One of the best things about creatives is that they come from everywhere and they can give you perspective on things you might not think about. They also provide us with some pretty amazing content. Musicians in particular are some of my favorite creatives to speak with because of how honest and transparent they are. Franklin, New Jersey native, WTP.BG was one of the most honest and authentic artists I’ve ever met. I was able to sit down with BG to talk about his latest EP, Blot the Sun and life in general. One of the things that struck me most was one of the first things he said to me.
BG: “We as artists….bro, I’m gonna keep it a stack, we’re so needy. I feel like I owe it to my listeners to tell you what the f*** I’m going through and not bull**** you.”
AJ: “You see, I think that’s what sets you apart. Even from a lot of the mainstream guys. There was a lot of self awareness in that statement you just made.”
Since he was a kid, music was in BG’s blood. He’s always loved to write and as a child, he would read the dictionary studying words to add to his craft and vocabulary. And although he loved music from an early age, he didn’t always have everyone’s support. “My dad manages a lot of artists from this area. He didn’t think I could do this. And that’s fine. But that fueled my fire and I do this.“
That open honesty is what a lot of listeners desire from their favorite artists but they a lot of times look to just keep up the image that many in their respective genres are expected to keep (CC: Drake and that CLB album *shudders*). That same honesty is what makes BG’s Blot the Sun EP so relevant.
“‘Blot the Sun” is honestly a dual meaning. Last year was crazy honestly. I lost one of my closest friends. He was like my brother and I missed his call like the week before he died.” The closing track, Sun is Down is one of those tracks that allows you to feel the emotion as you hear it. “I did the song ‘Sun is Down’ for him. So between that and the pandemic, all the other songs followed. But this one, this is for my mans.” That emotion flows consistently through this project.
“If you think about it, a sponge takes in a lot day to day. I originally started making music as a way to express myself.” BG explained how his feelings drive his music and you won’t always hear it from him every few months with a new project. “If I force it, If I’m not feeling it, I’m just talking out my ass. I gotta process how I feel so I can effectively communicate. I never want someone to hear my music and not hear my heart in every song.”
AJ: “So what type of music would you say you create?”
BG: “If I had to put a title on it, I’d say Alternative Rap. Whatever I feel is what I feel and that’s what I say. My music is like love and hood tales. I was raised by a lot of women, that’s where the love comes from. Detailing lives of others, things like that. The hood comes from me knowing both sides of the tracks, ya know? I know the suburbs, but I also know dope on the stove. I listen to a lot of different artists. Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick (Lamar), and Childish Gambino are three of my favorite artists outside of the Jazz I listen to. Jazz is my favorite genre and I think you’ll feel that in my music. I honestly listen to more Jazz than rap.”
AJ: “So then if you were not doing rap, what would it be?”
BG: “Rap is my stepping stone to be honest. I never really saw myself doing this forever. It was just more of my launching point. I want to get into activism, giving back to my community, opening centers, and working with at-risk youth. Teach black history courses, and screenwriting or directing. After all of that, I hope that I am successful enough and have planted enough seeds to be able to move to England. I’ve wanted to live there for a long time now.”
AJ: “You’ll love England. It’s so nice. But, talk to me a little about writing and directing?”
BG: “ Man, I’m a big time film junkie and that fuels my creative direction. There aren’t many movies or genres I haven’t seen. So as I try to tell stories, I want to write them.”
His moniker “WTP” stands for “We The People” which is a meaning that not only stands for his conglomerate, but also what he always looks to put in his music. “Music is very introspective. What I talk about is what I’ve done personally, or what I’ve known someone to go through and so over time, I’ve learned to become more open and honest in my music.” The “WTP” was also added after a series of streaming uploads led to his music being found under incarcerated Cash Money Records artist “BG”. “I was shocked when I saw that some of my stuff on YouTube was doing numbers and then I realized it was really just people thinking BG got out early. There were literal comments on YouTube of people saying ‘this bull**** ain’t BG’. I couldn’t figure out what else to do so I added ‘WTP’ to rep not only my group but to stop getting people pissed at me *laughs*.”
What’s next for BG? Over Halloween weekend, he released a new single entitled “Bleed Em Blue” and is looking into ways of doing his own events to show off local and unsigned talent. “I did a show last year, opening for Joey Bada$$’s Pro Era group. I’ve done SOB’s three times but I want to focus on doing something with my own spin on it. Something that showcases unsigned artists.” That’s who WTP.BG is. He’s a man of the people, he’s someone who knows his influence goes deeper than rap, and most of all, he’s an artist who can paint one hell of a picture with his music. His Blot The Sun EP can be found on Apple Music and Spotify with music videos on his YouTube page.
Instagram: @WTP.BG
Booking & Inquiries: bookingwtp.bg@gmail.com
