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Biography
They’re still here. After five albums and more than a decade of touring Ugly Duckling continues to make music with
independence and integrity. While most people in the entertainment business attempt to constantly reinvent themselves,
UD has remained happily naïve when it comes to the latest industry attitudes, fashion trends, and state-of-the-art production
techniques preferring instead to develop and stand by their own signature sound. “We’ve seen so many phases come and go that
it all seems silly to us now,” says Andy, “Good music and top level, live performance are really our only concerns.
Young Einstein, Dizzy Dustin and Andy Cooper formed Ugly Duckling way back in 1993 in their
hometown of Long Beach, California. Growing up
in the 1980s, they were raised on a classic hip hop
diet but were especially influenced by the mostly
New York-based and production-focused groups of
the late 80’s and early 90’s (such as A Tribe Called
Quest, The Beatnuts, Diamond D, Gangstarr, etc.)
Strangely enough, Ugly Duckling started out at
exactly the same time Long Beach was becoming
known as a focal point of hip hop culture due to the “G-Funk” style made popular by
local acts like Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg, Domino and Tha Dogg Pound (lots of
dogs, huh?) Unsurprisingly, Ugly Duckling was not a part of this “gangsta” movement and
chose their band name to reflect that feeling. Despite the odds and, as usual, against the
prevailing currents, UD began honing a sound based on funky drum breaks, souldrenched
musical loops, and massive horn sections. When it came to the group’s vocal
style, Andy and Dizzy created a unique, back-and-forth flow to showcase rhythmic and
poetic skill with a special humor that inspires head nodding smiles. With that they began
crawling their way toward a career in hip hop, but it would not be an overnight process."
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