One of the hottest and most decorated MCs of the new era of rap, Ugly God, born Royce Davison, didn’t get here easy. It took years of honing his craft and owning up to the figure he believed he was destined to be. Born in Indiana to African-American and Dominican parents, Ugly God has lived in other areas of the Midwest, as well as the South, including Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi to pursue a computer engineering degree and dropped out, subsequently forming the Little Dick Clique and releasing material -- such as "Booty from a Distance" and "I Beat My Meat" -- through a SoundCloud page. In 2016, one of the standout tracks, "Water," was picked up for release by major-label Asylum Records. By the end of the year, the single made two of Billboard's viral charts and eventually scored a platinum certification. Ugly God issued his debut mixtape, The Booty Tape, in 2017, which featured the self-diss track “Fuck Ugly God” and a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa entitled “No Lies.” The mixtape climbed into the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. That same year, he earned a coveted spot on the XXL Freshman List. After achieving the milestone of hundreds of millions of plays across streaming services and dominating the charts, the young phenom set out on another mission: realizing his artistic gifts.

While fans adored Ugly God’s music and persona, his penchant for outlandish lyrics with shock value and humor had a tendency to overshadow his true talent. His new album, Bumps & Bruises paints a more detailed picture. The 16-track collection, which he self-describes as “the smoothest piece of art I have ever put my heart into,” boasts notable collaborations with Takeoff of Migos and Lil Pump, along with production by Tay Keith (Travis Scott, Drake), Whethan (Dua Lipa, Ty Dolla $ign) and Ugly God himself. His uncharacteristic foray into working with different producers resulted in a more diverse soundscape and with tracks like the anxiously optimistic “For Real” and the boisterous “Tell Me How You Feel”, these new-found alliances are working in his favor. Musically, Bumps & Bruises is an extension of his previous works, overflowing with playful production and countless melodic quips. But his knack for melody and love of glistening frills isn’t upstaging the talent of the MC; Ugly God raps fantastically, weaving in and out of each beat with quick one-liners and a choppy delivery. Everyone’s favorite “fun” rapper is bound for stardom and evolving before our eyes.