The following profile contains quotes from a brief interview with B.U.G Antman conducted via email
Atlanta breeds left-field alternative rappers almost as well as it spawns rap clones. From Outkast and Childish Gambino to newer acts like EarthGang, Tony Shhnow, and Kenny Mason, Atlanta’s hip-hop oddballs are often just as compelling as their trap peers. In a hectic crowd of up-and-comers, Atlanta has another weirdo who, true to stage name, is stronger than he looks: meet B.U.G Antman.
That’s always been my nickname, Antman. I always know [sic] I wanted to keep that in my name. But also wanted to add something in front of it other than “Young” or “Lil.” I was tryna come up with an acronym for B.U.G ’cause I thought that sounded fire. My brother, we was just brainstorming and he was like, ‘Bringing Up Greatness.’ I said, ‘Okay, that’s fire.’ and I feel like if I put that in front of my name I have to hold myself up to that standard.
– B.U.G Antman
Opting to catch insects outside instead of playing video games as a child, B.U.G Antman’s desire to have his own experiences of the world evolved into the wanderlust and originality that define him as an artist today.
Earning a big cosign from Terrence “Snake” Hawkins (Veeze, Gucci Mane, Coi Leray) en route to signing with Warner, B.U.G Antman is a rapper with a vision. Calm, confident, and atmospheric are the first impressions Antman’s music is likely to make, but a strong undercurrent of loneliness threads through his entire discography — including his latest drop Y’all Ugly — and suggests the artist has even more to say than he lets on.
The Sound of Y’all Ugly
Y’all Ugly makes good on Antman’s promise to not go backward. The EP functions as a sampler-style appetizer plate: a variety of offerings, some unexpected, that convince you to try the strange new things again.
There are some immediately convincing raps in this project on ethereal trap production, including the intro “G19 My Buddy” and “Tortoise.” But the true highlights lean away from trap elements and more toward the dreamy and confused.
“Make Sense” in particular sees Antman find a very comfortable pocket on a colorful happy-sad progression, letting the beat breathe at just the right times to make the track float. The song’s visual enhances this experience and adds the subtext of loneliness and paranoia, with Ant comparing himself to a UFO and being surrounded by faceless people masked by flower bouquets and paper bags for a mild Midsommar-like eeriness.
“U Again,” Y’all Ugly‘s penultimate track, is a clear standout in a number of ways. It may not be the most immediate “hit” on this tape, but the dystopian choral sample, vocal layering, and flanged, croaky second-half delivery best described as “bug voice” makes this song feel like B.U.G’s most pointed artistic expression on the EP.
Breathe the air, no one cares, what we have to say / Have a taste of industrial waste, doesn’t matter anyway
The “U Again” introductory sample is more than a vibey footnote here: the song sampled is “Kill Yourself” by Fresh Air, the one and only release from the obscure 1971 psychedelic rock band.
Discogs, an online music archive, cites this band as the 25th one with the name “Fresh Air” included to their database, adding to an already forgettable origin story. But their one official record appears to have floated its way into a YouTube algorithmic jet stream in late 2024 and has attracted amused viewers-turned-supporters who have shared their mental health struggles and alarm at the state of the world.
“the race to sample this track begins” rightly proclaimed user dai_des. Seven months later, B.U.G Antman in close partnership with producer Frank Stacy has put “Kill Yourself” to good use, evoking the therapy sketch earlier in the EP and setting up Antman for a more vulnerable track. “U Again” sees B.U.G get a bit more candid about love and feeling overwhelmed. His “bug voice” comes on suddenly and distorts lyrics, but sentiments of anxiety about time moving fast and aggressive bag chasing cut through.
B.U.G Antman’s focused collaboration with Frank Stacy is another layer of intentionality supporting Y’all Ugly. After stumbling upon Stacy while searching for “Highway Type Beats” on YouTube, Antman ended his search for more producers and worked exclusively with Stacy for a more cohesive sound. Even the use of a search term describing an experience as opposed to a certain artist in order to find the right beats speaks to Ant’s well-rounded view of his art.
As the tight and wavy songwriting on Y’all Ugly toys with the idea of going deeper, B.U.G Antman’s visual identity fills in a lot of the blanks.
Trippy, Lonely, Fun: The Visual World of B.U.G Antman
Color and whimsy define B.U.G’s Antman’s best music videos, but his visual settings often serve sarcastic purposes when paired with his music and on-camera performances.
“Meltdown” is a bouncy, fuck-my-ex-bitch-I’m-rich type of joint, but the video uses a lot of negative space and often sees Antman with low energy. “145 mph” is a hypnotic downtempo track with a trippy, slow-motion visual, both of which contradict the song title. But the same way the “Meltdown” video more honestly captures the song’s lyrics, “145 mph” tells a true story about a young man who “come alive” at night but is otherwise daydreaming and reminiscing while moving from city to city.
“I get inspired really just going out traveling, living. I don’t really watch movies like that. Just real life shit, that’s what I get inspired by. Just traveling, meeting new people, new settings.”
There’s something refreshing about a Gen Z artist finding more value in the physical world than the digital. And while B.U.G Antman’s subject matter is conventional YN activity, there’s more clarity and color in how he shares his experiences. “145 mph” certainly achieves this, with Ant stating, “I definitely feel like that’s one of my more mature songs. I’m just tryna push boundaries with the sound. I’m not tryna go back in any sorts.”
A B.U.G’s Life
B.U.G Antman’s work is full of contradictions in a good way, the contradictions of life that make someone’s story interesting. Following Ant around within his music is to go fast and slow, to care and not care, to wanna go to MIA (Miami) but “Wanna Go MIA” (Missing In Action).
Fittingly, Ant considers “balance, just tryna balance everything” to be the greatest current challenge of his life as an artist. Despite Ant’s gratitude for where he’s at, his focus is firmly on the future and what it will take to achieve longevity.
“The feeling of not knowing what’s next, that’s exciting to me. I got a lot of room for improvement and growth and a lot of space to build.”
B.U.G Antman has laid the foundation for an immersive audio-visual world. Given the flashes of brilliance in his young career to date, it’s hard to doubt his so-called “colony” (i.e. fanbase) will grow alongside his imagination and ambition.
UPDATE 3/28/2025: Edited for syntax and structure