King Bogus, The Monarch has been hard at work earning his regal title. The Savannah rapper recently released his latest album, “Death of a Simp,” to great response, with the record producing over 20,000 streams its first day, and tracks appearing on Spotify curated playlists. King Bogus will be riding that wave when he takes the stage at this weekend’s UnderGo Festival.
The concept of “Death of a Simp” takes the derogatory expression and gives it the burial it deserves.
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“A lot of people draw their own conclusions,” King Bogus said of the album’s title. “The word simp nowadays has turned into this word with negative connotation. That’s what I’m bringing the death to. There is a way to be in a relationship with someone, or show someone you’re interested in them, and a lot of times you’ll see someone call somebody a simp because he bought her flowers or paid for the dinner, gentleman stuff. I address the issue as to why people get called simp. As men we go through relationship issues too, but we’ve got to grin and bear it and not say anything. All the niceness and sweetness goes the window over the years as we get more jaded.
“‘Death of a Simp’ is more like death of the term. It’s fine to be in love and it’s fine to be hurt. And it’s fine to still be romantic after that. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
A self-professed reading fanatic, King Bogus found his way to writing lyrics through family tragedy. When he was in the 5th grade, three of his grandparents passed away in rapid succession one month after the other. The shock to King Bogus and his family caused him to become dejected and mentally check out of school, until one day he began to express his troubled feelings in poetry.
Because of his older brother’s interest in music and 90’s rap, King Bogus began to think about rapping as a way to someday impress him.
“From then on I started walking around with a rap book,” recalled King Bogus. “I remember the Busta Rhymes ‘Touch It’ remix came out and my friends and I were going to do a remix of that song because we loved the beat. That was the first time I wrote to a beat. Ever since then it’s been non-stop.”
“It’s probably weird to say this but I have to give thanks to my grandparents. They say everything happens for a reason and I don’t know where I’d be if that tragedy didn’t hit. What else would have caught my interest? Music and poetry has just really spoken to me like nothing else has in life.”
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King Bogus’ style combines R&B sway with rap lyricism heavy on clever wordplay, puns, and punchlines. His rapping lead him to Atlanta where he was named Mr. AUC at Atlanta University Center and won a rapping title at the Atlanta Hip-Hop Expo. While studying in Atlanta he was taken under the wing of Big Fraze where he learned about engineering, and later worked with artists like the Grammy Award-winning Bangladesh, Lil Baby, Bando Jonez, Summer Walker, and YK Osiris.
Born Nicolas Bogus, King Bogus was inspired to take on the moniker of ‘King’ by jazz legends with aristocratic titles like King Creole, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie.
“Down here in Savannah we had King Oliver who ended up being Louie Armstrong’s mentor,” said King Bogus. Part of King Bogus’ big persona revolves around wearing sharp suits in his promotional material and performances.
“I looked at the evolution of music and saw pictures of all these old jazz guys in suits and suspenders,” said King Bogus. “I really wanted to keep that going. It’s not always about wearing a suit. It’s not about always having your street clothes on. It’s about being able to do whatever you want.”
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Even though he learned a lot in the Atlanta hip hop scene, King Bogus considered himself a Savannah rapper exclusively, and acknowledges how difficult is can be to make it here.
“I was raised out here in Savannah, and I spent a lot of time in Atlanta, too,” said King Bogus. “I feel like it was more so because I was raised out here it was a little tougher getting my foot in because people feel like they know you. There’s a lot of people that we went to school with that are rappers, too. You’re already put in this bubble and you have to fight to pop the bubble and get on the outside. A lot of people, you’ll see them travel somewhere and get on a stage somewhere else, and I did that, but whenever I came back to Savannah I really wanted to encapsulate that I’m a Savannah rapper.
“To me, Savannah rap is like, I’m taking you through the city.”
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King Bogus’ love for Savannah can be seen on album art like the shot of him sitting outside of Shabazz Seafood that graces his debut, or heard in his lyrics that reference places like Victory Drive and Claire’s Cafe. King Bogus also expresses his love for the city through his record label/brand/collective The 9er.
“Savannah is not Atlanta, but it’s still known,” said King Bogus. “Whenever I travel to Cali and tell them I’m from Savannah, they know. It’s not like some small city in Nowhere, U.S.A. Savannah rap is really it’s own culture, so being a Savannah rapper, you’re not really going to sound like an Atlanta rapper. I don’t sound like a down south rapper either, not with my style of music.”
“It’s really important to me to make sure I marry that concept. This is Savannah rap. We do it differently out here.”
IF YOU GO
What: UnderGo Fest w/ King Bogus, The Monarch
When: Sunday at 6 p.m.
Where: Re:Purpose Savannah Lumberyard, 2302 E. Gwinnett St.
Cost: Free
Info: linktr.ee/kingbogusthemon