Exclusive Interview with 'BG THE BOY GENIUS'

BG the Boy Genius is a recording artist and songwriter from Albany, NY. In the early 2010s, he shared the stage with many national artists and enjoyed success with a variety of mixtapes. Since then, he has shifted his attention to creating original bodies of work. His previous album, “DOGE Tape,” which was released under his own imprint, “Dopest Records On the Planet,” or D.R.O.P for short, amassed more than 500,000 streams across all platforms independently. BG, who has since moved to Tampa, Florida, is renowned for his unbridled honesty, powerful lyrical skills, and capacity to fuse genres. His upcoming album, “I Knew You When,” is expected to be his most honest and introspective to date. The lead singles from BG’s upcoming album, “Happy Face” and his most recent single, “D.A.N.G.E.R,” have amassed over 100,000 streams between them in a short period of time. In a field that is so oversaturated, BG not only stands out but also makes his presence known, forcing the listener to pay attention. Check out his latest single and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

BG THE BOY GENIUS: I was raised in a single parent home where my mother took care of my sister and I. At a young age we were moved to a small town right outside of Albany, NY where I was then relentlessly bullied and exposed to the harsh realities of racism. At that age I strongly connected to Eminem and his lyrics, because he went through the same things I was experiencing as far as troubles at home and school. I began to write my own lyrics as a way to cope with my new reality. As time went on and I honed my skills, I began to finally garner attention from my peers, I realized the potential I could achieve through my writing. I haven’t stopped since.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

BG THE BOY GENIUS: I would say a mixture of both. When I first started recording myself I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Once I finished high school I attended college for a bachelors degree in audio engineering.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘BG THE BOY GENIUS’?

BG THE BOY GENIUS: As mentioned before first and foremost I would have to be Eminem. As I have grown my musical influences have very much so expanded to multiple artists spanning multiple genres including Frank Sinatra, Jon Bellion, Kanye West, and Jay Z. I am always finding something new to influence me. For a long time my name was “Tragedy” because when I was younger I honed my skills mostly from battling. But my mentor, Mister Venom, always told me my name didn’t fit me as a person, because I was a cool ass kid, and I was very smart. One day, he’s laying ad libs for one of my records and he goes “Tragedy, the Boy Genius!” And it was like a literal lightbulb had went off. We both knew right there that was my name, Boy Genius. As I got older people began calling me “BG” for short. And inevitably there came a time that I was no longer a boy, but wanted to remain true to my roots and the name I held as I established my self, which is why my name then became “BG the Boy Genius”

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

BG THE BOY GENIUS: I pull from genuine emotion and put it into my records. I have zero filter and bare my truest self to the world at all times. My sound never fits into one box, if it’s hot, or if it’s how I’m feeling then I make it. I feel like my listeners really appreciate not only my unbridled honesty, but also the range of sounds in which I have to offer.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as HIPHOP?
BG THE BOY GENIUS:
I definitely started out by emulating artists that inspired me. But as with anything else, it took time and consistency to finally find my own groove and use my influences and a catalyst for my own original sound.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

BG THE BOY GENIUS:

I always say “I would rather say a little something, than a whole lot of nothing.” I definitely touch on political, social, and cultural issues in my music but not exclusively. As I have said before, it really boils down to how I am feeling at the time. If something topical is happening in the world that strikes a cord within me you can almost guarantee I will touch on it in a record.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

BG THE BOY GENIUS:

The music business is unfortunately a business where you will never really get the same out of it that you put into it. I do feel however that I have still gotten a lot of fulfillment out of everything I have done up to now. Just knowing that there are people out there who have been touched by my music enough to personally reach out to me will always be more fulfilling to me than anything.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

BG THE BOY GENIUS:

It all starts with the beat for me. I know some people who start from silence and that is always so mind blowing to me! But yeah, I start with the beat, and then I kind of just mumble and hum to try to find the right pocket for the track. Once something clicks and I find it, everything gets kicked into overdrive and not long after that it will be a completed product. The longest part of my process is just that beginning part, but once I have my pocket the words are easy.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

BG THE BOY GENIUS: The hardest thing to endure in my music career so far has easily been the times where I have gotten my hopes up for an opportunity that turned out to be all smoke and mirrors. Unfortunately this is a predatory business with shady characters and someone is always looking to get over on someone else by using their determination and goals against them.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

BG THE BOY GENIUS: The most significant moment of my career so far was probably 3 years ago. I was contacted by a young gentleman by the name of Lincoln, a 16 year old autistic student from Chicago. He wrote me a very long message, and spoke to me about his struggles with depression, and how he had been considering taking his own life. He expressed to me that my music helped him through this tough time and fortunately enough he chose to not end his life. I am very blessed to be able to connect with people in such a way, and I’m man enough to admit that that day I was brought to tears. I still get emotional when I think about that letter and that kid and what my music, that I make in my bedroom, was able to do for him. That’s all I ever wanted out of this music thing, was to connect with people. It was a strong reminder that I’m right where I need to be, doing what I need to be doing.