It's that time again, when we introduce you to a new rapper who will soon be making waves in the rap game. After meeting WELL$ back in May, next up for a formal introduction is Calfornia's Boogie. Boogie hasn't released too much music thus far, but that's okay because everything he has dropped is strictly quality. We first came across the rapper with his "Bitter Raps" record, which got us acquainted with his laid-back style and his nasally voice with a Chance The Rapper-like quality. The comparisons to Chance are inevitable, something which we touched on in our interview below. While it was "Bitter Raps" that got us initially intrigued, follow-up joints such as "Do It Like We" kept us interested. All these records will culminate in Boogie's proper debut, Thirst 48, due out on June 24th.
Before that happens, we hopped on the phone with Boogie to get the low-down on who exactly he is. Read more below. Make sure to check in on June 24th for the HNHH premiere of Thirst 48.
HotNewHipHop: Hey, this is Rose from HotNewHipHop.
Boogie: Hey how's it goin', Rose, it's Boogie.
HNHH: Cool what's up?
Boogie: Nothing much, chilling, how you doing?
HNHH: I'm good, just a nice day out here. Basically we're gunna do a little artist intro for HNHH. So we're gunna start from the beginning, what's your story and how did you step foot into the rap?
Boogie: Basically, I started rapping in high school. Probably the same cliché story of a lot of dudes. Just rappin' with my homies and little cyphers at school. I probably didn't get too serious until I was about 18.
HNHH: Okay, how old are you now?
Boogie: 24
HNHH: Ah okay, I remember when I first posted your track I read that you had only been rapping for four years.
Boogie: Yeah, that was actually false [laughs].
HNHH: Okay okay, so you've been rapping all through high school but you only started taking it seriously, like put your name out there, pretty recently—'cause Thirst 48 is gunna be your debut?
Boogie: Yeah, correct. This is my first full tape actually having a concept. I mean I always put out little songs with my friends and stuff, this is my first serious stuff because of the outlet I have now with Clayton [his manager]. I didn't really have the outlet before or the resources.
HNHH: Yeah, so now you have the support system in place.
Boogie: Yeah exactly, Clayton saved my life.
HNHH: Your raps are pretty refined, and you also have a pretty refined style so it seems like you've been doing it awhile—but I guess in a way, only getting the support system now, it kinda helps 'cause you're not starting off struggle rapping, you're good at it.
Boogie: Oh yeah, definitely, I feel like I've mastered my craft now.
HNHH: I also read your single dad, is that true?
Boogie: Yeah correct, I'm a father that's not with the mother of my child, but she plays her part she's a great mom.
HNHH: Ah good. How do you find it balancing being a father and a burgeoning rap career where you have to put in a lot of time, a lot of grind?
Boogie: Yeah it do get tough, but I spent a lot of time with my kid, so now I'm to the point where he know who his daddy is and he know what I gotta do for a living.
HNHH: So now your basically rapping full time, that's your job?
Boogie: Yes correct that's all I know is music.
HNHH: So what we're you doing before you took rap as a fulltime career?
Boogie: Ah man, I was in the streets. Shit, I'm still in the streets, honestly. I'm out here bruh. I mean I went to school too, for engineering, that's how I started recording myself. I ended up going to school for a little bit, got my own recording equipment, invested in myself. That helped a lot too. I worked a couple of jobs but I was over that real quick.
HNHH: Mmmk. So what was your life like growing up in…Compton or Long Beach?
Boogie: I really been a little bit of everywhere. You could say I spent most of my years in Long Beach though. The regular cliché struggle, single mom, dad wasn't around. Nothing really to complain about though.
HNHH: You said you were mainly in the streets before. I just find it interesting 'cause your music, what I've heard so far, isn't gangster/street life rapping like YG. This also references your song "Bitter Raps" 'cause on the track you say, "I hate how every L.A. rapper try to make a song like YG"— I find your sound isn't the typical West Coast sound that's taking over right now. Can you speak on that a little bit? And what're your influences?
Boogie: Yeah, I mean, that's really important to me too, 'cause I am from the street but I don't really believe in glorifying all that stuff. I got no problem with artists that talk about that stuff, but I try to use music as my outlet to better the people out here and give people a different mindset. Plus how I feel about certain situations, I probably feel way different than a lot of artists that still in the streets. I'm a father at the end of the day and I'm tryna better people's minds.
HNHH: That's a refreshing approach. As for your influences, what did you listen to growing up, and what influences your music on day-to-day basis.
Boogie: Growing up, uh, I really listened to a lot of r'n'b. I was in church a lot too, I'm not gunna lie, so I listened to a lot of gospel. But besides that, rap artists, I listened to Tupac growing up. As far as daily, I like Chance [The Rapper], of course I love Kendrick [Lamar]. Jay Z probably my favorite of all time though.
HNHH: Just 'cause you brought up Chance—I feel like the Chance The Rapper comparisons are gunna happen. You just said you liked him so you probably don't mind being compared…
Boogie: Yeah I don't really mind, he's a great artist, I don't mind the comparisons at all, I see where people can get that. At the end of the day everybody in competition, everybody my peer, so it's only so far I'm willing to compare things with. I don't mind the comparisons honestly, 'cause he's a great artist so that's like saying I'm a great artist.
HNHH: Yeah I think the comparisons are mainly off your voice, your beat choices may not be super similar. So we premiered your collaboration with A$ton Matthews a few weeks ago. Are there any other collaborations we can look forward too on Thirst 48?
Boogie: That's my boy. Um I got my homie Epic Must Die, that's a person I'm with daily. Besides that I wanna showcase my own family right now, I mean I'm open to features but probably not on my tape.
HNHH: Okay and the title, Thirst 48, can you explain it a little, does it have to do with a theme of the project?
Boogie: Oh yeah definitely. Well it started with my first real video that I did about ten months ago called "Numb." That's basically when I was at a stage in my life where I was not feeling a lot of people priorities and the thirstiness on Instagram, and I'm not a bitter dude but sometimes it got real annoying so I made a song about it. I basically started building off that concept, me and my manager talked about, 'cause daily it's still thirsty shit going on, whether it's a dude thirsty for some street credibility, whether it's me being thirsty, I figured I'd display it.
HNHH: Does 48 have a significance?
Boogie: Well I got it from "First 48" 'cause it's about killing and murder and I feel like thirst could be the death to a lot of peoples' careers and images' out here.
HNHH: Ahh okay. And who handles the production on Thirst 48?
Boogie: It's about three different producers, mostly my in-house producer Caleb Stone. It's a couple of other producers on there, my boy Dezzy D, DK The Punisher, and this dude named Real Raw Beatz that I recently started connecting with.
HNHH: Okay so "Bitter Raps" off the tape was the first song I listened to you from you that really made me be like, I wanna look into this guy and post his music. I thought it was dope and a lot of the shit you're saying is stuff that people can relate too. So we kinda have an idea of what you don't like, I just wanted to know what are some things you really like?
Boogie: Some things I really like umm…I like when people not afraid to say they love somebody, 'cause love is a powerful thing and that's something our generation lacks it a lot. That's one thing I do appreciate. I just appreciate real shit, honestly. I don't like fake blessings, I don't like egos not backed up by accomplishment. I just like real shit, really, for real.
HNHH: You mentioned Thirst 48 will mainly be you, but have you worked with any other artists recently, has anyone reached out to you now that you started putting music out?
Boogie: Well yeah, Buddy, I know you guys post some of his stuff. That's really my friend, that's like my homie so we work some times. Uh yeah that's probably the only other rapper I mess with right now, there's a couple of producers I've been working with that I can't really speak on, but it's some stuff in the works.
HNHH: What's something people should know about you when they listen to your music?
Boogie: I want people to know that I'm in it to be the best artist, really.
HNHH: So you're in it for the long haul. Do you have any long term goals?
Boogie: Ah yeah, long term goals, when it's all said and done to be the best. But right now, I'm taking it step-by-step just building my fanbase. I can't really speak on all that til I get a project out.
HNHH: For sure. That about wraps it up, do you have any last thoughts or something you wanna talk about that we didn't cover?
Boogie: Ah nah, I do wanna say I appreciate all y'all support, 'cause HotNewHipHop is big to me, me and my homies is on y'all website daily.
HNHH: Nice, we're definitely interested to see where you take it, and I'm excited to hear Thirst 48, all the leaks have sounded really solid so far.
