Album Review: Ugly God - Bumps & Bruises

Ugly God is a true character in every sense of the word. He is an absurd and hilarious presence in the rap game today, completely unafraid of making a fool of himself. Ugly God captured the attention of the public with his breakout single “Water” in 2016. “Water” has the Southern native showcasing his smooth ad rhythmic flow over a beat comprised mainly of a spacey synth riff and repetitive hi hats. His lyrics are quirky but straight to the point. In “Water,” Ugly God tells us that although he may not be the prettiest on the block, he has an immaculate sense of style (drip), lots of money, and enough charisma to attract any girl he wants. Despite some of the tracks more questionable lyrical content, such as the use of the lesbian slur “dyke” and the sexism of the line “Your bitch is my slave,” “Water” became one of the most played songs of that summer, launching Ugly God into rap success and effectively creating himself into an online music meme. 

Since “Water,” Ugly God has gone onto to release an EP entitled The Booty Tape in 2017. Alongside “Water,” The Booty Tape has other songs with a similar level of personality to them such as “Stop Smoking Black and Milds,” “I’m Tryna Fuck,” and his own diss track to himself, “Fuck Ugly God.” If you could not tell from his stage name or song titles, Ugly God has made a name for himself by not taking himself too seriously. He knows he is funny and uses his humor to carry his music. For the most part, the public does not consider Ugly God to be an “artist” as much as he is seen as a joke. For a while, this is exactly what Ugly God wanted to be. But now, the rapper known for wanting to “pull up and fuck on your daughter” has changed directions with the release of his debut album Bumps and Bruises. 

Unlike the vast majority of Ugly God’s previous work, Bumps and Bruises has moments of legitimate introspection and reflection as the rapper navigates the landscape of fame and the pressure he fells to make it. He mentions more than once that he is a college drop out, taking a risk by dedicating himself to music and enjoying the fruits of his labor. Lyrically, the project does not divert much from what he has done before. We know Ugly God has money, we know he lives in luxury, we know he is going to find a way to have sex with all our girlfriends. Although he is an braggadocious as ever, Ugly God’s flow and the production on Bumps and Bruises does a lot to elevate his sound into something more mainstream and refined. The instrumentals are not complicated, sticking to his brand of mellow cloud rap that blew him up in the first. Although they are simple, they are not boring. Tracks like “Back to Basics,” “Right Now,” and “History” are slow and melodic, again leaning on an effortless beat coupled with a vibey synth pattern. Ugly God’s rap flow on these tracks is fairly laid back as well. He utilizes a fairly consistent “AA BB” rhyme scheme to carry him from song to song. 

There are moments on Bumps and Bruises where Ugly God explores a more aggressive style of rap and production. On tracks such as “One Two,” “What's Up” and “Batman,” Ugly God’s flow is quicker, louder, and more confrontational. On the instrumental end, the production is revved up and tense, as if the songs are trying to start a fight with the listener. We see this kind of style being embraced by several rappers within the Soundcloud subgenre today, most notably by the late artist XXXTentacion. Ugly God’s attempt to be tough on Bumps and Bruises are just ok. It is not that he completely misses the mark; songs like “One Two” and “Batman” are fun party songs with just enough energy to sustain themselves. However, they are not entirely believable. With his vocals cracking and strained during some parts of his delivery, I do not feel a sense of intimidation coming from Ugly God. Although I doubt that it was his intention to come off as an authentic gangster, he does not do enough with the sound in order to make it funny or interesting. Because of this, his more “aggressive” tracks come off as awkward instead of hard. 

Overall Bumps & Bruises is an alright project. It is clear that Ugly God no longer wants to just be a meme. Now that he is known within the music world, he is trying to be more professional with his approach to the craft. He has improved his production, his lyrics, and his flow. He is trying out different kinds of sounds and aesthetics, throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Personally, I am most satisfied with Ugly God when he is at his most laid back. When he is not trying to be super outlandish is when he delivers his best performances. Bumps & Bruises is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for Ugly God. Always eclectic and unpredictable, he is surely an artist to keep an eye on.

Thanks Ugly God!

Reviewed by: Carter Fife