At the time of writing, Bugzy Malone’s ‘Facing Time’ EP is number one on the iTunes album chart. Observers of grime will tell you, it’s one thing to make a hot freestyle and get love on Youtube; it is another completely to move units. Bugzy is one of a very small crowd now doing both.
Given that two years ago you could be forgiven for only associating his name with a 1976 musical film featuring custard-shooting splurge guns, it’s evident his rise has been meteoric. He is now a stalwart of the new generation of grime, and a torchbearer for those hoping to make it from outside of the scene’s nucleus of London.
Repping Manchester, the 0161, the odds were stacked against the MC. Here’s how Bugzy Malone put Manny on the fuckin’ map.
Beginnings
The 25 year old Mancunian has been putting out music since his debut mixtape ‘Swaggaman’ in 2010. However, it wasn’t until 2014 when Bugzy really arrived in the scene, with his JDZMedia freestyle getting the country talking.
Spitting in front of a car, with his boys, he kicked off, “When I was about ten, ended up robbing all of my school friends / For the Pokemon cards, finger skateboards, six years before I ever went pen”.
His plain and accessible yet explicitly hard lyrics, delivered on beat, caught the attention of many a grime head, and propelled his view count into seven figure territory. Bugzy was in the building.
The art of war
On the back of the freestyle, Bugzy got called in for his first Fire in the Booth. It was the beginning of a fruitful alliance with BBC Radio 1’s Charlie Sloth, and an even more fruitful rivalry with Chipmunk.
Seemingly without provocation, Bugzy pronounced, “Go tell Chipmunk not to be cheeky, grime is a road ting / My man’s hopeless”. It started a feud that produced strong lyrical sends on both sides, and ultimately worked to the advantage of both MCs.
With his dynamic freestyle, Bugzy had got his foot in the door of the grime premiership; by going blow-for-blow with a renowned lyricist, he smashed that door down.
Making gains
Capitalizing on the beef, Bugzy simultaneously proved he could make noteworthy songs. His track “M.E.N”, released a month after “Relegation Riddim”, has racked up over 7 million views to date. The title, alluding to Manchester’s main newspaper and arena, also cleverly placed Bugzy as the torchbearer for the 0161, one of grime’s main centres outside of London. Once again, his ability to tell plainly worded stories from his past while spinning trap metaphors built his reputation. Soon after, he also featured on a song with Stormzy and Tinie Tempah, which again raised his status.
On the back of that, Mistajam premiered Bugzy’s first official single “Watch Your Mouth”. His first EP, ‘Walk With Me’, landed soon after, jumping in at Number 8 on the iTunes Chart. Just like that, Bugzy Malone had established himself as an artist.
From 0161 to number 1
From there, his rise has only accelerated. Amidst rumours that he was incriminated in a robbery case, Bugzy announced his next EP would be called ‘Facing Time’, and went for a mugshot for an EP cover, without addressing the allegations. Whether intentionally or not, in doing so he created a buzz around his release that has undoubtedly played into his own hands.
Furthermore, in his most recent Fire in the Booth, Charlie Sloth insinuated that Bugzy’s freestyle was the best ever delivered in the series. More hype, more debate, more attention- his numerous visuals from the EP inevitably racked up substantial view counts. And so, in the space of less than two years, Bugzy Malone went from no-one to no. 1.
Words: @sjriptweets