Blak Prophetz

Mark Anthony Duffus, operating as Blak Prophetz, began his career in the West Midlands, England, in the early 1980s. His musical journey was influenced by his father, a Jamaican DJ, which led him to become a rapper, songwriter, record producer, drummer, and DJ by 1979. Early under the name Audio Kingz, Duffus released “The Sure Shot Dope Tracks Pt 1” on Ruff N Ready Records in 1990. His early individual work as Blak Prophetz included “Fax on Wax,” released by Kickin Records, which achieved number 9 in the UK Echo’s Jazz Chart in May 1991. John Mayor from Mixmag described the song as a “cool jazz attack.” Duffus subsequently signed with Kold Sweat Records, where he recorded “Chapter One” in 1992, leading to his relocation to London to further his music career.

Following the closure of Kold Sweat Records, Duffus continued his career independently, establishing his production outfit, Fatt Jointz, or FJ Entertainment. In 1998, he released “Money & Gunz,” which garnered attention from DJs such as Tim Westwood of BBC Radio 1, who included it in his ‘Top 10 Flava’s Singles.’ The track also gained popularity on Birmingham’s Choice FM. Duffus’s work has been featured in various publications, including Mixmag, Echoes Magazine, Hip Hop Connection, and Notion Magazine, which highlighted his production skills and described him as the “background guy” doing significant work with little commercial credit. He extended his influence through collaborations, including a remix project for Kwame Kwaten during 2003, and producing “Hot for You” for WS Project, featuring Warren Stacey, released in Japan.

In the mid-2000s, Blak Prophetz released “With FX” from the album “2nd Coming.” This album’s track, “What Is Rap,” was later selected by Bartle Bogle Hegarty for a global Mentos Fruity 3 High Rider advert campaign. Duffus secured a publishing deal with 2 Entertain, now controlled by the BBC and Demon Music Group. He also served as an A&R Consultant for Tune Tribe’s London music consultancy, Arising Artists. In 2013, he released the politically themed song “What the F## Pt. 1,” which was praised by Karl Smith of Hip Hop Foundation magazine. Duffus now manages Digital Jukebox Records, representing artists like Yvonne Curtis and Dawn Penn, and continues to produce music under various aliases, including The Soul Garden (Funk Division).