Hugh “The Duke” Glass, the raw, relentless voice behind Red Dirt Rap, hails from the dusty plains of Woodward, Oklahoma – a place where the wind whispers stories of grit as fiercely as it kicks up red dust. Born into a life marked by loss, Hugh’s father, John Wayne, passed when he was just five months old, leaving him and his mother to drift like tumbleweeds across the heartland. From South Dakota’s rugged mountains to the humid sprawl of Mississippi, Texas’s wide-open ranges to a fleeting stop back in Oklahoma, they moved twelve times before Hugh hit twelve. Each mile in that beat-up car, with the radio as his only constant companion, stitched together the soul of a dreamer. Eminem’s fire, Johnny Cash’s grit, Kid Rock’s rebellion, and Ray Charles’s soul became the soundtrack to a boy searching for roots.

Music wasn’t just noise for Hugh, it was a lifeline. He remembers a day in Alva, Oklahoma, sweat-soaked and hauling rye with his buddy Colton, when the radio flipped from George Strait’s twang to Biggie Smalls, and boom – a collision of worlds that sparked what he now calls Red Dirt Rap. Raised on horses, fishing, shooting guns, and pickup basketball with his brothers, Hugh’s earliest self was a cowboy in spirit – wild, free, and tethered to the land. But when life split his family apart, darkness crept in, and the music turned from escape to obsession. Artists became father figures, their lyrics his compass. Dropping out of school as a senior in Woodward, he punched clocks at dead-end jobs, drifting through a haze – until his son arrived.

That baby boy flipped a switch. Hugh faced a fork in the road: climb the corporate ladder to a Fortune 500 desk or chase the dream burning in his chest. He chose the latter, vowing to show his son that hard work could carve any path. Last summer, he brought his little man along for 15 of 44 tour stops – a father-and-son odyssey through sweat-soaked stages and roaring crowds. Now, with tracks alongside That Mexican OT and Yelawolf and penning songs with Nashville legends, Hugh’s gamble is paying off. Red Dirt Rap isn’t just a sound – it’s a movement, a gritty fusion of country soul and hip-hop hustle, born from his red dirt roots.

Hugh Glass and his alter ego, The Duke, aren’t here to play nice. Every beat, every bar, every win is for his family, his son, and the red dirt that raised him. This year, the world won’t just hear his story—they’ll feel it. Buckle up; it’s gonna be a wild ride.