Duke Montana was born in Rome to an American father and Italian mother. In the early years of his life he lived in Santa Ana, Los Angeles. In the early 1990s, when he was fourteen, Montana founded his first hip-hop collective, Power Mc's, together with the producerIce One and Julie P. with which he released the Power to the People LP. He also collaborated with important members of the American rap scene including Onyx, Ice-T, Wu-Tang Clan and starred in the film Le amiche del cuore, directed by Michele Placido, playing the role of himself. During those years he spent his life between Corpus Christii, London and finally Los Angeles. There he performed in many live concerts until 2000, when he finally settled in Italy. After his solo EP, Atlantis Land, during year 2006 he began a close collaboration with Truceklan that culminated with his official entry in the crew. Their songs, such as Corpus Christii, often contained references to violence, extreme sex and drug abuse.
Career
Truceklan
In 2008, with Noyz Narcos and other members of the Crew Montana, Duke Montana took part in the album Ministero dell'Inferno and in the album Guilty , including collaborations with Italian mainstream rappers such as Club Dogo, Marracash and Fabri Fibra. During these years he performed in many concerts all around Italy and Switzerland. In 2011 he gave birth to the project "Black Bandana Click", with Metal Carter and Noyz Narcos, with the intention to publish an album, Klan Related, and three extra tracks. The project failed because of a sudden personal dispute between Montana and Narcos. Montana dissed Narcos with a public dissing track named "Stai messo male", in which Narcos was described as a poser, drug-addict, actually coming from a wealthy family.
Feud with Frankie HI-NRG
In 2009, when he still was a member of Truceklan, Italian police led several drug operations which involved many members of the crew. The investigations led to the seizure of more than 10 kilograms of drugs and to the arrest of eighteen people, also including Chicoria and Noyz Narcos, while Montana never had criminal record. In those days the rapper Frankie Hi-NRG MC, during an interview on the Italian national networks, declared: Truceklan replied to this provocation with a diss, written and sung by Duke Montana. In the intro of the videoclip some members of his crew, using a spray, write on a car Snuff It, Frankie. Later, an actor in the part of Frankie is represented to have sex with another man and finally is beaten up and forced to enter in an ambulance, driven by other members of the crew. In the final scene Duke and Noyz Narcos slash a copy of Frankie's last album in front of the camera. Frankie never replied to the diss.
Solo career
In 2011, Montana released the album Grind Music II, self-produced and distributed by Edel Music. In the same year he published his further album, Stay Gold, produced by Sick Luke. It included collaboration with the American hip-hop group Onyx, Club Dogo, Fabri Fibra, and other mainstream and underground rappers. In 2012, he recorded the track "Smashin' " featuring Onyx and The Beatnuts. Currently he is the president of Golden Age Biz, his personal label, which has a partnership with Sony BMG for distribution and Live Nation Entertainment for his live tours. It also deals with the production of Black Barz and other emerging underground rappers. On the 15 July 2012, Montana opened the first and the only Italian date of the American rapper Wiz Khalifa, in Milan, together with Fedez and Baby K.
Cinema
During his career as an actor he took part to several regular and porn movies, in each of which he always played the role of himself. Most of the scenes are criminal themed or however describe the social unrest and corruption proper of the Italian society:
1992 – Le amiche del cuore directed by Michele Placido.
2007 – Mucchio selvaggio together with Club Dogo and Truceklan, porn movie.
