one: the Mic Man Hype Man and Mr. Orange and Blue.
J: When did you start rapping?
D: I started writing poetry in elementary school and just from listening to a bunch of hip-hop I was like, "You know what? I could do this too," so I started downloading instrumentals to rap along to.
J: What rappers or other people have influenced you and/or your style?
D: Actually, the first rapper I was listening to heavy was Ludacris. The cool thing about Luda is that he was a hood rapper but he had class and that fun vibe. He would rap about whatever and would use his vocabulary. That’s why I like T.I. as well, because of his vocabulary. I always listened to a lot of Jay Z, 2Pac, Nas and Lupe Fiasco. I can’t forget my boy Terry Bennett, who I worked with as a Preview staffer. He was like a catalyst for me because he had been in the music business for a minute and had been working with well-known artists and producers down south in Miami and he came here to further his education so he’s got a strong musical background and degrees in both marketing and business. He kind of opened up my eyes to the music industry and the business side of it all. He showed me how to market myself and he continues to teach me a lot. He’s a person that helped me understand that it’s not just a dream, like, it’s a goal and I can make this happen.
J: If you could work with any established producers right now, who would they be?
D: Oh wow, let’s see... Swizz Beatz. I like Jahlil Beats as well, and Metro Boomin is dope, too. Pharrell, I’d love to work with him. Kanye, too, and even J. Cole. And Just Blaze!
J: What about some rappers? If you could jump on their song or vice versa, who would you choose?
D: Definitely Lupe, Cole, Kendrick or Jay Z. Even some of the guys that are breaking through now like Joey Bada$$.
J: What about your performances? I know you do a lot of shows and opening acts, so what are some places you perform at?
D: I perform at the High Dive or The Jam usually. A few other local spots like the 8-bit Bar and Market Street that’s downtown. And of course on campus, too, like the Reitz Union. I did the "Welcome To The Swamp" week when they had GatorNights. It gets super lit; it’s a lot of fun.
J: So who are some artists you’ve opened up for? I saw that you opened up for Hopsin recently.
D: Yeah I opened up for Hopsin, Ying Yang Twins, Nappy Roots a couple times and Afroman.
J: I want to talk more about your actual music. What’s the message you try to get across to your listeners?
D: As an artist, I have my own personal, overall theme and what I want to do. I’m definitely out there to motivate others, you know what I’m saying? I got people I grew up with, people that feel like they have nothing going for them. It doesn’t matter. Anyone can grind and push themselves to that next level. I come from Jacksonville around some rough areas and the people I grew up around were selling dope and gang banging because that’s what they do; that’s all they know. I can’t be mad at somebody for doing something though, you know what I’m saying? I just want to tell people that there’s better out there; we can get this money out here, man! You can live well out here and take care of the family and everything.
J: How involved are you in the Gainesville community? How do you give back?
D: I have a friend who’s actually studying to become a teacher and his sister works at Boulware Springs Charter School here in Gainesville and I rapped for her one time and she asked if I could come rap to her students and I said, "Of course!" It’s a school for low-income students so these kids come up and they don’t know what they can achieve and I can definitely relate to them, coming from a low-income family myself. So I went out there and did a whole set and then gave a motivational speech and there ended up being a writer from the Gainesville Sun out there and that’s how the story kind of blew up.
Check out Hip Hop Duke’s album "The Bigger Picture" with links to download on his website: HipHopDuke.com.
Bunduki "Duke" Ramadan hypes up the crowd during Florida's 42-13 loss to Missouri on Oct. 18, 2014, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
