Bugus - The Story of Bugus and Russ

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That's more than a presentation.

Imagine two kids on a basketball team and they're both trying to get good at basketball. You know what I'm saying? The kid who only gets shots in during practice is not going to get as good.

That's so true.

As a kid who shoots in his driveway before practice, shoots with you during practice, and then shoots in his driveway again after practice. Yeah, he has a one up on you because he has a goal in his this house.

Yep. What's going on, everyone? Kasey Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. So we have a very interesting guest today. He's actually been on the Rise of the Young podcast before. He was one of my first, I would say, like 20 interviews. We did it through Skype and I'm super excited to bring back on the show. Boogis, thanks so much for coming on, brother.

I appreciate you for having me.

So, number one, we're in LA now. We're on camera, as you can see. You were on Rise the Young podcast, I would say, beginning of 2018. And I know something I want to bring up for all the viewers. You dropped your album six months ago.

Yeah.

And I would say to really kick it off, if people, let's say, haven't heard that show and they came across the Rise of the Young podcast more recently. I first want to just start off, you know, where are you from? And give people some context into what you're currently at along your music career. Because I've been following you for probably almost two years now. And it's been super cool to just see your growth. And I know you just got off tour, you did a whole Germany run and. Yeah, you know, I want to talk to that maybe, maybe young aspiring artists today. You know, I think with a lot of the interviews I've done, it's very unique to have you here because talking to a musician that's been on tour, you know, that's some of people's dreams.

So that was my dream.

Sad to have you on the show, brother.

Thank you. Yeah, that's a huge dream. Because that was my dream for a long time.

Okay.

So to finally get your own headlining tour is like, it's living a dream come true.

Got it. But yeah, let's bring it back. Where are you from? When did you start in music?

From Atlanta, Georgia. I'm born in LA though.

Okay.

I'm Nigerian 100%. I started doing music 2010 when I was 17 years old. So now I've been putting out music this whole decade. From 2010, 11, 12, basically almost every year there's like either a mixtape or a whole bunch of songs I put out. I've just been building up this whole decade, putting out stuff, putting out stuff. And so then now I put out my latest album in April and self titled album Boogis. It's dope.

That's insane. So six months.

Yeah, six months ago. But it spawned its own headlining tour, which is what we're just talking about. My first tour. So it was amazing. Four shows in Germany, Berlin, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and what's the first? Munich.

Got it. Yeah. That's cool. So. So you say you started making music 2010 years ago. He said, what Diamond? I want to bring that up. What was the inspiration for music? You know, I know you're from Atlanta, right? You. You and your good friend Russ. I'm sure in terms of. That's how I found out who you are. Right. I listened to Russ. I'm like, dude, Bugas is someone that has so much talent. And that's why I would love to talk to you, number one, a year and a half ago. But just to see the, the evolution of, you know, with this album coming out, I think it's super cool to. You have this ecosystem in Atlanta where you're from, all the success of yourself and the people around you, you've been able to see the journey of yourself, but also someone like Russ. Right? So I want to bring it back to Atlanta. When you were in school, you and Russ was like, yo, we should make a beat and rap on the track. Just bring me back to where music started for you guys and the beginning of the journey. Cause I think especially on social media these days, I think the importance of this podcast is like people can kind of hear it from the ground up. Right? Cause you see all the success and things. Yeah, you see it when it's like, wow, I couldn't do that. When what gives me the opportunity to do that so to shed some light on like the beginning, early journey in your music. Career. I'd love to hear about that.

Yeah. So for me, it was like, I got into music. Cause I love listening to music so much. I always say what inspires me most is great music. Like, if you hear a wax song, it's like basketball. If you see Kobe play, that's just gonna make you wanna like. It's like, damn, I know I can't do that just yet, but it makes you wanna pick up a ball. If you see somebody who just bricks and basketball, it's not gonna make you wanna play. So for me, it's like, great music, made me want to do music. So I was always playing basketball, football. I was playing two sports a year every year from first to probably 11th grade.

Okay.

But then when I stopped doing that, for a while, I had, like, this year where I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do. So I tried boxing for, like, three months. I was like. I liked it, but I was like, nah, I'm about to be fucking fighting for a living.

Like, this is not it.

Then I tried mma, mixed martial arts. That was cool. But once again, it was like, I can't do this for a living. This is cool. Like, you get a lot of energy that's pent up out. But I can't. I don't want to try to make money doing this. Like, make a living doing this. So. So for that year when I was, like, 15 and I stopped playing football and basketball, I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do. But music was always the backdrop of life. Like, always the soundtrack of my life. I love music so much. So then one day I come into school and I read Russ literally said he made it. Russ played me this beat, and he was like. I mean, I was like, who made this?

And you guys were just like, friends in high school. Just to bring some context to it, you know?

Friends since middle school, eighth grade.

Okay. Yeah.

I met Russ in eighth grade. And then we went to the same high school as well. Okay, so.

And y' all started diamond together, correct?

Yes. But that's. Even. That is later on in the story.

Okay.

We met in the eighth. We started when we started diamond in 2011. I already known him for five years. Okay, so.

And so y' all just go back to high school, walking in the door, just homies in school, literally. And they all started making music.

Yeah. Yeah. Russ was the new kid in class.

Okay.

So I went. I went to. I already was from that middle school. And then he came in the eighth grade. So first day of school this new kid comes in. I'm just like, yo, who the fuck is this kid? So I start talking to him, messing with him. But so basically, we in eighth grade, that's when we met. So ninth grade, tenth grade, we played on the same basketball team.

Okay.

We had the same classes, so we always hung out and stuff like that. But then one day, I'm sitting in lit in 10th grade, I think 10th or 11th grade, I'm sitting in class, and this kid named Alex comes in, and he plays a beat.

Yeah.

And I'm like, yo, what is this? He's like, well, I made this beat with Russ. And I was like, russ, who? Like, I was like, r us. Like, Russell. You know? He's like, yeah, Russell's a little. I was like, what? I was like, there's no way. So then. Then me and Russ have a class later that day, and I'm like, yo, I heard the beat. That is crazy. You know what I'm saying? I'm excited as. I'm like, yo, this is dope. And then he's just like, yeah, bro, I've been making beats. Me and Alex, we make beats. So then after. After school. No, the next day at lunch, I told this kid I knew who rapped, this kid named Joe. I told Joe, yo, look, Russ makes beats. And we all had the same lunch period, but everybody sat so spread out.

Yeah.

So one day, I was like, yo, you got to come. Me, Russell, we go to the. We go to the lunch table.

Yeah.

I take you over to the lunch table, and Russia starts beating on the table, and Joe starts rapping. And I'm like, boom. Perfect. Then after school, I'm like, Russ is like, you'll come to my house. Bring Joe to the crib after school. So after school, I take Joe over to his house, and that. That was. That was really how I got into music. I literally was just watching Russ and Joe and this other guy record.

Okay. For, like, seeing it happen.

Four months, you know, I was just helping take Joe. I would help take Joe get his hair cut. Yeah, I'll help take Joe to Russ's crib, which is the studio. I was just helping him. I wasn't even doing music yet. But then just seeing the process of how a song is made and seeing Russ and Drew work, it made me want to do music. Like, it was infectious.

Okay.

And then. And then what happened was I started just giving. I had things that I would write, and I just started giving him to. Giving it to Joe, giving it to him to rap. But he didn't take all of it. Some stuff he would take, Some stuff he wouldn't take.

That's tight.

And then I was like, yo, fuck this, I want to say my own shit. Like, you know, it gets to the point where the person's not saying it how you want them to say it, or da, da, da. I want to say it myself.

That's cool. So then I want to say you said great music is, like, an inspiration for you because we were. My buddy, Charlie Walk, he was just on the podcast. He says, good is the enemy of great. And you said that and opened it up with, like, great music. How it's like, that is the backbone of, like lot. Like, music is one of those things in every person's life is important to them. Right. When you hear great music, you gravitate towards it. So, like, early on, because I know, like, importance of mindset to you and someone like Russ, like, your come up and everything you guys are doing together, there's a state of, like, mind you need to be in to really believe in what you're doing. And I want to sort of bring it back, but also kind of looking back, looking along your journey.

Yeah.

When you guys first started, like, did you have these dreams and aspirations? Because I think sometimes maybe there's someone watching. They're young and they're asking themselves, like, you know, I don't really know what I want to do, but what I'm doing now, it's music, it's sports. Like, let me just do this. Like, what was the mentality back then in high school, you guys are making music in the basement. Because obviously, like, the. The growth of you has just been immense. So what did that look like back then? You know, you guys are creating music. Like, what was the inspiration back then?

I'll say back then, what it looked like was pure passion, just pure love for what we were doing. Like, get out of school at 4pm Yep. At Russ's house till 9. You know what I mean? Like, five hours before I even go to my house. So imagine going to school at 7am and you don't walk in the house again till 9. Yeah, that's what was happening senior year.

So that was senior year, high school, senior year. Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

That's pretty much what happened.

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Back then, there was no real. There was no real formula. There was no real plan or anything. We were just. If we made a song and it'd be on YouTube and out the day we finished it, you know what I'm saying? Like, it was like, let's go to after school. Let's say we make a song from 4 to 7. It'd be on YouTube at 8pm and we're sharing the link to people on Facebook all night. You know what I'm saying? Like, right, when we make it, we drop it.

Yeah.

That was what it was back then.

Okay.

But, you know, it was. It was dope. The mindset was just. It was just pure passion. It was like we weren't even thinking so much about. There was no thought about the future.

Yeah.

We were just in the moment. There was literally no doing. Yeah. Just having fun. And for me, it was so brand new. I didn't even have expectations.

Yeah.

It was so brand new. I was just loving doing it. It's like picking up something for the first time. You know what I'm saying? It's like I'm not even thinking about what this could be and all this. I'm having so much fun playing with this new toy.

Yes.

You know what I'M saying, like, I just got this. This is dope.

You know what I'm saying?

So that's all it was. It's like I was just in the studio with Russ a lot, and then I was watching other people rap and watching other people make songs, and it just made me want to make songs.

Gotcha.

So then studio.

Okay. I wanted to say off that. Diamond, talk to people about that, what it is, why you guys decided to start it and more so, like, the purpose behind it. Because I know that's like, it's incorporated into everything you do when Russ does, and it's like a backbone for branding and all these different things. But it's like, what was the inspiration for it and, like, the whole meaning behind it when you started it?

The inspiration for me, like, the inspiration was growing up watching Cash Money.

Okay.

Bad Boy Roc, a fella, no Limit Records, just growing up and watching other people. That's why I believe this. This is one thing I believe. I believe who your mentors are and who you look up to. Super important.

Yep.

I believe that because the only reason why I came into the music game with a record label is because all the artists that I fucked with as a kid that I looked up to had labels.

Yeah.

I like Jay Z, he had his own label. I like Lil Wayne, he had Young Money. I like. I liked Diddy and Mace. They had Bad Boy. So it's like I just. It was second nature when I started rapping. Have my own label. I would have felt incomplete if I didn't have. You know what I'm saying? It's like going out. It's like going out without your shoes on.

Yeah.

For me, it's like I knew I had to have my own label coming into the game. That was my mindset because of who I was idolizing. So it's important that you started the.

Game instead of the grade.

You know I'm saying, like, I. Not even if I wasn't even trying to study them. That's just who had. That's just who I admired, in a sense. You know what I'm saying? I wasn't even studying them yet. I was just amazed by them. And it was just common sense to me to like, oh, Wayne has young money.

I gotta have.

You know what I'm saying?

And I know you've told me before, but what does diamond stand for?

For everyone wondering, do it everyday music or nothing.

Okay. Yeah, that's cool. And then because with that being said, like, that phrase, was it something because, like, in terms of branding, I want to kind of pivot over to there. Right. You have the brand, you have the logo. Right. Where did that come from in terms of, like, have you guys. Obviously, when you're creating a brand and creating a movement, in terms of like, the marketing and the ideas that came with, like, okay, let's start this record label, start this business, have the logo, have the name, have the purpose of the name. Like, these are some things that maybe a young entrepreneur watching, they're like, okay, like, what is. What's the step one to do that? I want to sort of touch on that because people might say, okay, like, what does it take to start a label? How did you go about that? You know, there's a 17 year old that's an aspiring musician. You know, like, what would you say to that young person or anyone that's saying, okay, like starting the first company or brand or label? Just give us some context on that.

Okay. So you asked a couple questions.

Yeah.

First you said, why did we do it? One, it was what we were inspired by. But then, two, we also wanted to have our own website where we could put all our own music.

Yeah.

So we needed to have our own kind of like our own digital headquarters.

Yep.

You know, we didn't want to be. Like, there was a time where for like a year or two, I was just sharing all my Limelights. Like, you make. I don't know if you remember, there's a time where there was something called Bandcamp.

I don't think I heard it. Okay.

Bandcamp, it was a place. And then there was Limelight online. Stuff where you can upload your music, they give you a link, you can share it. Yeah. So I was just. All my music was on Bandcamp, and I'm just spamming people's Facebook page all day.

Okay.

On Bandcamp, links. But then it got to a point where it's like, you know, if Twitter shuts down, if MySpace shuts down, if Facebook shuts down, yeah, we're fucked. We need our own platform. Platform. You know, I'm saying we need to have our own digital headquarters. Like, we have. People have to have a place to come. So that was inspiration behind the website and then the way. Then the logo. We were working with this guy at the time, and me and him were always just talk about ideas. I told him what the. I told him what the name was, what it meant, and he just sent a few different options, and I didn't like a few of them, but then I picked the one that we ended up going with and Then how we actually started, like, the label on paper, like, getting the trademarks, and it's just. I went on legalzoom.com. that's why I say Google is your best friend. Yeah, I'm not. I'm not a mega genius. None of that. If you literally just want something bad.

Enough, like utilize the resources.

Eight, nine years ago, I figured out how to put my music on itunes. I googled, how do I put my music on itunes? And then one website came up and it said tunecore.com. i clicked on it and I saw what it said, and I was like, okay, let's try. What? Like, what's the worst I could have?

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

That's tight.

I sent my song a week later, was on itunes, and I was freaking the fuck out.

Yeah. Yeah.

I couldn't believe this.

Okay.

So, you know, I basically just googled up how to. How to start a company, how to do this.

You're resourceful, you know?

Yeah, I just used. I just used Google and Legal Zoom popped up.

Okay.

So they helped me form the LLC and they helped me trademark the logo.

And I just wanted to make sure we touched on that, because I think that legalzoom.com are those resources that you utilize. People, this may be their first time seeing everything like this. Right. So real quick to kind of bring it forward. So you just got off tour. Let's talk about that. Like, what has it been like? Yeah, like, I want to sort of bounce back and forth. I think it's super cool to just, you know, bring people back to where it's beginning, but also give them some sense. Like, I've been following you on Instagram, seeing your stories. You have crowds going wild all over the world. And, like, what does that mean to you? Because I think everyone has a deeper purpose, you know, when you're walking on stage, what does having a tour, having these fans, having people listening to your music all over the world and being able to see that in person. Like, not many people get to experience that type of lifestyle. So for you, what has that been? Like, just give us some insight.

For me, personally, I'm like, an introspective person. So for me, that's been super empowering. Like, it's. To me, it's empowering to see my impact on the world. You know what I'm saying? And I mean that in the most humble way possible. It's like I watched our YouTube channel go from 0 views to 300 million. Yeah, I watched so many things because I. I feel Empowered, because I know it was at zero and that this number that you see now, the. What caused that is the person in the middle. So it's like, oh, shit. I took this shit from. We took this shit from zero to a million views. We took it from zero to 10 million. You know, I'm saying it's like, yeah, so it's an empowering feeling when you see your work actually manifest into something. It's like, oh, I did. You know what I'm saying? It's like, oh, he makes you want to do more.

Yep.

It doesn't like seeing. Seeing the things that I've accomplished. It makes me want to do more stuff because it makes me believe in my ability to do.

Yeah.

So it's like, oh, I know I could now that I know I could do that. Let's do that all day. Let's keep doing that.

You know what I'm saying? It's like.

So it just. It's a super empowering thing. It doesn't get to my head. I don't like having people at your shows in other states or other countries. That. That doesn't really get to my head. What I love about it, it just lets me know that I can do cool shit if I really, really try.

I love it. And I want to talk about books and self education because, like, there's a mindset there that if people are watching this, you know, and it's something that. It's all a mental game, right? Everything you're creating, everything you're doing, everything. Every idea you've had or had about a song or a label or a logo or a brand or whatever, it's. It comes from the mentality. And I know we were talking about what books you're reading and all that sort of stuff, but, like, what do you think from the education perspective or the books you're reading? Maybe give us some top books that you've read, but also, like, what you've taken away from all these people, whether there's mentors or authors, because, like I said, it's a mindset thing. So talk to us more about, like, where does that mindset come from?

Okay, so my freshman year of college, I was 18, and I read this book called the Magic Light of Success by Napoleon Hill.

Yep.

This shit was so good. I remember opening it up and I was like, I'm about to just read this a little bit before class. Whatever.

Yeah.

So I was reading it a little bit, and then it was so good, I kept on reading and I missed class, and then I Was like, fuck this. I'm not going to any of my. This book was so good. I missed a whole day worth of classes just to read this book.

Okay, what is it called again?

The Magic Ladder of Success.

I have not read that. So.

By Napoleon Hill.

Okay, continue. Sorry.

But the reason why it resonated so strongly with me is because I was already doing so many of the things that he. That he was talking about. So when I read it, I was like. And it was the first time I had ever read a book where I felt like it was speaking to me. I was talking about Mastermind and working with someone and how you guys could do it. And I was like, oh, shit, we're already doing it. I was like, yeah. The second I finished that book, I didn't even finish. I was like, halfway through, I called Russ. Russ was at a different college at the time.

Okay.

I went to Morehouse in Atlanta. He was at Valdosta in like, southern Georgia. Like a five hour drive.

Okay.

So I call him. I'm like, bro, I don't know where the. They have bookstores out there. I hope they even have bookstores. You have to go get this book right now. Yeah, like, drop everything.

Okay.

So he went and got the book and he read it, and we were just talking about it, and he was. His mind was blown this way. My mind was blown. But it hit so strongly because we were already doing things that were in that book.

Yeah. So when I read it, I was like, confirmation.

It was confirmation. So that book changed my life. That book was like, okay, till today. I've read a lot of other great books, but till today, to me, the first. The first self help book I ever read is the best one.

Okay. Wow.

Yeah. And the reason why I even went to the store and picked up that book was because it's like you said, when you're trying to be resourceful, you know what I'm saying? It's like the book is called the Magic Ladder to Success. I only picked up that book because I was trying to learn how to be successful.

Yeah.

I'm saying it's like, I was like.

And you're aware of that?

Yeah. I was like, how do I. I need help. Who knows how to do this shit?

Yeah.

So I go to Barnes and Nobles.

Yeah.

I went to the bookstore, and the book was called the Magic Ladder to Success. You know what I'm saying?

Sounds good.

So I picked that shit up, bro. Greatest book I've ever read in my life. For sure.

That's amazing, man. Do you Think because, for example, I do want to bring it back to college because there's a lot of people that maybe they're in high school, they're saying, okay, let me go to college. Cause I believe this is my path. For me, I didn't go to college. I moved from Virginia to Arizona right out of high school. And like, everyone understands and figures out their path. But what would you say for someone that went to college and like experienced that, or maybe like I said, there's a young person watching. How was college beneficial to you? What did you take away from it? And what would you recommend in terms of as an artist to someone watching that doesn't know if that's the right move or not?

Yeah, well, what I'll say is this. Everybody's situation is different.

Yep.

So you should, no matter what you advice you take from somebody, you should ultimately make a decision for yourself.

Yep.

So, you know, if you want to be a dentist and the path to your goal has to go through college and you got to go through college. But for some people, if what you want to do doesn't require college and maybe you don't need to go to college, college is not going to make sure that you become a success. You know what I'm saying? It's not going to like, it can't guarantee your success. But also college is not gonna guarantee your failure either. You know what I'm saying? Like, spending a few years in college doesn't mean you're not gonna make it. And then not going to college doesn't mean you're not gonna. You know what I mean? So it's like, it's all depends on what you wanna do. If you wanna be an attorney, you gotta go to college. You wanna be a surgeon, you gotta go to college. You wanna go to the NBA, you probably don't gotta go to college, just be great at basketball. So it's like, I think to each his own, you know what I'm saying? There's no one size fits all for success. It's like, figure it out however your situation calls for it, you know what I'm saying? But for me, what I got out of college was I met cool people in college. I, I got to literally grow up a little bit too, because, you know, a lot of the times why you see artists get washed up by the music industry so fast, somebody's popping at 19 by 25, they're broke, they're out of it, is because they put you in a grown man situation when you're a child.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? Like you're 20 years old, dealing with millions of dollars, attorneys.

Yeah.

Contracts. You're a child in a grown man's seat.

Yeah.

So a lot of times college, it gives you time to mature, you know. So if you like the 20 year old you is not going to make this. The 25 year old you is not going to make the same decisions as the 20 year old.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? Like so that's real. If you give a million dollars to a 20 year old kid, he's going to act out his 17 year old fantasy.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

But if you give a million dollars to a 27 year old person, he might act out his 24 year old fantasies.

Yeah.

But those 24 year old fantasies are a little bit more accurate to what he actually needs in life. You know what I'm saying? It's like they're a little bit more developed of a thought process. Like just like your car insurance, they charge you less when you turn 25.

Yep.

Because your brain is literally a bit more developed.

Yeah.

So to put a think about it, how many adults do we know who never make a million dollars or never make majority at 50 years old? They've never made a million dollars. Right. So you have grown ass adults who aren't in these situations. You're trying to give millions of dollars, contracts, attorneys, business managers, all this to this kid who's 18 months out of high school.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

Yep.

So it's like you put a child in a grown man's seat and expect them to know what to do. So some. So for a lot of people, college could help them totally acquire the skills they need. And something I've been thinking about recently too, it's like now looking back, the skill that I got in college that I, that I can apply and use is I picked up, I went to Morehouse and I did see Tim's. It's cinema, television and entertainment media. And the one skill that I got from there is that I know how to write movies. I can, I write full blown screenplays.

Yeah.

Full blown 90 minute movies, feature films, 90 minute, 120 minute. I can write TV. I can write 20 minute TV or 60 minute TV like Breaking Bad. 20 minute TV like Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I can do. You know, I'm saying. So yeah, I picked up real skills because for me was like, I hated it at first. They had no majors. I wanted to study. I was like, I Already know what? I already knew what I wanted to do. So for me, college was like a burden because I already knew what I wanted. You know, I'm saying I already knew I wanted to do music. So I was already like, no, I don't need to do. I already knew what I wanted to do. But I did it because it was like you already here. You might as well learn something that you could use in your field. And, and after music, I do want to go into film. I do want to go into producing TV shows, producing movies, writing movies, potentially acting and directing. I direct music videos already, so it's like totally. So for me, I picked up something that I actually am gonna apply in my life and something that I already apply in my life.

Yeah.

So I would say if you're going to go to college, make sure it makes sense in your path. Make sure it makes sense for the goal you're trying to accomplish.

Yep.

And it's a win win.

And I kind of picked up on a couple of things. It's, you know, you, you make music yourself, you do the production and you, you have all these different talents involved with technology.

I don't make beats.

Okay. Oh, I'm saying like production wise, like in terms of like the screen, the, the writing and like, yeah, absolutely orchestrating that. Like you have all these different focuses and I think it's super important because you know, there's, there's always that saying master of all trades or a jack of all trades, master of none. Right. But you've figured out how to condense where you're spending your time, whether that's music or helping create music videos or getting involved in technology and all these different fields. What, where do you believe that comes from? Of, you know, that there's other things that you can conquer and get involved with. Where that, where does that mindset come from? But most importantly, like what, on a day to day basis, where are you spending your time and how do you figure out how to allocate that?

Well, my entire focus is music right now. That's been my entire focus for like 10 years.

Yep.

I was, I was never really given my full time into anything else. And that's the reason why if you type in my name, you're only going to see music. You know, you're not going to see a bunch of short films with low budgets that I tried. You'll see a bunch of low budget music videos because I was getting, I was working with what I could. I had a camera just like these, you know, I had 60D camera, thousand dollar camera. And you type in my name, you'll see 30 plus music videos that look like they cost 500 at best to me, you know, and then you'll see a lot of stuff that I did for other artists as well. So I, I was always totally focused on this. But I think you're also asking, like, where do you get the mindset to do two things or three things?

Yeah. You understand the importance of like diversification of time and energy and passions and that's all that sort of stuff.

Growing up, I played sports, like I said, you know, and being good, I was good at basketball and football.

Yep.

So being good at two things, I always knew, oh, I could do two things.

Yeah.

Even though they're not in the same season, I knew that I could be good at two things.

Totally.

And I was good at school too. So it's like I could be good at a lot of shit. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

It's like you don't. You can be a master of one but still be good at other things. Like Childish Gambino is a great artist, but he's also a great actor. He's also a great director. Screen, you know what I'm saying?

Totally.

God bless us, man. We could do a lot of things. And if we don't trap ourselves with these titles of I'm a this, I'm a that, like every time you kind of put a title on yourself, you limit your capabilities. It's like, I don't, I don't call myself a director, but I have videos I've directed that have over 100 million views.

Yeah.

And as a director, I have 150 million plus views.

Yeah.

I don't try to put labels on myself because then you. When I. There's a time where I was doing that and then you realize, oh, it's just not.

That's why just do everything.

God bless us. We're able, bro. We're healthy bodied. Totally got all our limbs.

Totally.

You just. We got brains to think with. You could do so much, bro.

Yeah, absolutely. So I want to talk about something regarding just social media. You know, that's how we connected. That's how a lot of music is out there. And social media is the fuel behind the fire. Right. So what has been the experience and I would say the impact of social media for you as well as the whole diamond team, Because I'm sure that's been a major catalyst in everything moving forward.

Social media is everything. My career is completely built on social media. Same for us. Like, without social media, you probably can't blow up.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? You need that connectivity to everybody around you and everybody who's not around you too, all across the world. So social media is everything. I love social media.

I would say with social media nowadays, when you're. Because I'm sure you brought up regarding MySpace and all these different forums, like, looking up to 2019, about to be 2020, if there's an aspiring artist out there, like, where do you believe they should be spending their time when it comes to social? Because you have the experience of, you know, having hits with millions and millions of views and you've utilized social media to do so. So if you're speaking to a young artist, where would you recommend they spend their time if they're just starting to make music now, moving into 2020?

The studio, I would say spend your time in the studio first. Make sure your songs are great. You know, trying to sell. That's one thing that a lot of artists do is a lot of times we're so focused on the fruits of our labor.

Yeah.

That we forget the labor. It's like, first make sure your product is great. The best. The best way to sell something is sell some shit people want.

Yep.

If your song is phenomenal, then it's great. So I would say artists need to first master their craft. That's step one. Step one is put in that 10,000 hours. Master your craft. So what you're trying to take around the world and show people is actually dope.

Yeah.

It's gonna take you way longer if you're trying to sell or show people mediocre shit.

Yeah.

You could have the whole world at your doorstep. If it's not good, it's not engaging. So you first have to have a great product. So I would tell artists before social media, Step two, before you even get to social media, get your craft together.

Yeah.

Make the songs as good as they can be. So that way when you're hitting people up and trying to send them your stuff, you have a higher retention rate.

Yeah.

It's not like I make no master craft push around. The first people are just like, yo, don't talk. When you come back next week, they're not going to be as interested.

Totally.

Because you sent them some wax shit the week before. I don't have time to check it out.

Like, first impressions, you know, you want to make sure. You want to make sure that you have a great song or something that you believe is great at that moment. And Grow with it. And before you even take that first step into social, master your craft. That's good advice, man.

Just get the product right. And then when you do go into social, I think it'll just make it easier.

So what do you believe makes a great song as an artist? I think. I'm sure every artist has their own say to it, but I'm curious, like, what do you believe makes a great song based on your experiences?

I would say the chorus has to be dope.

Okay.

And. And. And I honestly know I'll take that back. I want to say that's what it has to be because there's some great songs that don't have choruses.

Yeah.

They're just free verse the whole way.

Yep.

So I don't know. I would say just the music has to sound really good. You know, I don't think there's any great songs that I like where I think the beats and the music is.

Yeah.

So, yeah, the music has to be really good. The. The person who's delivering has to be believable.

Okay.

I think that, like, people can tell. Authentic is the word I'm looking for.

I believe people authentic in their music.

Yeah. I believe authenticity is something people can smell real fast. Artistic intention. When people hear. There's certain songs that I hear, and it's like, yeah, smells like. Smells like commerce, Smells like capitalism.

Yeah.

It's like you can just tell he's trying to sell something.

Yeah. No, I know. That's cool that you bring that up because I know just from following you as well as Russ, like, you guys truly stand behind, you know, like, that 10,000 hour mentality, the consistency game, you know? And I know there's this whole, especially in the music business where it's like, people will come up, make a song be great, and then you don't hear from them for years. Like you, as you as someone that's been in the game for a decade, as well as Russ, like you, you guys both embody consistency, and I think that it goes into every area of your life. Right. So what would you say? Because that's the truth. Right. If there's pumps and dumps. Right. But if you stay along the path and you're taking one step every single day, like, that is what gets you to where you want to be, and you're a testament of that. Right. So looking back across that whole 10,000 hour mentality, what would you say between yourself and artists out there? Like, you've surrounded yourself with some great people. What would you recommend to a Young person that has no connections, no relationships, and they're looking to get themselves out there. Maybe they believe they have a great product, a great song, and they believe it's time for them to get out there. What do you tell that young person?

Step one, buy a studio.

Okay.

Get a studio. And that may sound intimidating because of what I thought that meant when I first started, I thought I had to have $300,000 Quincy Jones speakers, all these mixing boards and all this. No, just get you a fucking MacBook laptop, a $500 microphone, a $500 pop. For, like $3,000, you can literally have a recording studio in your house. So if you don't have that money, get a job and save up. If you can't do that, find some family members, people who believe in you. Start a GoFundMe. Do whatever you have to do. Get a studio. When you get that studio, put it. Put it in. Put it in your house or wherever you live, because what it'll do is that you'll save yourself so much money. Right. Like, you can go to a studio right now. We're in LA right now. Right. You can go to a studio anywhere out here, and they're gonna charge you 250 an hour. Yeah. If you're gonna go work on an album, you're gonna spend more than $3,000.

Yeah.

And you'll spend 10k or just recording the album.

Yeah.

With that same 10k, you could have bought a studio that now you can record unlimited albums. Part of the reasons why I have so much material out there and Russ has so much material out there is that we always owned our studio.

Yeah.

So we were able to. We were able to develop our craft and develop as artists. Because we owned that process. We didn't have to pay 200 bucks every hour.

Yeah.

There's times where I sit listening to a beat for four hours. That would have cost me 800 bucks at a studio. You know what I'm saying? And then it takes another two hours to actually record the song. So we would have spent 1500 tonight.

Yeah.

You know I'm saying. But if you buy yourself a studio and you have it in your house, you just get to work on it. Unlimited. You could wake up at three in the morning and work till 9am, pass out, go do what you have to do in the day. Come back at 6, work. Work from 6pm to 3. You know, I'm saying. Yeah, you can put in. You can get those 10,000 hours.

Totally.

Because think about trying to get 10,000 hours in at 200 bucks an hour.

You know that's the truth.

Yeah.

Utilizing like the, you can do whatever. I know. Like you guys have that thing, right. It's like owning it all and having the record label. You use those things that you don't have to rely on other people. Rely on yourself. Yeah.

And if you think about it's like the kid who has, it's like a basket, like kid who only gets shots in during practice is not going to get as good as the kid who shoots in his driveway before practice, shoots with you during practice and then shoots in his driveway again after practice.

Yeah.

He has a one up on you because he has a goal in his house.

Yeah.

So while you're, while you're going to bed because you don't have a basketball goal, he just got an extra thousand jump shots in.

Yeah.

And then if you acute when, when you're training like that after X amount of time passes, you would have put in so much more time.

Yeah.

It compounds this, it compounds this. Kid who's only practicing during basketball practice cannot keep up.

Yep. That makes no sense.

You've done more work this month that he's going to get in all year. You put in more jump shots this month, he's going to get all year.

Yeah, that makes sense. That's the truth.

So, owner studios, what I'll tell.

Yeah, yeah, 100%. Yeah, for sure. So regarding just music in a nutshell, where do you believe just moving forward, like there's so many like marketing strategies of the right thing to do. But I would say just from a business perspective in music, what would you say is the number one thing you'd tell people to look out for? Because I think there's also the conception of like everyone's like, oh, the music business, it's a hard business and there's, there's sketchiness to it and there's, there's sharks in there, which is the truth for every business. Yeah, but what would you say as a musician, what would you tell a young artist that's like to look out for when getting into music? Is it record labels, is it this?

Is it that you mean like a hazard to look out for?

Yeah, well, hazards about the industry. What would like because you've been in the game, you've had 10 years experience, you know what it's like to, you know, to move around and look out for the landmines. Right. So what would you tell more? So an aspiring artist or anyone who's looking to start a business or get into what they're truly passionate about, what would you tell them to look out for?

I would tell them to avoid the, like the 360. And when I say the 360, I mean not only with the record label, because what, what happens is your business team might make you feel like, oh, you got a good record deal. You didn't sign a360, but then they're taking commission from you.

Yeah.

So it's like you might dodge the 360 in the industry, but your own team is 360ing you.

Yeah.

You know, if you're paying out 40% in commissions because you're giving 20% to a manager, 5% to a business manager, 5% to an attorney, 10% to a booking agent, if you're paying 40% out of your own income, you're getting 360'd on your money. Your record deal.

Yeah.

Your money's getting 360'd every hundred dollars you make, you pay 40 bucks off in commissions before you even go pay taxes.

Yeah.

So every hundred bucks you make, you're walking over $30.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? So it's better to. I would tell artists to set their. Because every artist is a company. So set your company up the way other companies really run. You're not going to find the attorney for Apple making 5% of Apple's income.

Yeah.

So your attorney should not be making 5% of your income. Apple pays their attorneys retainers or salaries. You know what I'm saying?

Totally.

All of. Only in the music business are attorneys taking commissions off. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

But you go look at any other industry, the attorney's not making a commission of the business. See, that's a company like Apple has a bunch of attorneys.

Yeah.

They're not making 5% of Apple's billion dollars at the end of the year.

Yeah.

Then if you get 5% of Apple's. If you get 5% of one year of Apple's money, you're making more money than Steve Jobs and you're making more money than Tim Cook. You know what I'm saying? The CEO. So it's like they're not given no other industries giving attorneys percentages like that.

Yeah.

It's only in the music business you'd.

Recommend people watch out for that.

Put your. Put attorneys on hourly pay. If they work X amount of hours you pay them per hour. Put people on. Run it like a business. Don't. Don't get fucked. That's what I would say.

I would say you Guys live and breathe, like, independence, you know, and that I've always gravitated towards, you know, having that control, having that access. That's good information for anyone.

Think about it. Okay. If you're. If you're paying 20% to somebody and you do $10 million in business that year.

Yeah. That's what, 10% of 10 million?

Yeah. No, 20% of 10 million is what, 2 million?

I'm not the best at math.

No, it's 2 million.

Yeah. 2 million.

Boom. You paid $2 million. But if you would have had that same person on, let's say, a $15,000 a month.

Yeah.

Salary. Fifteen thousand times 12 is what, 180,000, I think. Yeah, it's like 180,000. Something like that.

Right.

You could have paid someone 180 grand this year, or you could have paid them 2 million.

Yeah.

And that's based on the structure of your business.

Yeah.

So if you agree. You like. If you agree and sign a contract that says, I'll give you 20%, you can't blame them for wanting their 2 million at the end of the year because of how you structured your relationship, the deal. So your deal was structured in a way that's gonna fuck you in the end. You could have just said, okay, look, I'll give you $20,000 a month.

Yep.

Flat salary over the course of a year, that's 240,000. Or if you would have said, I give you 20% of my 10 million, you just lost out. You paid him 10 times.

Make sure you structure the deals. Watch out for 360, and see what.

Happens is that artists get signed so early in their careers, and artists get these people around them so early when they're not making any money.

Yeah.

And these percentages don't sound like bad situations because no money's coming in.

Yeah.

But let $3 million come in and realize that 20% of it has to dip.

Yeah. Then you're like, wow, that makes sense. That's a real advice.

Absolutely.

That's. What's up, man. So really, I have, like, two more questions, man, just regarding your outlook on life with your family, with the relationships in your life. Like, how has it been growing up with the support system? I know Amara, your brother, he travels everywhere with you. He's the manager. And you've always. You found a way to incorporate family and, like, the really close people that matter into what you're doing as along your career. So what's been that relationship with, like, with you and your brother and just the people closest to you in terms of your success in music.

Yeah, well, I've been blessed because a lot of people. A lot of people aren't blessed with family that they can trust. Some people have family members they can't trust, you know?

Yeah.

Some people have family members that they can't have involved in their business.

Yep.

So I've been blessed that I have a brother who we're only three years apart, so we're into the same things. He. We're all. We have the same passions, and he totally gets everything I'm trying to do. And then it's like, who has. Who really has your back more? And then we. That's why artists always do your research, know about the things you're getting into.

Yeah.

If you look at a lot of the biggest artists, who's been their managers, their parents. Beyonce's mom and dad were her manager for the first 10 years of her career. Usher's mom was his manager for extended. Because think about it. Who has your back in life more than your mother and your dad and your brother? Not this guy you just met now that you make money. You know what I'm saying? Who really is gonna have your back in life?

Your best interest in life?

Your mom and dad and siblings will look after you in a way that no one else will.

Yeah.

You know, because they've loved you when you weren't shit. And when you become something, they'll love you the same.

Yeah. That's so tight. So it's super cool to see, though, how it's built in there.

You can. You can look at so many artists. They're called. The music industry calls them momagers. You know, so many artists are managed by their mom. You know Waka Flocka. Yeah, he was managed by his mom.

Okay.

His mom is very influential. She helped break Nicki Minaj. Waka Flocka. Different people.

Yeah.

So it's like your. Your family has your back in a way like no other. You know, I would say if you have. If you're blessed enough to have that. That's what I did. My brother knows everything I'm into, and he's into the same thing. So that's perfectly. For me.

That's sick. So really, last question is really wrap it up, like, regarding the future and looking towards Bugas in five, 10 years. What do you. What do you say? Looking forward, like, where's your ambitions? What is. What do you want to grow to see and conquer? Because I think it's really important that we all. Everyone has goals. But I'd love To hear just for the people watching, like, Booga's moving forward. What should people watch out for? Any albums coming soon? What should they know moving forward in your career? So when we look back at this in 22 years, we see this interview in 2019.

Okay. A lot of new music, hits, big songs, albums. Absolutely. Hit albums, hit songs, Movies, books. Movies, books. Technology. I'm working on some technology right now. I don't want to say anything about it just yet.

Yeah, absolutely.

When it comes out, we'll, we can do this.

Yeah, yeah, we'll talk about it again.

Yeah, but technology, more amazing. Music, movies, clothes, retail stores.

Yeah.

Just an empire. Ten years from now, there will be a full blown empire built.

That's amazing.

And you know, it's, it's, it's the long game that I play for.

Yeah, totally.

It's like I don't care about.

Like short term wins, long term success.

I have a long term plan, you know?

Yeah.

And, and I always say, I always say the things that if you look at the greatest things that are accomplished, they're accomplished because of extremely strong motives.

Yeah.

You know, you have to have a, you have to have a really strong reason you do what you do. If you look at the Taj Mahal, it took him 20 years to build a Taj Mahal, but he built it because it was in memory of his wife. So he took this time to build this amazing thing. If you look at the Great Wall of China.

Yep.

The Great Wall of China was built over, over decades and decades because they kept on getting invaded and block out different points. You have to block out everyone else, then the guy. And then every generation felt like a genetic obligation. You know, every ancestral. Nah, we got to do this because they're going to come. You know, I'm saying there was a real strong motive. So for me, I want to have something I can give my kids. I don't have any kids yet, but when I grow up, when I grew up, when my kids grow up and 25 years from now, when I have a son that's 18, 19 or something, I want to, I want to be able to be like, yo, here's this industry. You could walk right in. I want my, I want my. If I have a daughter, I know I'm gonna have creative kids. If I have a daughter that wants to write, I want her first books to be able to be in Barnes and Noble. Yeah. I want to have, I want to have an empire that they can walk in, understand, and I can hand it to them.

Yeah. You know, so that's amazing, man.

To me, it's not about building other people's companies, your own shit.

Yeah.

Like it may take you a long time, but in 20 years you'll be glad that you have something to give down. I don't want to go help other people build them name they have. So they have 100 year head starts, all types of funding and shit. It's like, no, we got to start from scratch and build our shit up. Yeah, we started from zero everything. So that's my goal. My goal is to have an empire that I can give to the next generation of my lineage at some point.

I love it, man. And you stood the test of time in terms of the 10 years like you had. You really, truly believe and preach, but live that 10,000 hour mentality, man. So, I mean, just to really wrap it up, man, I just want to say thank you again for coming. It's super cool to just see, you know, the podcast almost two years ago when I really started it, and to see it come full circle and hear about your journey in person and for the people watching to. To hear more about what's happening now. I just want to say thank you so much.

Expect a lot of new music. New music is coming up for sure. Top of 2020, we're going crazy.

Yeah. And then last thing, what's the best place people can follow you? I know we're talking about Tick Tock. He's on Tick Tock. That's about to get rolling. But where's the best people that people can find more about your music as well as follow you?

Yeah, Instagram at Bugus.

Got it.

Yeah, Instagram and then Twitter. Bugusdiamondugus.d I E M O N. Got it.

Well, that being said, everyone just want to say bugas, thanks so much for coming on the show. Everyone watching. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and I'll talk to you guys soon.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters An Apple Original Series the world is on fire. I decided to do something about it on November 17th. This place, it's not ours. Believe me, the most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything. I promise.

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