Staying true to our word about shining the light on artists that you may or may not know, the latest to be added to that list is Skent Dukes. Reppin the Buckeye State, (Ohio for the slow ones) Skent is trying to become the next big thing out of Cleveland. Cleveland and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will forever be synonymous with each other, but can Skent Dukes carve out his own lane and show the world that everyone in Cleveland doesn’t sound the same. Check out his bio and then listen to his song “Steady Watchin”. Who knows, he might just be the next BIG thing!
Growing up in Cleveland at a time where it’s music scene was run by national artists and an inner circle of locals, Skent found a place to stand on his own. As a young teenager and member of Sly Fam—alongside his brother, Stone—Dukes was apart of a 1999 underground E.P. entitled Thievery, which went on to sell over 10,000 units in Ohio and effectively put him into a viable position in the midwest music scene. Three years later, Skent’s first solo venture Get It Right had the Cleveland streets buzzing and moved, over 9,500 copies all out of the trunk of his car. The album boasted 19 tracks, including “Swallow That” featuring Columbia recording artist Lil’ Flip and the standout single “Grind Right” that landed at No. 25 on the Billboard magazine’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart and at No. 43 on the Hot 100 singles. According to Billboard, “Grind Right” sold approximately 25,000 copies, as indicated by Soundscan. For several weeks, Skent Dukes’ single “Grind Right” was the most purchased track locally, outselling national artists both inside and outside of his genre.
Having opened for major national recording artists such as Jay-Z, Scarface, Ludacris, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and the Big Tymers, Skent Dukes has the ability to hold his own and engage any crowd. In addition to holding his own on stage, his collaborations with Lil’ Flip, Dogzilla and Mike Jones have also proven his growing skill level. Now, currently gearing up for the release of his next solo album and pushing his new jump-off single “Steady Watchin”, Skent Dukes has an arsenal of lyrics and material that can readily flex his rhyming muscles over some of his self-produced and blazing tracks. Looking forward to dispensing some of Cleveland’s assorted flavor into the national hip-hop/rap market, Skent Dukes more than ready to have the world steady watchin.
Download: Skent Dukes – “Steady Watchin”
