By Billy Jam
Shit happens. We all know that. But it's what we do with that shit in life that is the important part. In the case of East Oaklander Duke, ne D'Andre Johnson, of new Oakland rap group with a blues twist, the High Decibels, the MC/poet has managed to take the negatives dealt him in life and spin them into something a lot more positive.
In fact if weren't for one of his earliest humiliations as an artist - being booed offstage at a talent showcase at his Oakland high school - that he wouldn't be doing what he is doing right now. "I went to Skyline High School, and at that school, they have a really good performing arts program, and they do this thing called "Showtime at the Line," like at the Apollo with the Sandman and all," he recently recalled of the night that he and his brother entered the contest. They were confident that their rap performance would win over the audience.
Not so. "The theater holds like five thousand people and it was packed. So we started out our song, and the music started skipping. And I was first. I just started busting a cappella. The music came back on and I was off beat. And we got booed off the stage," said Duke of the incident that happened about eight years ago when he was 14. "And for the next year I would be walking down the hallway and one person would start booing, and before I would get to the end of the hallway, the whole hallway was booing."
While most rappers would feel defeated and hang up the mic all together at that point, Duke instead decided to step back from rap, but wholeheartedly take up spoken word. He enthusiastically began entering poetry slams whenever possible and became quite proficient, winning many battles on the healthy Bay Area poetry slam scene.
Fast forward several years to a poetry slam at the Starry Plough in Berkeley one night last year. It was there that longtime musician-producer KC Booker, who used to be in the '90s soul/funk-pop group Big Soul, saw Duke perform onstage and was so impressed that he invited him to front a new group he was about to put together. Soon Duke's childhood buddy and rapper Chief - born Javarae Forrest - joined the High Decibels and not long after they began recording their recommended, recently released debut, HD, on Rolling Jack Records, which is refreshingly unlike most generic rap releases coming out these days. Instead of loops and samples near all the music is original with KC, who plays a mean blues guitar, leading a tight band and DJ.
When Duke and Chief perform at Element Lounge tonight, Oct. 9, they will be joined by KC Booker on electric guitar, Aaron Taunton on electric bass, and Deane Jenkins on drums. If you go - and you really should - be sure to listen to the song "Duke Gonna Get Em," which despite its upbeat, fun vibe is actually a really tragic song about Duke's little sister, Pumpkin, who was one of this year's Oakland murder statistics.
"I wrote that (song) right after my little sister got murdered with her cousin - they were 15- and 17-year-olds - in February on the 13th, the day before Valentine's Day," said Duke. "They were in the wrong place and the wrong time. A couple of guys they were with were into some stuff. And they were just victims of random violence."
"She like R&B and she liked to party and go out and dance," he continued. "So I was like, 'I'm a-gonna make this for her - a little club banger.'" Again Duke takes that the shit in life and turns into something positive.
THE HIGH DECIBELS
Thurs/9, 11 p.m., call for price
Element Lounge
1028 Geary, SF
(415) 440-1125
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