The Story of Duki: From Freestyle to the Top of the Global Urban Genre
The Argentine is one of the pioneering figures of trap, taking the underground scene of his country to another level
Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo (1996, Buenos Aires), better known as Duki, is more than an icon of urban music in Argentina. He’s a pioneer, one of the key figures who helped popularize trap music in Latin America. His contributions have significantly influenced the growth of the hip-hop/R&B scene in the region and contributed to the global recognition of Spanish-speaking urban music.
The artist has established himself as an international icon in the music scene. The milestones speak for themselves: from his recent sold-out tour in the United States to the successful release of his latest album, ‘ANTES DE AMERI,’ the artist fills stadiums two by two, as evidenced by his record-breaking sales at River Plate Stadium and his announcement of a big concert at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (Madrid, Spain) in 2024.
Taking advantage of the announcement of a bonus track from his latest studio work, ‘Remember Me,’ featuring Bizarrap and Khea, in LOS40 USA we want to review the trajectory of undoubtedly one of the most influential and powerful figures in the genre revolution today.
From Freestyling in the Plazas to the Top of the Industry
Duki grew up in the Argentine neighborhood of La Paternal (Argentina), and during his childhood, he developed his musical interests; he used to listen to Argentine rock, salsa, disco music, Latin pop and punk, among other popular genres in the country. However, the realm in which our protagonist would begin to showcase his talent was rap battles, at a time when the underground scene in Argentina was much smaller than it is now.
In 2013, Duki participated in his first rap battle, at Madero Free, alongside another rapper named Salva, where he emerged victorious against competitors Monto and Ambro. He also took part in the competition Unión de Zonas, where he faced off with Felpa against Dani and Elai. He also competed in other battles that brought him recognition, such as Las Vegas Freestyle and Refugio.
However, his name began to take off in 2016 when he became one of the most frequent participants in El Quinto Escalón. During that time, he had met the co-founder of the phenomenon, YSY A, rapping in a plaza. In the middle of that year, he would become a viral sensation on YouTube, and Duko wouldn’t be long in becoming the champion for the first time by defeating rapper Nacho in the final.
Duki took his first step forward in his music career in November 2016, releasing his single «No vendo trap» on YouTube, a product of his session won after winning at El Quinto Escalón. It became a hit that garnered significant attention on social media and surpassed one million views within a week. Shortly after, he released the equally popular «Txdx Violeta» alongside Klave.
Throughout all this, the artist continued to participate in El Quinto Escalón, in a format that kept increasing in popularity and number of followers, with other well-known names like Paulo Londra, WOS, Tiago PZK and Lit Killah, among others. In fact, one of the most viral battles of the competition was between Duki and MKS against Klan and Replik, his last participation in the square.
Trap Reference: Modo Diablo & International Success
His international success came with «She Don’t Give a FO» in collaboration with Khea, which reached number 7 on the charts in Argentina. Shortly after, he participated in the collaboration «Loca» by Khea and Cazzu, the first Argentine trap song to surpass 100 and 200 million views on YouTube, which would later be remixed with reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny. His last single in 2017, «Rockstar,» further solidified his position as a reference and pioneer of the genre in Argentina.
In 2018, the Argentine artist performed more than 40 concert dates in Argentina and Uruguay and subsequently released the first single from Modo Diablo, «Quavo,» his trap crew with his fellows and friends Neo Pistea and YSY A. It was a time when the artist lived with them in the popular mansion at Antezana 247 in Buenos Aires, where they not only celebrated but also came together in their creative process, determined to change the genre. And they did.
Duki achieved unprecedented success for an Argentine trap artist and achieved several more milestones. He turned down contracts, sold out the Luna Park Stadium, embarked on a tour in Europe, and graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Soon after, another one of his landmark hits arrived, «Sin culpa,» with Chilean artist DrefQuila, a single that fused reggaeton and trap and reached number 6 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart.
Record Success: Super Sangre Joven, Temporada de Reggaeton & Stellar Collabs
In early 2020, he participated in Bad Bunny’s iconic album YHLQMDLG with «Hablamos mañana» and later released two singles experimenting with drill music, «EO EO» and «Por mi nombre,» exploring the drill subgenre of trap. In mid-2020, he received two nominations at the Latin Grammy Awards in the categories of «Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song» for «Goteo» and «Best Urban Fusion/Performance» for his collaboration on «Hablamos mañana.»
In April 2021, he released his highly anticipated second trap album, Desde el fin del mundo, produced mostly by Asan and Yesan, which featured an extensive list of collaborators: Bizarrap, YSY A, Lucho SSJ, Farina, Bizarrap, Rei, Pablo Chill-E, Neo Pistea and Khea, among others. Shortly after, he released his more commercial EPs Temporada de Reggaeton and Temporada de Reggaeton II. Later in 2022, Duki dropped his highly anticipated BZRP Music Session with his friend and star producer Bizarrap, where he narrates his journey to success, making the song a successful debut on Spotify’s Top Global chart.
Latest Drops: ‘Los del Espacio’, ‘Antes de Ameri’ & More
Earlier this year, Duki released «Harakiri» as the first single from what would be his latest album. Later in May, he launched the highly anticipated «Apollo 13», and «Rockstar 2.0» with Jhay Cortez in June. Then came the legendary urban anthem «Los del Espacio» alongside other genre references who form a crew close to the artist, including Emilia, Lit Killah, FMK, Rusherking, Tiago PZK, and María Becerra, with Big One as producer.
Finally, on June 22, 2023, the Argentine artist released his third studio album, Antes de Ameri, a conceptual studio work with a very special meaning.
Precisely on July 13, the Argentine artist will delight us with the bonus track of his latest release, alongside Bizarrap and Khea, ‘Remember Me.’
Duki is more than a freestyler, more than a rapper. He is an icon of the genre who has opened the doors to his own style, his own scene emerging from Argentina, with some of the artists who are now topping international charts.