"Sport It", "La Casa", "Gawp", "In My Bag" and the latest "Bussin", these are the songs that has UG Vavy's name on the list of artist to watch. He pulled off a great campaign toward resurgence. Putting importance on bringing not only good raps, but matching energy and cover art aesthetics, he focuses on all things that can keeps a listener's attention. Handling all his own production, we've heard some bangin' beats, creating some hypnotic head nodding releases, demonstrating he knows exactly what he wants.
While only a number tracks in since his return to the music, and no project as of yet, he's already join his fellow rappers and producers, Supa Bwe and Shepard Hues, to form a new group called Fight Me. He and Fight Me are currently working one something new but nothing is concrete right now.
I recently hit him up to get some answers to some question that were lingering on my mind. From the collective 2080, projects that never came, Fight Me, collaboration in the city, his music, I ask about it all. Read below
- Recently you've return with new music and sound as a solo artist. But
you were part of the collective 2008eighties(now 2080). How did you
get up with that group of artist?
My bro Fonz, Sani, and I were apart of a group called Innovative Hits
in high school. I really didn't want to rap but Fonz pushed me to, I
just wanted to be a producer. We went to school with Calez, LA Van
Gogh, Johnny St Cloud (probably not his rap name anymore) so Fonz
started a collective know as Brkf$t Club, along with Legit who was
going crazy at Thornridge and Julian Malone. We all just decided to
come together because we were friends plus we had a similar interest
in music.
- There's some song releases early 2013 and a bit before that, where you
were featured on, which were singles for a collective project. I don't
remember you ever dropping a solo project or the collectives project
"UltraCinema". Why was that?
I was really indecisive then, I had just came back from Siuc after my
soft-more year so I was mad confused on how to move and what I was
doing.
- You took a hiatus from releasing any new music. What was going on
during that time?
Man in 2013 I took a hiatus from music because life got real. I saw
myself at twenty thinking man I have to do something to ensure I could
survive so I had a lot of soul searching to do. In 2013 my Twitter
also got verified and I wanted to be sure from that point on if I was
to put out music it needed to be the concrete version of me. I had to
find myself, then after that I found my sound.
- You kicked off your return with "Sport It", and been on a bit of a
streak since. How did you come to the conclusion that it was time to
start releasing music again?
I'm sitting on a lot of music I say about 2 years worth because I
wasn't releasing. I scrapped the beginning tracks because I was
working out the kinks. In that time I found my rhythm and I only
rapped to my beats so it just became more of me. I had way too much
music and my friends were my only audience. They got tired of it and
told me to release it and that's how the comeback came about.
...
- Who would you say your music is for?
My music is for me of course but it's also for those who relate to the
things I talk about. You could be black, white, whatever certain
truths are universal. I remember I used to listen to music and be like
damn I don't do that, damn I don't do that, so I never say anything I
don't do. I don't trap, I'm not going to talk about killing people, I don't
do heavy drugs, so I let my music reflect that, stay in my lane, and
stick to my code.
- You also produce your own music. Take us through your process of
creating beats. What influenced the current sound?
I was heavily influenced by Kanye West's "Graduation", the way the
instrumentalist added synths and different melodies to samples was
crazy to me, changed the way I produced for life. My process is
basically two ways, find a sample or create a melody. I hum a lot to
find melodies plus I was one of those kids that used to beat on the
desk that's how I find drum patterns. My imagination is what really
leads everything, sometimes I hear melodies and I play it. I'm all
self taught, I have no musical background, but when you've been doing
something since 8th grade it becomes easy.
- As someone who raps and produce, do you find it hard to challenge
yourself in such a comfortable space?
I try to work like the music I have is not enough. I feel like even
though people love my tracks it's still not enough. It's so many
different vibes I can give, if I work daily I can find it and make it.
Plus I look at music as a muscle, you produce, write, and put effort
into something everyday you'll be cold at it. So I never want to take
a break, every beat might not be hot every song might not be hot but
the more you work the more you realize what it takes.
- What can we expect from your upcoming project? When can we expect to
hear the full project?
As of right now I'm focusing on singles. I really don't like projects
for me but I know I'll have to do one eventually [haha].
- You've garnered much attention off single song releases. In the
current climate of rap do you think that its super important to drop a
full project?
Man I do not like projects. I feel like people have your tape then
that's it, it doesn't have the same hold on people as it did back in
the day. Back then we would play an album for months but with the
speed and rate of music being dropped and people's attention span,
along with mine, getting shorter and shorter, I rather just have
moments. I know that people appreciate my singles though as long as I
got that I'll be straight.
- You've joined up with Supa Bwe and Shepard Hues for a group called
Fight Me. What's it like working with them? How did you come to become
a group?
Fight me is lit to be honest. We all can do what the next member can
do and were learning from each other, which makes us better and
better. It's really just creative people having a meeting of the minds
and going from there. The group was formed through Supa, I was hanging
out a lot, working and labing and he offered me the opportunity to
join forces. Of course I was cool with that. Supa and Darrious[Hues] work
hard and groups have always been my thing because it makes the work
process easier knowing the weight isn't all on you, you have a team to
help generate ideas and get things done.
- I've seen quite a few new collective or group pop up in the last
year and a half. Artist in the city have been collaborating more. Do
you think Chicago is losing the stigma of being this so called
"Haterville"?
Tell you the truth I think with the new wave of artist it is. It shows
a lot about a persons character to say fuck it lets link up and give
people good music, that's real to me. Truth is I'm super thankful for
Supa, Calez, and Wiley, they have helped get my music out there. They
saw what I had was special and they reached down and helped me get
more light, I'm forever grateful for that. That's what it's about
though, that crab in the bucket mentality doesn't benefit anyone,
might as well run it up together.
Interview conducted by Curtis "CBC" Carey
Cover art created by Curtis
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