Duki

Biography

Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo (born 24 June 1996), known professionally as Duki, is an Argentine rapper, singer and songwriter. He is the lead voice of Latin trap in Argentina, thanks to his multiple hits with his singles and his particular style of voice and staging.
Duki began to gain recognition for his appearances in rap battles, such as El Quinto Escalón, which was one of the most important in Argentina, created by rapper Ysy A, and where he obtained his first share of popularity when he won it in 2016. He could record his first single, "No Vendo Trap×No Vendo Trap11 November 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1No Vendo Trap3:09", to pursue a musical career thanks to his victory. He then released the singles "She Don't Give a Fo×She Don't Give a Fo12 March 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1She Don't Give a Fo3:30" and "Hello Cotto×Hello Cotto8 March 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hello Cotto3:37", which garnered him multiple views on YouTube and earned Lombardo a massive following in his home country. In 2018, he formed an important musical trio for the Argentine trap, named Modo Diablo, with artists YSY A and Neo Pistea. He then released his debut studio album, Súper Sangre Joven×Súper sangre joven1 November 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Te traje flores2:032It’s a Vibe3:403Hitboy2:584Señorita2:425Me gusta lo simple3:176Perdón3:397A punta de espada3:238La jefatura3:329One Million Dollar Baby4:4010Goteo2:45 (2019), with the lead single "Goteo" being nominated for Best Rap/Hip Hop Song at the 21st Latin Grammy Awards. In 2020, he collaborated on Bad Bunny's album YHLQMDLG in the single "Hablamos Mañana", which was also nominated in the Latin Grammys for Best Urban Fusion/Performance. In 2021, Duki released his second album, Desde el Fin del Mundo×Desde el fin del mundo22 April 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Sudor y trabajo3:012Pintao2:483Chico estrella2:514Volando bajito2:155Cuánto3:116Rápido2:167I Don't Know3:398Sol4:059Luna3:2110Malbec2:5611Mi diablo3:1312Fifty Fifty4:4113Valentino2:3714Cascada3:1315Ticket3:0916Muriéndome2:4017Ella es mi bitch4:0718Muero de fiesta este finde3:14, which reached number one in digital albums in Argentina.

Early life

Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo was born on 24 June 1996, in Almagro, Buenos Aires. Son of lawyer Sandra Viviana Quiroga and graphic designer Guillermo Luis Lombardo, he has two siblings, Nahuel, a sound engineer, and Candela. Raised in La Paternal, he had a solid musical influence thanks to his parents, who listened to Argentine rock, salsa, disco and Latin pop. His mother was a follower of artist Alejandro Sanz, and his father was a fan of bands Queen and Virus. On the other side, his brother Nahuel was a fan of Charly García and Luis Alberto Spinetta. During his early teens, Lombardo started to gain interest in punk rock, being a strong listener of Linkin Park, and hip-hop, thanks to Eminem and 50 Cent, which lead him to eventually start watching rap battles, which had an important underground following in Argentina.
Influenced by long-time Argentine rappers Kódigo and Tata, he started practicing freestyle with his best friends, which allowed him to gain confidence to start participating in battle competitions. Alongside this, he dropped out of high school due to his poor grades.

2013-2016: Early years and success in rap battles

Duki participated in his first rap battle in 2013, in which he became victorious. He described it years later as "catastrophic, it was raining, but we ended up winning". During this time, he formed a rap crew called Atuanorinos Tripulación, and participated in a lot of famous underground rap competitions, such as Las Vegas Freestyle or Madero Free.
Around 2015, he appeared for the first time in El Quinto Escalón, a competition celebrated in Parque Rivadavia, a very centric park in Buenos Aires. This allowed the competition to become recognized very quickly, with a lot of young rappers starting to rise to a massive following, such as Paulo Londra, Lit Killah, or Trueno. Duki became one of the most praised and recognized MC's due to his flow and strong staging. In 2016 he won it for the first time, beating rapper Nacho in the final. The prize was a session in a music studio to record a single. Duki recorded his first single, "No Vendo Trap×No Vendo Trap11 November 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1No Vendo Trap3:09", in November 2016. The official video was uploaded on YouTube, gaining two million views in just two weeks. Due to the song's success, the sample producer, Pa$ha, decided to strike the video for copyright, and the platform took the video down. This did not stop Duki from recording more singles that led him to gain a massive fan base, mostly coming from his battle days.

2017-2018: First breakthrough singles and Modo Diablo

In late 2016 and early 2017, Duki continued to appear in El Quinto Escalón, now one of the most important competitions in Argentina and South America. Several of Duki's battles, along with his partner MKS, gained many views on YouTube, some becoming the most viewed battles in Spanish history. Thanks to his increasing fame, Duki was signed to Mueva Records and released the singles "She Don't Give a Fo×She Don't Give a Fo12 March 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1She Don't Give a Fo3:30" and "Hello Cotto×Hello Cotto8 March 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hello Cotto3:37" with producer Omar Varela to launch his music career. The first one was certified gold by Spain's PROMUSICAE, and both singles surpassed a 100 million views on YouTube, establishing Duki as one of the most promising trap artists in Argentina. Two weeks later, he participated in Khea's single "Loca", with rappers Cazzu and Bad Bunny, which ranked 45 in the Hot Latin Songs chart and went gold by the RIAA.
In 2018, Duki formed a trap trio with YSY A, the host of El Quinto Escalón, and Neo Pistea, another promising trap artist in Argentina. The trio published the singles "Quavo" and "Trap N' Export", gaining a lot of views on YouTube. In March they performed in the Teatro Gran Rex, which was sold out. During May, Duki performed his single "Rockstar×Rockstar9 February 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Rockstar1:52" with a live orchestra at the Premios Gardel, a performance that received a harsh critical reception, with artist Charly Garcia saying during his acceptance speech that "autotune should be banned". However, Duki didn't mind Garcia's criticism, stating that "he could say I'm a scumbag and I'd be happy anyway. I love him, I went to one of his concerts when I was younger. I respect him so much that I didn't even respond to him."
During this year, Duki continued to release singles to reach further popularity. His singles "Si Te Sentís Sola×Si te sentís sola23 February 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Si te sentís sola2:59" and "Hijo de la Noche×Hijo de la noche20 April 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hijo de la noche3:26" reached the top-10 of the Argentine rankings. However, during this time, Duki began to have anxiety attacks, and started a drug dependency, while living in residence called La Mansión with the other members of Modo Diablo. Duki decided to leave the house, and was helped by his family to recover. At the end of the year, Lombardo refused to sign with Sony and Universal, and was part of the jury of the Red Bull Batalla de Gallos contest, held in Argentina and won by fellow rapper Wos. He was also the cover of Rolling Stone Argentina. In December 2018 he released the single "Sin Culpa×Sin Culpa7 December 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Sin Culpa4:04" with singer DrefQuila, that peaked at the sixth position of the Billboard Argentina Hot 100, the highest position reached so far by Lombardo.

2019: "Goteo" and Súper Sangre Joven

During the summer of 2019, Modo Diablo split due to the artists wanting to launch solo careers. In February, Duki participated in the first Argentine trap festival, Buenos Aires Trap, which featured appearances by Bad Bunny, Cazzu, and Khea. In March, Duki was part of the mega-collaboration in the Neo Pistea's remix single "Tumbando el Club", which peaked at number 3 in Argentina Hot 100. In June, he made the official soundtrack of the third season of series El marginal, with artist Vicentico.
On 6 August, Duki released the single "Goteo", which reached the 10th position in the Argentine Hot 100, remaining for three months in the chart. It also reached the top-10 in Spain, with Duki touring there and selling out every show. The tour video was later part of the official video for "Goteo". This song would end up being part of Duki's debut studio album, Súper Sangre Joven×Súper sangre joven1 November 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Te traje flores2:032It’s a Vibe3:403Hitboy2:584Señorita2:425Me gusta lo simple3:176Perdón3:397A punta de espada3:238La jefatura3:329One Million Dollar Baby4:4010Goteo2:45, with other tracks such as "Hitboy×Hitboy2019 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hitboy2:59" (with Khea), "Te Traje Flores" and "A Punta de Espada" reaching into the Argentina Hot 100 chart. The album featured guest appearances from Khea, C. Tangana, Alemán, YSY A, Marcianos Crew, Eladio Carrión and Sfera Ebbasta, and received mixed reviews from critics, some praising Duki's versatility (the album featured various genres such as tango, Latin R&B and Latin rock) but others criticizing the album's forced composition.
In September, Duki toured the United States, with two shows in Wisconsin and New York, which had a "poor performance", said by Duki. He stated, "I performed poorly, no one knew me and I felt depressed. I insulted my crew on stage". It was at this point that Duki realized he needed to professionalize his career, so he hired family members to form a team. He also created his record label, SSJ Records. At the end of 2019, Duki was part of three of Argentina's ten most listened songs by Billboard 2019. In November he returned to Buenos Aires Trap, and insinuated at retiring from music on his Twitter account, criticizing the music industry.

2020-2022: Desde el Fin del Mundo and Temporada de Reggaetón series

In 2020, Duki announced that he would focus on releasing more produced songs and fewer singles. At the beginning of the year he participated in the Bad Bunny album YHLQMDLG in the track "Hablamos Mañana", that earned a nomination for Best Urban Fusion/Performance in the 21st Latin Grammys. On 24 June, he released an EP named 24 to celebrate his birthday, which contained eight songs, and featured the stellar participation of U.S. rapper Juicy J. During October, he released a series of interviews in YouTube called Fideos con Duko, in which Duki interviewed several artists from Argentina, and his mother as a special for Mother's Day in Argentina. During late 2020 Duki announced that he would travel to United States to start recording his next album, set to be released in April 2021.
In January 2021, Duki released the first single from his upcoming album, titled "Muero de Fiesta este Finde×Muero de fiesta este finde28 January 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Muero de fiesta este finde3:13", with Ca7riel. On 15 February, Duki tweeted that the album would have 18 songs. On 4 March, he participated in Rusherking and Tiago PZK's single "Además de Mí", which peaked at number one on Argentina Hot 100 chart. In 16 March Duki released the second and lead single from his next album, titled "Chico Estrella×Chico estrella2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Chico estrella2:50", which reached number 31 on the Argentine Hot 100. On 1 April, Duki was featured on Khea's single "Wacha×WACHA1 April 2021 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1WACHA3:27", which reached number three on Argentina Hot 100, the third time the duo has entered the chart. During this month, Duki starred in a series of collaborations with the NBA on YouTube.
Desde el Fin del Mundo was released on 22 April, produced on his part by producers Asan and Yesan. The album featured a long guest list of South American artists, with Duki stating that the concept of the album was to showcase the quality of the artists from the region. Along with trap, the album experiments with genres such as electro dance, drill and punk rock. It was better received than its predecessor, with reviews praising Duki's maturation and versatility, but with others noting songs that felt a bit out of place. The album entered Spotify's Global Album Debuts chart at number three. The following week, Duki released on YouTube a concept album with visuals of the album's 18 songs, in which Duki is seen dancing and singing the album's songs in a room with all the collaborators. The tracks "Malbec", "Cascada" and "Pintao" entered in the Argentina Hot 100 chart.
In May, Duki performed a show in El Calafate, with the Perito Moreno Glacier as a background. The performance was recorded and released into a live album, Vivo Desde el Fin del Mundo×Vivo desde el fin del mundo22 April 2021 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Sudor y trabajo3:012Chico estrella2:493Ticket3:104Mi diablo3:135Rápido2:156I Don't Know3:407Luna3:238Malbec2:569Sol3:5910Volando bajito2:0211Cascada3:15, on 10 June.
After his album Desde el Fin del Mundo×Desde el fin del mundo22 April 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Sudor y trabajo3:012Pintao2:483Chico estrella2:514Volando bajito2:155Cuánto3:116Rápido2:167I Don't Know3:398Sol4:059Luna3:2110Malbec2:5611Mi diablo3:1312Fifty Fifty4:4113Valentino2:3714Cascada3:1315Ticket3:0916Muriéndome2:4017Ella es mi bitch4:0718Muero de fiesta este finde3:14, he announced that he would start singing reggaeton and announced the two-EP-projects series Temporada de Reggaetón×Temporada de reggaetón25 November 2021 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1En movimiento2:502Ley de atracción3:003BICI4:084Midtown3:255TOP 52:266YIN YAN3:097Unfollow3:16. The first installment was released on 25 November 2021 and got to the top 3 in the Top 10 Global Album Debuts of Spotify. The Latin trap moment continued throughout the year of 2022. On 20 July, Duki released his long-awaited single "Givenchy". The single served as one of the five lead singles from the second installment of Temporada de Reggaetón, titled Temporada de Reggaetón 2.
Also in 2022, Duki paired up with fellow Argentine producer and frequent collaborator Bizarrap for the volume 50 of Bzrp Music Session.

2023-present: Ameri series and 5202

Between 2023 and 2024, Duki released two studio albums, namely Antes de Ameri×Antes de Ameri22 June 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks101 de enero1:542Jefes del sudoeste2:283Rockstar 2.02:544Harakiri2:425Contra><mi2:406CSIpher (audio latino)4:117GiGi2:268Don’t Lie3:349Antes de perderte (OG version)2:4710Troya2:5311Uno dos2:4612N.C.L.C1:2713Apollo132:3914Último tren a Ameri1:5215Buscando Ameri1:0516Remember Me2:50 (2023) and Ameri×AMERI31 October 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 15 tracks1Leitmotiv1:262Nueva era3:383Brindis3:014Buscarte lejos3:145Imperio2:496Hardaway3:367Cine2:238Vida de rock3:029No drama2:5410Barro3:2111Un día más2:4612Trato de estar bien3:3313Wake Up & Bake Up3:2614Constelación3:2115Ameri3:19 (2024).
Duki embarked on two world tours to support the projects, the A.D.A Tour in 2024 and the Ameri World Tour in 2025. Both tours visited the US, Latin America, and Europe.
During the Ameri World Tour, Duki released two singles. The first, "Golfista×Golfista1 June 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Golfista2:39", premiered at his sold-out show at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on 29 May, where he also debuted the music video. The second single, "No Me Alcanza×NO ME ALCANZA24 June 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1NO ME ALCANZA3:25", was released on his birthday, 24 June. On social media, Duki teased that a mixtape titled 5202 could drop at any moment, it was released on 7 July with Clúster and Zell as featured artists.