AUSTIN, Texas — Austin-based hip-hop artist Mama Duke was looking forward to the opportunity of a lifetime at this year's South by Southwest.
- SXSW was canceled on March 6
- Local musicians feel encouraged to “keep going”
The rapper had booked a slot in three separate showcases. She expected to perform and rub shoulders with industry elites that could have taken her career to the next level.
But on March 6, festival organizers pulled the plug.
"Everybody's saying 'Hey sis, sorry about South by,'" Duke said, as she scrolled through messages on her phone from fans and friends.
That day, Mama Duke gave a performance at a SoFar Sounds concert at Aviator Nation. Even though it was meant to be a warm up for the biggest week of performances of her career, Duke didn't let the news bring down her spirit.
"SXSW canceled? No it’s not. Look at this," she said just before she hit the stage. "You gotta keep going, you gotta keep going."
That attitude has driven Duke her entire career. She discovered her love for music as a high school student in Palacios, Texas, putting on shows for her classmates.
"Guys were asking me to rap and at first it was like ‘I mean… cat, smat, hat, fat’ type stuff,'" she said. "People were digging it, you know? I guess cause I’m a female, I stood out, you know? So it was like, 'Yo, if y’all like that simple stuff, imagine what I’m writing before lunch!'”
She took up photography as she grew older, bouncing from Palacios to Houston. She soon discovered she loved photography, but music was her passion. That's when she made the move to Austin.
"I came to Austin because it was the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ and I really thought my dreams were here and they really are here," she said.
That move set up four years of working Austin's live music scene — work that lead to her opportunity at SXSW. Mama Duke said if she was able to work her way into the lineup before, she can do it again.
Duke is set to release her new single, "Mad," on March 15. Stay updated on her new releases by following her Instagram page, @Mama.Duke.