T.Ellis : where was you born and raised ?                                                                                                                                                         Tony Mercedes : I was born in Nuremberg, Germany, and in the raised in Republic of Panama.                                                                                                                                                               T.Ellis how was life growing up ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Tony Mercedes : I grew up as a military brat, my pops was in the army, served twenty three years so moving around was just apart of my life.being raised overseas in Panama gave me a strong cultural foundation.so the music, the energy, and the diversity all influenced how I see the world.I didn't come to the United States until I was Thirteen,so I was exposed to a lot early on that shaped both my ear for music and my approach to people and business.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       T.Ellis : you were associated with the group Duice, whose hit "Dazzey Duks" was-huge what impact did that success have ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Tony Mercedes : Duice was the group I use to launch my label, Tony Mercedes Records."Dazzey Duks" went on to sell five million singles and remained on the Billboard charts for fifty six consecutive weeks. that level of success opened up a lot of doors and created real momentum early on.at the same time my inexperienced on the business side came at a cost.I often say,Id rather have the money I lost though bad deals and inexperience than the money I actually made.people say the music business is a learning experience.I just wish that someone had told me how expensive the tuition would be.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   T.Ellis : how many projects did the group release ?                                                                                                                                                                                                     Tony Mercedes : Duice released only one album. Internal differences between members prevented a second album.