(WR) Atlanta rap artist B.U.G Antman follows his acclaimed Y'all Ugly EP with "Belt," a surreal and stylish single out now via Warner Records. The new song adds another layer to the young artist's conceptually-driven body of work.
Sonically, "Belt" is a speaker-rattling scorcher as sharp drums crash through thick atmosphere while Antman spits melodic bars that place him amid a slipstream of success.
Over the past couple of months, Antman has been embracing the Y'all Ugly theme - "ugly" stands for "u gotta love yourself" - by donning face-distorting prosthetics in public, including in a recent in-depth interview with Lost Souls and backstage at The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash festival. It's all part of his holistic world-building, a vision that includes eye-popping music videos, trippy sketches, and a string of direct-to-fan releases on SoundCloud and YouTube.
Released in March, Y'all Ugly is Antman's most immersive project yet, a psychedelic and groove-steeped voyage through the aspirations, anxieties, and indulgences of a budding rap surrealist. The set was led by the lushly hypnotic "Make Sense," which came with a visual rollercoaster of a video (HERE) and transfixed tastemakers upon arrival. Billboard put the song on their "R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week." VIBE plugged it on "New Hip-Hop to Ride Out To." BET highlighted the single in their new music roundup. And Dirty Glove Bastard professed, "The psychedelic track showcases his magnetic charisma and innovative artistry."
Other highlights from the EP included "145 mph," a woozy celebration of fast living that also tapped into the cost and coping that comes with the territory, and the funky, percussive "Over Knees," which Antman brought to the #OnTheRadar studio along with a couple of older actors who pretended to be his proud parents, supporting him as he performed the song. He recently spoke with SOUNDFYND about his boundless creativity and unexpected forms of expression.
Over the past few years, Antman has crawled his way to the top of the new Atlanta scene, developing his singular approach across a series of projects including Goats on a Cliff (2020), Trap Infested (2023), and I See Colors (2023). He hit the gas heading into 2024 with his Bug EP, produced by Bakkwoods (SoFaygo, Lil Tecca, Ken Carson), but his rise has never been about cosigns. Throughout it all, Antman has served the "Colony" (as his fans call themselves) a steady stream of music and visuals underscoring his outsized charisma and otherworldly talent.
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