Mama Duke in KUTX Studio 1A
Kori Roy, AKA Mama Duke, was born and raised in the coastal town of Palacios, Texas. Her mother’s love for Tejano and country music inspired Roy’s love for words and dissecting lyrics for deeper meaning.
This led her to writing her own lyrics in high school, though, photography was what led to the Art Institute of Houston. Roy never stopped writing and creating, and she moved to Austin to pursue a music career in 2013.
Mama Duke hit the scene running. She immediately linked-up with local graphic artist YellaStud, who pulled Roy into the deep-end of Austin’s hip-hop scene. By her third gig, she was opening up for legendary hip-hop group Naughty By Nature.
She released her debut album Ballsy in 2020, depicting her life and experiences as a queer, Black and Mexican woman growing-up in Texas and her experiences of being a queer woman in Austin’s hip-hop scene.
Roy’s accomplishments are expansive. She founded the ATX Social Club in 2019, an online platform and general hip hop hub for performers and enthusiasts alike. She made her official SXSW debut in 2021, her ACL Fest debut in 2022, and has received several awards and nominations at both the Austin Hip-Hop Awards and the Austin Music Awards. She’s participated in the prestigious and exclusive Universal Music Publishing Group songwriting camp and now offers her own songwriting masterclass.
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Musicians: Mama Duke – vocals; Spred – producer
Credits: Producer: Deidre Gott; Edit: Ryan Olszewski; Audio Mix: Rene Chavez; Audio Engineer: Rene Chavez, Reyna Sevilla; Cameras: Micheal Minasi, Rene Dominguez, Ryan Olszewski, Manoo Sirivelu
