BRICK first featured Duckwrth in our sixth edition, back in 2018. He was photographed by Steven Traylor and styled by Tamia Mathis, under the bright sunlight and blue sky of his Los Angeles neighborhood. Seven years on, I still think often about these images and the joy that they exude. Speaking over the phone in 2025, I am happy to note that joy continues to radiate from Duckwrth, despite the moments of intense self-reflection on his new record: All American F*ckboy. In our 2018 discussion, Duckwrth said of his process: “I sometimes imagine I’m writing a score to one of Stanley Kubrick’s psychological thrillers;” however, this new record is his own score, an autobiographical soundscape that changes as unexpectedly and rapidly as our own emotions do. “It has to do a lot with, I guess, my own human nature.” he says. “In a patriarchal world, it's kind of admitting my own faults and flaws; and let me be the first to admit that I have perpetuated these bad habits, you know? I'm in no way perfect, but I am working through it.”
What song reminds you most of your childhood?
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme! But really it depends on which childhood, because I’ve gone through many stages of childhood. I’d probably say a song by Kirk Franklin called “Stomp,” it’s a gospel song but it was the most R&B or quote-unquote “secular” gospel song. It was really big, especially in Los Angeles. Like, they still play it at parties now. I remember hearing it for the first time in my Mom’s car… or maybe it was in church, actually.
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What was the first record you remember buying?The first bootleg CD I had was probably Ludacris’s Word of Mouf, but my first official CD was Jay-Z’s Blueprint 2, that my friend’s Dad got for me. But the first one I bought for myself was We Sold Our Soul for Rock ’N‘ Roll by Black Sabbath. I remember I found it at a CD store in the mall. I knew Ozzy Osbourne from his TV show and he was a pop culture icon. I didn’t know that he had a crazy metal band that really shaped the sound of metal. So when I found it, it was crazy. I think the first songs of theirs I heard was “War Pigs” and “Paranoid” and since then, I was like “Oh my God.” |
What song reminds you of traveling to a specific place?
“Skyline To” by Frank Ocean, off the Blonde album. It’s one of the most magical sounding things. I remember one time, I was driving the car with my homie Mancy, and we were driving through the Bay Area, which is known for having an immense amount of nature. And it’s probably around five, the sun is going down, it’s magical already, and then he puts “Skyline To” on, and it set it up for real. And it’s Frank Ocean, like he’s already this ethereal human being so the music is ethereal too.
What song is the best representation of your hometown?
As of right now, it’s “Not Like Us.” I’m trying to think of something from before then, but I can’t, that’s just the moment right now.
What song do you wish you had written?“Maybe” by N.E.R.D. It's a beautiful record, I feel like the premise of the record is wondering, like what happens if you let somebody go. Would they come back to you? But it’s just the way they arranged it, it’s the perfect rock song… but it’s also kind of chill. It’s like this longing tone that Pharrell wrote it in, and the cover art of the album was the band members in these eggs with the flag wrapped around it. It was different, and then at various times on the album they talk about birds and eggs, like he says in “Maybe,” “see / do you remember what it’s like / to wake up in her love nest?” and i just geeked out the first time I heard it cos I knew he was connecting to the cover. Overall, I wish I could have written that, it’s amazing. |
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What song would you want played at your wedding?
“Outstanding” by The Gap Band. Man, I love that song… also, “6am” by Channel Tres.
What’s the best song to play at a house party?
“6am” again! But also, Kendrick Lamar and AzChike “peekaboo,” because when I think of a party, I think of an LA party, and there’s so many good, funny, kiki-ass moments and lines in there. “Bing-bop-boom-boom-boom-bop-bam!” It’s an easy pick!
You’re abducted by aliens, and when you wake up on the spaceship, they pass you the aux. What is the song you’re playing to convince them not to destroy Earth?
“Human Nature” by Michael Jackson, cos I feel like that’s written to someone who’s observing and not understanding and he’s saying “Why? It’s human nature.” And if the aliens are about to destroy the Earth, they probably know that we’re definitely on some unhinged beat already. They’re like “y’all gotta go!” They know we’re unhinged! But this is cycles of human beings we have a lot of good times and a lot of bad times, but it’s all human nature, you know? We’re wondrous beings that are capable of innovations beyond understanding, beyond things that we even understand. Yeah, so let’s rock the earth and listen to this wonderful music that might make you cry.