Dukwon Jones
Dukwon Jones | |
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| Born | January 13, 1984 Southern Pines, NC |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
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Du'Quan Joel Jones (born January 13, 1984), known professionally as Dukwon, also known as Dukwon Jones or D.Cap, is an American rapper and graphic designer.[1] Jones rose to popularity with the release of his debut album, Tha Landin’, in 2005, and since then he has released two other full-length albums and multiple singles.
Jones is the founder of D.Cap Grfx of America, a leading multipurpose graphic design agency that has worked with numerous prolific clients including Chirs Tucker, DMX,[2] T-Pain, USA Boxing, and Universoul Circus to name a few. He also owns a clothing line called Caplyfe Clothing and a App called UDooh.
Dukwon is highly regarded for creating Hip Hop Wins "The Card Battle", Hip Hop’s first rap battle card game released on August 11th on Hip Hop’s 50th Birthday.[3]
Early life and education
Jones was born in Southern Pines, North Carolina, as Du'Quan Joel Jones to William Jones and De'Juana Wynn Colman. He grew up with DeNisha Jones, his younger sister in North Carolina. His grandfather, Joseph Richard Wynn, played a significant role in Southern Pines athletics, children, and community development, and Carrie Dale Wynn, his grandmother, was a school teacher.
In 1989, when Jones was five years old, the family relocated to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This is where he developed his artistic and musical abilities. Jones won first prize at the Carolina Classic Fair for a painting he created in kindergarten, competing against students from all grades (K-5th). He was one of four children in Winston-Salem invited to participate in a unique art project with Winston-Salem State University when he was eight years old. Jones, along with his mother, and his sister moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 1999 when his parents divorced. He then completed his education at Jean Ribault High School.
Career
2002: Beginnings
Jones teamed up with Karl Smith Jr., founder of Bow Down Entertainment, to release his debut album, Whatcha Know About…, in 2002, during his senior year of high school. His grandfather was the one who put the money into the project. He profited by selling his first copies to his peers during his cap and gown fitting for graduation. He eventually ended up selling over 500 copies out of the trunk of his car for $10 each. Even if things were looking bright, they came to a halt when his music partner Karl was sentenced to prison.[4]
2003 - 2004: Discovery/Rise in Music
In 2003, Jones competed in a talent competition presented by Alicia Keys and produced by DJ Walton and his non-profit organization, Frum Tha Ground Up. Despite finishing second, DJ Walton took a liking to Jones and signed him as his first artist under his own music label, FTGU Music, which stands for Frum Tha Ground Up Music. Jones and DJ Walton began working on his debut album, Tha Landin', in 2004. The album was recorded in New York, Atlanta, and Jacksonville. Featuring 69 Boyz' Thrill Da Playa, Alja Jackson (now known as KaMillion), and Grammy nominee Jermaine Paul.
2005 - 2007: Touring
On February 5, 2005, Jones was the featured performer at ESPN's Magazine Super Bowl event, which was co-hosted by Alicia Keys.[5] Ty Law of the NFL, Alicia Keys, John Salley, and others appeared during the occasion. Dukwon's official album release party for Tha Landin' was also held there. He performed alongside Fabolous and Fat Joe at the St. Maarten Summer Fest[6] hip hop event in July 2005 and then a year later he joined Bow Wow's Wanted tour, which was sponsored by AEG, and performed for two months alongside Ray J, Yung Joc, B5, and T-Pain. Jones became in demand for graphic design while traveling and performing music after it was revealed that he designed all of his own marketing materials.[7] In 2006, he designed for Julia Beverly's Ozone Magazine Awards, which were held in Orlando. In 2007 he joined Mountain Dew's Ball 4 Real Tour. Jones performed as the co-headliner in every basketball arena on the east coast, from the New York Knicks Madison Square Garden to the Houston Rockets Toyota Center Arena. Freeze Diamonds was his sponsor. During this period, Jones released his first mixtape, "I Will Be Heard," with Southern Smoke's DJ Smallz, which included Killer Mike, Freeway, Solo, and Mike Millz.
2007 - Present: Music, Establishing D.Cap Grfx of America, Launching UDooh App
Alex (A&R) chose Jones to be the principal designer working with Florida's newbie Plies in 2007. Through his brother's imprint Big Gates Records, which Jones developed the logo for, Dukwon assisted him and his crew in designing and strategizing for his debut album on Atlantic Records. As a result of all of this, he founded D.Cap Grfx, Inc. By 2010, Dukwon had established himself as the southeast's most sought-after graphic designer. Designing for mega-stars like Chris Tucker and some of the world's most prestigious venue promoters.[8]
As a result, Jones was not only employed as a performer but his graphics company was also hired as the design company to lead the graphics for the same large tours he was a part of. Still making music, he released his second mixtape, "Right b4 Da Deal," in March 2010 alongside Southern Smoke's Dj Smallz. His big singles "Fly Girl" featuring Diamond from Crime Mob and "Polo Ho" starring Killer Mike were a part of this mixtape. This was also the first mixtape ever featuring DJ Smallz & Bigga Rankin together. Jones' design career continued to soar in 2012 after he was called by "Q" to design the SXSW Tour bus for World Star Hip Hop, which featured an undiscovered Cardi B, Tory Lanez, and Young Dolph. Since then, his work has appeared on other artists' projects, including Trick Daddy, Reginae Carter, DJ Khaled, B.o.B. Trap Beckham, Rick Ross, Trina, Ne-Yo, and T-Pain, to mention a few. Uncle Luke's new initiative, Uncle Luke's Rum, appointed Jones to manage the design and creative direction in 2013. When Dukwon returned to music in 2016, he was a part of DMX's Kings and Queens of Hip Hop Tour.
Jones' design company's clientele has expanded over time, from hip hop music artists to major corporations like Subway, Edible Arrangements, WE tv, USA Boxing, Showtime Boxing, Universoul Circus, and others. In 2018, he released UDooh, a mobile app that allows users to create flyers in minutes. UDooh has developed rapidly since its launch, with over 1000 users and counting. Jones changed the name of the design firm from D.Cap Grfx to D.Cap Grfx of America, Inc. in 2020. Jones has been a contributing factor to the Verzuz brand[9] creating marketing visuals for Three 6 Mafia vs Bone Thugs N Harmony and Anthony Hamilton vs Musiq Soulchild. D.Cap Grfx of America has become the #1 graphic design company in the industry.
On July 28th, 2023 Jones was invited to tour The West Wing of The White House with his son Jo’ell Jones.
Dukwon Jones made history on August 11th 2023 by releasing Hip Hop first rap battle card game; Hip Hop Wins "The Card Battle". Hip Hop Wins "The Card Battle" is a multi-player card game in which the objective is to be the first player to win 5 rounds. Each player selects one card to see who has the most accolades listed on their card. "
Discography
| S.No. | Title | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Landin’ | 2005 | Album (18 songs) |
| 2 | We Ride Ft. Killer Mike | 2007 | Single |
| 3 | Aww Yeah | 2008 | Single |
| 4 | One Tyme Ft. Freeway | 2009 | Single |
| 5 | Polo Ho Ft. Killer Mike | 2009 | Single |
| 6 | Right B4 da Deal | 2011 | Album (12 Songs) |
| 7 | Fly Girl (She Fly) Ft. Diamond | 2012 | Single |
| 8 | My Lyfe (The Anthem) | 2016 | Single |
| 9 | Wanna Know | 2018 | Single |
| 10 | El Facto | 2019 | Single |
| 11 | Pimp Ft. Young Buck, L Stacks | 2019 | Single |
| 12 | Lost-n-Found | 2020 | Album (10 Songs) |
Awards
Jones is the three-time Diamond Awards recipient of Graphic Designer of the Year (2006, 2007, and 2008).
Personal life
Jones has a son named Jo'ell Jahmir Jones, who was born in 2010. Jo'ell became an author publishing his first book at the age of nine titled Fireboy Meets Waterboy.[10]
References
- ↑ Marie, Sarah (14 January 2021). "Dukwon Jones Revolutionizing the World of Graphic Design". New York Weekly. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "DMX". www.crowncomplexnc.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "Rapper DuKwon attends the Producers and Engineers Wing 11th Annual..." Getty Images (in Nederlands). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ Limited, Alamy. "May 28, 2006; Fayetteville, NC, USA; Rap Artist DUKWON performs live at the Crown Coliseum as his 2006 tour makes a stop in Fayetteville. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jason Moore/ZUMA Press. (©) Copyright 2006 by Jason Moore Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "Singer Dukwon performs at the NEXT House Host ESPN The Magazine". Getty Images. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "St. Maarten Summer Fest: Photo Album: July 30th, 2005". www.stmaartensummerfest.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "Dukwon Jones Cementing His Name in the Graphic Design Industry". Voyage New York. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "Dukwon "D.Cap" Jones Changing the Landscape of the Graphic Design Industry". LA Wire. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "Dukwon "D.Cap" Jones Pivots from Music into a Big-Time Graphics Designer, Leading to a Gig with Verzuz". Entertainment Monthly News. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ Jones, Jo'ell. "Fireboy Meets Waterboy". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
