The trio of Andy Cooper, Dizzy Dustin, and Young Einstein have built up a small, but loyal fanbase over the years, with their lighthearted, classically trained brand of hip-hop. Producer Young Einstein propels the group with an endless selection of breaks and samples, changing every few bars or so, always keeping listeners on their toes. [cont.]

Video for the Ugly Duckling song “Elevation”. Animated by Justin Ridge and directed by Stoney Sharp, this is the first video from the group’s 2011 album “Moving At Breakneck Speed”. The video features comedians T.J. Miller and Zack Pearlman as well as Nathan Barnatt and several other members of the UD family. The goal of [cont.]

Ugly Duckling stepped onto the scene in 2001 with their 2001 debut, Journey To Anywhere. Here, this LP found a trio of classic hip-hop enthusiasts recreating their favorite era with sample and breakbeat rich tracks that one might find on De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising. With their second LP, 2003’s Taste The [cont.]

  The long-beach trio of Ugly Duckling has been putting it down on the indie hip-hop scene for almost a decade now, debuting during the 90′s underground 12inch boom, which allowed several up and coming groups to show off their stuff, thanks to a steadily declining major label market.  They made the biggest splash with [cont.]

Ugly Duckling is a rarity in today’s hip-hop world. The California—-based group, comprised of emcees Dizzy Dustin and Andy Cooper and DJ Young Einstein—–are not scared to show their more humourous side while spitting rhymes about everything from their struggle to get a record deal to smacking fake emcees to slowing down long enough to [cont.]

HHS: How did you guys come up with concept of “Meat Shake” Andy Cooper: Meat Shake is a Long Beach fast food chain where we all met in the early 90′s, when we got out of high school. It was my first job, aside from summer jobs with my dad, it was my first independent [cont.]

Ugly Ducking’s Taste The Secret, in a nutshell, is perhaps the most consistent indy release of the year – a concept album that doesn’t stray off course, packs incredible production, laugh-out-loud lyrics, and quality throughout just about every track. But while giving Ugly Duckling 4.5 @’s in today’s industry probably isn’t quite a hip-hop fashion [cont.]

 While this Long Beach crew might not spit slang like their DPG neighbors, the trio of Dizzy Dustin, Andy Cap and Young Einstein still manage to churn out fun-loving head nodders that resonate from Southern Cali to across the globe. Making a strong debut with the “Fresh Mode” 12″ of ’97, the three set a pace to [cont.]

While this Long Beach crew might not spit slang like their DPG neighbors, the trio of Dizzy Dustin, Andy Cap and Young Einstein still manage to churn out fun-loving head nodders that resonate from Southern Cali to across the globe. Making a strong debut with the “Fresh Mode” 12″ of ’97, the three set a pace to [cont.]

Rhyming in the classic tradition of such tag-team duos as EPMD or Run DMC - new school MC’s Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustin proceed take us to a place where Fresh is the Mode, not just a word to say. Ugly Ducking may be a comical name for this crew, but it’s definitely a misnomer - nothing about this [cont.]