Reviews of Bumps and Bruises by John Calderara

Listening to Ugly God'due south early hits, you wouldn't be blamed for casting him off as a SoundCloud flash in the pan; a joke rapper riding the app's success for a quick 15 minutes of fame. "Crush My Meat" is the rapper born Royce Rodriguez's beginning, but he's trying his damndest to make sure information technology's not his end, too.

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To hear Rodriguez speak of ambition, patience, streaming numbers and independence is to hear a young adult (he'due south only 22) betray the origin story he rode to success on. He exploded onto the scene equally a replaceable entity, just some other dude with a successful song making money off of a joke. Only Bumps & Bruises, his starting time "official" record, makes adept on the promise that separated him from everybody else on SoundCloud. It'due south certainly not annihilation backpack rap fans would laud equally high-concept, but information technology's a far cry from the quick buzz that "Beat My Meat" and "Water" cultivated. Afterwards all, before he was Ugly God, he was Pussy Salary. It took three uploads of "Trounce My Meat" to get the track to stick; his basketball coach was scared it would jeopardize scholarship offers.

You lot have to give the man credit: He went from making music in his dorm room to touring the world and leveraging a record deal with Asylum Records. He's maintained some semblance of independence in a genre where fourteen-twelvemonth-olds get snapped up because of TikTok numbers. He turned an opportunity into a career, and he'southward seeing simply how far he tin can take it.

Ugly God may not have shedded all of the preconceived notions listeners may apply to Bumps & Bruises, just he'southward a far cry from his days as Pussy Salary. On The Ugly Tape, he was a characterization entity disguising himself every bit an individual. With Bumps, his personality shines through. Ugly God is a rapper, and he'south going to keep pushing until that qualifier isn't even worth mentioning.

How'south the press tour been going for the new record?

It's been good. I'm tired, but it's been smooth. I'm fucking with it.

Now that the record's been out for a bit, how are yous feeling almost it? How are you feeling nigh the reception?

The reception has been pretty amazing. The only negative feedback is from people who want me to stick to the same sound — people that don't understand growth.

How do you deal with negative reviews and press? Do you melody them out?

I don't actually melody it out. At the stop of the 24-hour interval, it'd be unfair for me to not read everything that everyone has to say. I effort to effigy out what I'm missing. I practise listen to what people have to say if information technology'due south some sort of universal opinion that anybody has, similar, something I could be doing differently to entreatment to the masses the side by side time effectually. But that's pretty much it.

This is your second album–

No! I just got a mixtape. This is my first album. Booty Tape isn't an album. My body of piece of work is a few years in the making now. People love this, which is neat.

You've spoken nigh not wanting to exist a "joke" rapper or someone who relies on shock. When did that realization come up about?

Non so much that I didn't desire to be a joke rapper, simply when I first came out, I was only existence that goofy n—a I've always been. Just as other artists are coming out equally actual gimmick rappers, when that became a matter, they sound so phony. Being a troll rapper was a thing, but I was mostly simply called that by people that didn't fuck with my music. They tried to put that on me and my personality. When that became a matter, I had to get up out of it.

Who were some of your favorite rappers growing up?

I merely listened to the radio. I was always in my room by myself trying to build some shit.

When did you starting time realize that rap could exist a profession for you?

I didn't. [Laughs.] I was in my college room just cookin' up every day. School was really easy for me, it's merely like how well you lot think shit and and so you put that on newspaper. It doesn't judge how smart you are as a person. So I had a lot of costless time and I learned how to make beats and tape myself in the dorm room.

There's still some really funny stuff on your new record. How do you balance that without being branded a gimmick or a troll?

I didn't attempt to avoid it with the specific body of work I put out, just the record is more representative of me growing equally a person. It's more my personality, I'm more mature. I wasn't trying to avoid it, I was just trying to put out what I needed to put out.

For someone who'due south only 22, you've had a ton of success. Have you ever allowed yourself to just sit dorsum and call up nearly where you are now?

I just experience similar this is imaginary, some figment in my mind. Information technology doesn't feel real.

Where are you lot based out of now?

I moved to Mississippi five years ago but I motility all around for the most part. I lived in Texas for the longest just I spent my teenage years in Mississippi. It'south cool. I got used to it.

Yous came up during the SoundCloud era. Do you consciously try to exist outside of that now? Do you call up that'due south a limiting tag?

At the end of the solar day, SoundCloud was merely an era. I'm just adapting to what the fuck is going on.

How so?

As far equally promoting myself. SoundCloud was pretty much the merely platform for a n—a like me to be on. Shit'due south just unlike now. It just moves differently. I'm doing a lot of press now, a northward—a on Instagram now. The SoundCloud era popularized and shaped and molded how nosotros do it. You lot can merely pop off from one song on SoundCloud, 100 percent.

What has being distributed by a major label allowed you to practise?

It'south all the press I've been doing. I couldn't practice this on my own.

Did it alter the style yous decided to record? Or was this recorded the same style?

Hell nah. It'due south the same mode. I wouldn't have even gotten myself into a situation where I couldn't do shit the aforementioned style.

In what ways do you think Bumps & Bruises improves upon the Booty Record?

I'm older and in that location's more pressure put on me. People accept liked this one more, as well. I also took time off and people knew that. I was gone, so I had to come up with it. People knew that. It actually felt better putting out this than the Haul Tape because I rushed that ane together. It came out nice but I slapped it together because I felt pressure. I still felt pressure level with this one, too, but I knew I could take my fourth dimension on it.

What'south that like? You had some huge early singles then you had to put out a whole record.

There was "Beat My Meat" and "Water," so that put on a lot of force per unit area. The mixtape came and I felt similar I put out the music I owed to my fans. It was for the early fans. I felt like I had to requite them something, I had to give them something bigger.

Do yous think Bumps & Bruises is for the fans, or is this ane more than for you?

I feel similar my fans fuck with me considering of me, and so it's as much for me every bit information technology is the fans.

Why did you decide to take a few years between the records?

Everything is just an era. It was most adapting to new artists coming out. I had to suit to the alter. On top of that, information technology was all most growth. I had to accept time to grow. I needed to mature and make ameliorate music, just being in the hype and on the road. I had to have a intermission because that can be suffocating.

What's information technology like going from a dude making music in his dorm room to a viral awareness practically overnight?

It was difficult to process at showtime. Of grade, there was some good stuff, it came with playing shows and stuff, but that moment was unreal. Before I went out and saw my fans, it was merely on the internet, it was all through my telephone.

Can you speak a little bit virtually the title of the new tape?

I had some depression and dealt with some personal stuff. Everyone has their own issues, but information technology'southward a real personal situation. These are but the things I dealt with.

You had that interview with Akademiks and you lot were talking nigh streaming numbers and I found your point interesting, that streaming numbers aren't everything. Can you talk more than most that?

I'm just not a dumbass northward—a! Doing numbers is cool, but at the stop of the day, numbers can never tell you a personality, they can't tell yous who I am. Also, that shit isn't e'er legit. I can packet shit and do numbers. Somebody who sells 100K may not even have as many listeners as someone who sells 50K. That's backwards to me.

Where did yous learn that side of the business from?

Nobody told me annihilation. It's merely how information technology is. I'm a thinker. I may audio impaired, only that'south exactly how it is. I merely care for bullshit like bullshit.

You don't audio dumb to me.

Information technology's just my personality on music. That goes hand in hand. It feeds into the persona, but I know what I'thou doing.

What do yous hope people listening to this album empathize most you lot?

Sometimes, a break tin can be good, information technology can be for the meliorate. It's not ever negative or hurtful for an creative person. Sometimes northward—-southward are humans, they be hurtin'. They need to find themselves, for the better.

Music moves and then fast now.

It was a risk. It was for sure a take a chance. Information technology was personally for the improve, and that's my vision.

Practise you retrieve information technology paid off?

For sure. This is the best group of songs I've ever made.

If there's one affair you could tell your younger self, what would it be?

Shit…fuck north—-s. Relationships are absurd simply you gotta be in information technology for yourself. I was besides into the lifestyle and what other people idea. I didn't put myself start. I tried too much to delight fans or other people. I need to put myself first.

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Source: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8528078/ugly-god-bumps-and-bruises-interview

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