Duprie – Entrepreneur & Afro Music Sensation

Damen Priestley Dume, more commonly known as Duprie is a self-taught singer, songwriter and instrumentalist from Cameroon. This 37-year-old musical prodigy is also an entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Damrex Records; a multi-national record labeling company and is also the Founder and CEO of its parent company Damrex; an American Sportswear company.

Early Life

Duprie was born on December 2nd, 1984 in Kumba, Cameroon. He obtained his secondary education in Buea from where he moved to United States of America to pursue further education and got enrolled in Brown University. He pursued a degree in Geological Sciences.

Duprie discovered his inclination towards music during his secondary school. He participated and performed in various competitions and talent hunts while at Government Bilingual High School, Kumba. His early flair for music eventually led to performing at multiple music events and showcasing his talents in school talents shows, and ended in his grand afro music career.

Music Career

As a musician, Duprie looked up to industry music giants like Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Richard Bona. Duprie was always inspired by his African lineage and incorporated that in his music by following the Afro-pop, Afro-beat and R&B genres. According to him afro music has always been highly rooted in the African culture and traditions, and has grown in both sound and genre.

Duprie joined the musical band wagon with his hit debut single, “Pull up” in May of 2021. This was followed by two more singles by the talented artist titled, “Playboy” and “Le Ndem”. These singles were also well received not only by the African community but all over the world with over 100k plays on Audiomack alone. These songs paved path for the musical odyssey of this rising sensation. 

Entrepreneurship

Following the establishment of his sportswear company Damrex, Duprie along with his fellow Rex Mukete, started the multi-national record label subsidiary known as “DamrexRecords” in 2018. The mission of establishing a record label was to help new musical artists and provide them with the right platform, direction and guidance so that they can achieve their musical goals.

The founders felt the need for an independent label when they saw the struggling African artists and underrated gems whose potential was going to waste. So, they decided to take matters in their own hands and started their own record label. The label casted Duprie himself as their first recording artist and helped kick off Duprie’s musical career through production, licensing and publishing all three of his singles.

According to Duprie, his goal is to be an inspiration to future artists and help them achieve their dreams any way possible. Damrex Record is currently partnered two music producers, Young OG, who is a sound engineer from Madagascar and Max the Stranger, a record producer from Kenya.

Charity Figure

Duprie is not just an entrepreneur but also a philanthropist. As evident from his entrepreneurial vision, he is passionate to help the community and believes in giving back to the world. He owns an NGO, Dume Foundation, that focuses on healthcare, environmental awareness, conservation and community development.

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