Mama Duke’s new album, You Can Open Your Eyes Now, was released on January 30, 2025 on Triple Whammy Records.
Kori Roy, AKA Mama Duke, boasts an impressive resume. 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.
Congrats on the new album, You Can Open Your Eyes Now! Tell us about the new music. What were some of your goals with this new project?
Appreciate that! Honestly, there weren’t any big goals with this album other than showcasing my songwriting and putting out a body of work that felt like it really meant something to me. Sometimes, when you’re both a songwriter and a recording artist, dropping projects—or even just releasing music—can get a little complex. Your creativity gets pulled in so many directions—and when you’re tending to so many “fires”, one is bound to burn out. So with this project, it was important for me to press pause on everything else going on around me and really give my own music the space it deserves. This album is an ode to myself as a reminder that I can make whatever genre of music I want. There’s no more fear when exploring with music — You Can Open Your Eyes Now.
What prompted the shift away from rap?
I wanted to explore different parts of my artistry without overthinking it. I wouldn’t say there was a shift—more like an expansion. At my core, I’m a songwriter first. When I’m rapping, I’m taking one form. When I make pop music, I take another. And when I write country songs for other artists, that’s yet another form. There wasn’t any one thing that ‘prompted’ a change; I just move with the music I’m indulging in at the time. Music is beautiful that way—it doesn’t have to be confined to one lane. It’s fluid, and I embrace wherever it wants to take me.
Since landing in Austin you’ve been a vocal advocate for artists of color, even working to provide a platform for local hip hop artists to share their music with ATX Social Club. Have you seen any changes in how Austin incorporates rap/hip hop into the city’s music scene?
If I’m being real, I haven’t slowed down enough to analyze how the city is or isn’t embracing rap and hip-hop. In the world and ecosystem my peers and I have built—and will continue to build—we don’t feel a lack of support or a need to be embraced. When I look around, all I see is success. The question always seems to be, ‘Does Austin embrace rap the way it should?’ But the people asking that clearly aren’t at these events, these panels, these festivals. There are a lot of rap artists in this city making major moves, and not just in music. Take me, for example—I didn’t drop music for over two years, and I’m still afloat. Why? How? Because we are more than music. There are still ways to impact the community and the industry outside of just dropping records. I’ve locked in partnerships, sponsorships, and investors beyond the music—does that not still make me a musician? At the end of the day, everything always ties back to the music. So to me? The Austin rap scene is thriving. And if you don’t see that, you’re just not close enough to the scene.
You’ve been working closely with Austin FC as a club ambassador, how did that partnership come together?
Oh wow! It’s really a dream. To be embraced by a major league soccer team like Austin FC is a privilege. Our partnership started when they invited me out to do the heartbeat—hitting the drum and leading the fans in a chant as the team came onto the field. That alone was an honor, but then they kept bringing me in for more.
They asked me to be one of the artists featured in the release of their new shoe, then to host a community-building soccer tournament. The following year, they invited me back to do the heartbeat again before a match, then to perform at their amphitheater right outside the stadium. After that, they asked me to host the C4 Energy Experience at Q2 Stadium. And most recently, they included me in their new jersey drop commercial alongside Matthew McConaughey and Gary Clark Jr.—and that’s not even the full list. I bring up all these moments because Austin FC could choose any artist—big or small, from anywhere—but they keep bringing me back. That says a lot about who they are. They truly care about organic growth and are curating a club that understands the importance of planting roots before worrying about what fruit will grow on the tree. I’ve been locked in with them for three years now, and they’re doing things for this city that I’ve never seen any other organization do. It’s more than soccer—it’s community, it’s culture, it’s true connection.
We heard you’ll be featured on a TV show, what was that like? Any idea when we can see that episode?
I really can’t say too much about this but I will say it’s like winning the lotto but not being able to cash it in for 3 months. The days are moving so slow. It’s all so exciting. It’s a chance. It’s an opportunity —a big ass opportunity. I’m just grateful that I was aligned enough with the universe for this to kind of just have landed in my lap. It’s meant to be. I can’t wait to circle back and tell yall the bigger story!
Any local artists we need to have on our radar?
I’d love to share some gems in this city!
- Quentin Arispe (you probably know them but sheeesh) – They’re a star. Watch.
- Zeale (From the group Blackillac) — absolutely needs the brightest light shined on him. He is and will always keep topping his own self. He has no limits.
- XB Valentine (XB is really doing numbers consistently that a lot of artists don’t get to see)
- BabiBoi (Queer Icon)
- Era Wadi (He is reaching heights beyond music) — and has an amazing sound!
Do you have a favorite Austin music experience you can share with us?
Shit yeah! Austin has given me some of the wildest, most exhilarating music experiences. Performing at ACL as a solo artist was a huge moment, and then coming back last year for my second debut on the Kiddie Limits stage? Crazy. This music shit will take you places you never expected, I swear. But one of my absolute favorite moments was opening up for Lil Wayne. That night was unreal. I had never crowd-surfed before, so I told the crowd, ‘Y’all have to help me make that dream come true—especially at a Lil Wayne show!’ And they did that shit! The footage from that night will forever be in my flex folder on my phone to show off. What’s dope is—in the middle of my set, I mentioned that I didn’t get a chance to grab any Lil Wayne merch because I was busy with soundcheck and making sure everything was set for the show. Next thing I know, someone in the crowd throws their shirt on stage! I picked it up, saw the size, and yelled, ‘And it’s my size!’—the crowd went crazy! Moments like that remind me there’s nothing
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
