'Duke Amaro', is a Melbourne based MC/songwriter who since 2004 has successfully etched himself in the Melbourne hip hop landscape. At 17 Duke Amaro began his career with hip hop group 2-11. The talented group went on to release an EP entitled "Phase 1" which was well received by radio stations earning them considerable respect both locally and interstate, and was followed by a successful regional tour. Tracks from their EP reached numbers 1, 2 and 3 consecutive spots on Triple J’s Unearthed national hip-hop charts (11, 12 and 13 respectively on the national overall charts), holding their respective positions for a number of weeks. As a child, a young Amaro was inspired by the heartfelt oratoric sermons he heard in Church on Sunday mornings. This coupled with his love for hard driving rhythms and well crafted lyrical content, have been influential to his music. His peers describe him as a deep and philosophical MC with a passionate approach to social commentary. In his own words, “Hip Hop is not just the sounds and lyrics of a genre… Hip Hop has evolved into a movement, intelligent and powerful”. In more recent times, the talented MC has taken to the big stage having supported the likes of Bobby V, Marques Houston, 112, Ralph Tresvant, Allure, Horace Brown, RL (Next), and Shai as well as collaborating with local acts . Influences stream from hip hop greats such as Lupe Fiasco, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Fabolous and Dead Prez, not forgetting old school masters like Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B & Rakim, and Redhead Kingpin., “I think it's important to take in the positive aspects of influential artists and use it as a tool on your own path”. Now in his mid 20's, his mature approach to his craft exceeds his years and is prepared to document his life lessons on “wax”, delivering thought provoking and inspirational poetry that transcends generations of listeners of diverse walks of life. Melbourne has produced some great talent in previous years and if records are to go by, Duke Amaro is about to set the scene on fire with Rhymanisce, a project of carefully selected songs that depict not only his poetry and personal insight but also his ability to tackle sub-genres within hip-hop.