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Ugazee doesn't wait on anyone. Not for beats, not for validation, not for the scene to catch up. The self-produced artist carved a path from underground rap to afro-fusion on his own terms - no music theory, no shortcuts, just ears and instinct. By the time TikTok caught on, it was already happening in Nigeria first.
Why He Started Producing
Q: At what point did you decide you needed to start self-producing instead of relying on somebody else?
A: Going on YouTube and having to pay for a beat was just too expensive. I had this mentality - if you want it, you can't wait on nobody else. So I asked a friend who produces to teach me. Started off with regular underground beats, then I tapped into my motherland roots and started making afro stuff. Mixed it together and look at me now.
The Drax Era
Q: Early on you had a lot of popular underground producers on your stuff, 30nickk and names like that. Then it shifted to "prod. me." What made you realize you needed to execute your own vision?
A: The moment I realized no one else was going to do it. It's either me or nobody. I just did it and saw what happened, and then I posted it on TikTok and it went crazy. That was my new path.
Q: #Draxxnb is actually a collective, right?
A: Yeah, it's like a family, a couple producers and artists. That was my first real friends in the underground. They taught me, and I implemented their drum kits and sounds into my own afro beats. The flow stayed the same, I just redirected it.
The Afro Pivot
Q: Going from pluggnb and draxxnb era to afro swing, that's a big pivot. What drove it?
A: Anyone could've got on a pluggnb track and done the same thing as me. But if I add Draxx into my own afro, no one's doing that. No one can tell me I'm doing it wrong. And afro beats - even artists in Nigeria are trying to shy away from it, which I don't get. You don't got to run away from afro beat. I'm trying to show people that.
Treating It Like a Business
Q: What do you think about underground artists who fail to treat their music like a real business?
A: The moment you don't see your own music the same way you see your favorite artist's music - that's the moment you lose. It's about how you carry yourself and how you build your own thing. If you don't value your own stuff, there's no point. People will post Drake all day but won't post themselves. You do the same exact thing, so why not post yourself? If you're serious, show that you're serious. If not, don't do it.
The TikTok Moment
Q: Walk me through the TikTok journey.
A: I posted a beat and then another one the next day. That second one took a month to blow up, and it blew up when I was in Nigeria, not even in the US. That's what got me emotional. The underground and the afro mixing like that, going crazy over there. After that I knew what I was doing was right.
Advice for Artists Who Want to Produce
Q: What would you tell rappers who want to start self-producing?
A: Number one - don't set a time limit. Learn what everything does first, get comfortable, and even if you have to use loops at the start, that's fine. You don't need music theory either. That's a BS requirement. I don't know music theory. I go by ear. Just be willing to make mistakes - that's what it's about. You can make five beats in one day and only one of them is good. That's okay. Have patience.
From the first self-produced track on his SoundCloud to now - the growth is undeniable. Ugazee built the lane himself. Now he's driving it.