Ugly Duckling, an American hip‑hop group formed in 1993, consists of rappers Dustin McFarland (Dizzy Dustin) and Rodney Pleasant Jr. (Young Einstein) and vocalist Andy Cooper. The trio met through mutual friends in the mid‑1990s and began crafting music that echoed late‑1980s and early‑1990s rap, favoring sampled drum breaks and live scratching. Their first self‑released cassette, Down The Road, circulated in 1995, building a local following that led to the 1998 independent single "Fresh Mode" on Special Records and a subsequent worldwide distribution deal with 1500/A&M/Universal. In 2001, Ugly Duckling released Journey To Anywhere on 1500/A&M/Universal, followed by Taste the Secret in 2003 on Emperor Norton/Rykodisc. The 2006 album Bang For The Buck appeared on Fat Beats, and Audacity debuted in 2009 on Fat Beats Records. Subsequent releases included the EP Left Behind (2006) and the full‑length Moving at Breakneck Speed (2011) on Special Records. Notable tracks such as "Smack" and "Just A Little Samba" were featured in films, video games, and advertising campaigns, expanding the group’s reach across more than 30 countries.
