“I never entered this trying to be famous or even be around famous people, my friends and I just wanted to be the biggest in our city”
- Chris “Duke” Malloy
An emerging management job for his friend who rapped, turned into a career making beats and music for some of the most famous names within the music industry today. His musical credits include TLC, The Game, Curren$y, Eric Bellinger, Styles P, Dave East, MYA and more. With over 15 years of experience, Chris Malloy (notably recognized as “Duke") has combined his strong work ethic and determination to achieve his distinguishable success today.
Born on October 25th, 1986, in Cleveland, Ohio Chris Malloy was affectionately given the nickname “DUKE”by his grandmother, a name that continued to follow him throughout grade school and his career. During his exclusive interview withLUL Magazine, "Duke"shared how life was hard at times, growing up as a kid in the inner city, but it helped instill some of his greatest values. “Pressure makes diamonds,” Duke said. “If you don’t work you don’t eat, if you don’t grind, you don’t shine”. He learned the values of hard work and dedication from his parents at an early age. Duke recounted stories of his parents who taught him the values of hard work, being yourself and standing by your word. His mother worked as a hairstylist and his father was good with his hands which led to him becoming an electrician with HVAC experience.
At the age of 19, Duke began to manage the rap career of his friend “Chip Tha Ripper’’. He recalled how their local success ledto regional success and grew from there. With the help of the internet, their notoriety took off. “Myspace changed my life; we began to put his music on the site, and it went everywhere”. Although just starting out, Duke had officially made his mark as a successful manager. “Creatively I would manage all of his production, but I didn’t know how to produce at the time”. With a true desire to besuccessful, Duke beganto self-learn “Fruity Loops” , the musical production systemintroduced to him. “I would stay up day and night to learn and make sure I had a good understanding of it”.
Duke’s career continued to excel and has afforded him the opportunity to share rooms with some of the biggest celebrities recognized today. He has produced songs for TLC, and has worked on records with Trae tha truth, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and more. In 2019, Duke served as the solo producer for “Stainless” a track released by The Game from his “Born 2 Rap” album which earned notable success featuring Grammy Winning artist Anderson Paak. Duke is currently working on a project for the NBA 2k22 scheduled to be released at a later date. True to form, Duke has expounded upon his talents. He is currently the co-owner of Ultrium Studios, a 24-hour, black owned studio rental in North Hollywood, California. Clients can receive audio mastering and musical production from the studio’s producers as an additional service offered. “It was one point in my life where I used to sleep in this studio,” said Duke.
Duke is currently engaged to a wonderful woman named Marquita, soon to have his last name Malloy. “When she came into my life, things got even better,” said Duke. “She was the missing ingredient”. With the encouragement of his fiancé, Duke began to try out new eating habits for a healthier lifestyle. He began to work out even harder and has successfully lost over 120 pounds. During his weight-loss journey, Duke often had cravings for sweets and began to make desserts of his own. After completely selling out of his home-made sweets during a friend’s brunch event, Duke realized that he had another successful business within his reach. In August of 2015, “Dukie Pies” was created. “Everyone calls me Duke, so I embraced the name and took the vulgarity of Dukie when it comes to mind and named my company after it”. Dukie Pies offers natural, gluten free and non-GMO treats. When asked about his weight loss journey,Duke stressed the importance of drinking water. “It's 80% eating and 20% working out,” said Duke.
Duke has made a commitment within his own life to become centered; mentally spiritually and physically. He believes in the importance of understanding how God and the Universe work together. He lives by the guidance of following your heart, trusting your intuition, and having faith in your journey. “I always knew that if I set a goal and kept working at it, that I would achieve it….Come up from where you’re at; that’s what I’m on,” said Duke. With over 12,000 Instagram followers and growing; a successful career as a music producer and multiple business owner, Duke continues to inspire others through his hard work, innovation, and success. He is a true example of how far believing in and remaining true to yourself can take you. Be sure to check him out on Instagram @dontmindifiduke.