And it just so happens to be my cat. No kidding.
Learn more about Ugly Duckling's new mascot, their new album Moving at Breakneck Speed, and their upcoming tour after the jump.
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The Long Beach born and bred hip-hop trio Ugly Duckling (U.D.), consisting of MCs Dizzy Dustin (Dustin McFarland) and Andy Cat (Andy Cooper), and DJ Young Einstein (Rodney Pleasant Jr.), have been making music together since they first formed in 1993, but they didn't release an album until many years later with their 1999 EP Fresh Mode.
Their debut full-length, 2001's Journey to Anywhere, became an underground hit, and they soon found themselves being mentioned in the same breath as other SoCal hip-hop acts like Jurassic 5, People Under the Stairs, and Dilated Peoples.
Their sophomore full-length, Taste the Secret, was released two years later in 2003. Back then, a large group of friends and I were making a move from Columbus, Ohio to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We partied a lot. We drank more. And we listened to Taste the Secret on loop.
Since those party days of old, U.D. has released two more full-lengths (2006's Bang for the Buck and 2009's Audacity) as well as another EP and a “best of” album. Everything Ugly Duckling has ever offered up is quality and should be sought out, but I've always admittedly had a soft spot in my heart for Taste the Secret; partly because it's a great concept album, and partly because it served as a soundtrack for a very exciting, fun and drunk part of my life.
So much so, in fact, that when my girlfriend and I rescued a cat from a local animal shelter in 2009, we decided to name her Meatshake, which is a nod to the fake fast food joint that shows up repeatedly on the album. Here's what Meatshake (the cat, not the fake fast food joint) looked like on her first day home.
They announced it on their site and put together a photo of Meatshake sporting their legendary dookie gold rope.
She is now officially way cooler than her owner… which, you know, wasn't really that hard of a feat to begin with.
You'll be able to find Ugly Duckling's new full-length Moving at Breakneck Speed in stores this October. The fellas will also be hitting the road in the coming months in support of the new album, so stay tuned here for Ugly Duckling (and Meatshake) updates.
In the meantime, visit Ugly Duckling here.
