Dujeous

Dujeous. Pronounced doo-jee-us. But it's not about their name, it's about who they are: a seven-man band, raised in the ways and days of old New York. Friends since elementary school, the Dujeous crew blew up through the New York underground, selling out clubs, throwing monthly showcases that featured the best MCs in the Northeast, and burning up the airwaves of the legendary Stretch Armstrong show. Fast-forward a few years and see who they are now: explosive live performers, feared MCs, in-demand musicians, and well-established producers set to unleash their sophomore album Day In Day Out. If you don’t know, now you know.

But it's not about who they are; it's about what they've done. The Duj graduated from hustling demos from the streets and stages of NYC in 2004, when they sold 20,000 units of their debut album, the acclaimed City Limits. The LP reached No. 6 on the CMJ charts and got spins at top stations like NYC's Hot 97 and LA's KCRW. The critics jumped on the bandwagon, calling Limits "groundbreaking" (allhiphop.com) and "a producer's dream" (Time Out NY). Urb named the band one of their "Next 100," while The Source featured them in their venerable Unsigned Hype column. The buzz propelled songs from Limits to the big screen, in movies like Half Nelson, Blue Crush, Lift, and Kings & Queen, and the small screen, in TV shows like Entourage, Saved, and Crank Yankers. In 2007, Dujeous followed up with the mixtape Game 7, which burned up broadband, garnering over 10,000 downloads and praise on influential blogs like Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork. Meanwhile, on stage, Limits and Game 7 helped the Duj bust out of the five boroughs and rock all across North America, Europe, and Asia, with the likes of Kanye, Busta, 311, Funkadelic, John Legend, Mobb Deep, and countless others. Word of their instrumental and production talents spread, leading to some serious collaborations: They've played for Mark Ronson, Lily Allen, Al Green, and Lauren Hill, and produced for Dip Set, Saigon, and Keith Murray (see attached discography). There's a reason Mark Ronson called Dujeous "New York’s only hip-hop band worth talking about."

Impressive, yes. But forget what they've done—it's what they're about to do: release their sophomore album Day In Day Out, leaps and bounds ahead of City Limits in all ways. “We expanded and stepped out of the old formulas, both our own and hip-hop’s,” says Mojo. “New instruments, new guests, and new topics—we really challenged ourselves with this album musically and lyrically.” Some things have remained constant: MCs Mojo, Mas D, and Rheturik keep the lyrics smart and to-the-point. Bassist Apex and drummer Tomek still provide that lunchroom-table boom-bap, while guitarist Taylor Rivelli and trumpeter David Guy (also a member of the Dap-Kings) still bring twisted jazz, funk and rock melodies. But there are new ingredients in the mix : Keyboardist Borahm Lee (Lee Scratch Perry, Matisyahu) has joined the band, bringing spaced-out textures from dub and elsewhere. Dujeous didn’t stop there: Strings, accordion, mellotron and other instruments from around the world have been added to the arsenal. Plus, while Limits was strictly a family affair, Day In is stocked with contributions from the Duj's talented extended circle, including platinum soulman John Legend, hip-hop provocateur Immortal Technique, and funk queen Sharon Jones.

Check the first warning shot, "Research"—only Dujeous could bring together Japanese koto master Masayo Ishigure and Australian DMC champ DJ Staen 1 and make it work. While those two go off, breakneck guitars and horns blast, and the MCs go straight for the jugular. Other songs go in different directions: The uplifting “Break Bread” is Dujeous at their most personal, with the MCs breaking down family woes and willpower over harmonies from John Legend and infinite layers of cellos, violins, and balafons. “Death and Taxes,” meanwhile, is every bit as dark and cynical as its title, featuring biting attacks on Uncle Sam and ominous textures of pizzicatos, moans, and bare-bones drum stabs. Somehow, on Day In Day Out, it all blends seamlessly. So forget everything else. A new-and-improved sound. A new album that will take Dujeous to new eardrums, new stages, new continents, new levels of success. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.