Adam Feeney got hooked on beats and rhymes in his teens. Awed by the knocking drums and funk breaks of New York rap, the Toronto native started DJing at the age of 15. Feeney began producing and competing in local DJ contests as Frank Dukes, taking his name from the legendary pugilist. Practice led to his first production credit in 2003, a remix for Philadelphia rapper Hezekiah.
Production for Joell Ortiz, Choclair and Kool G Rap encouraged Dukes to enter the Red Bull Big Tune producer competition in 2008. He placed second in the finals and met G-Unit’s A&R, leading to frequent work with 50 Cent and the rest of the G-Unit camp. The following year Dukes claimed first place in the Big Tune competition, winning studio time with the Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah.
In his short career Dukes has already lent his distinctive progressive boom bap sound to new and established artists such as Maino, Styles P, Sean Price, Lil B, AZ, Mobb Deep, Masta Ace, Danny Brown and Corey Gunz. Not content to confine himself to hip-hop, Dukes continues to hone his craft and experiment; in early 2011, he produced Charles Bradley’s soulful cover of Nirvana’s “Stay Away” along side the Menehan Street Band. Dukes is also working on an untitled project with rap-loving Toronto jazz trio Badbadnotgood.
Collaborations with Drake[]
Frank Dukes has collaborated with Drake in:
- "Money" (produced)