PHOENIX, AZ – Up-and-coming hip-hop artist Bully Goat is a man on a mission. He wants to transform hip hop and get rid of what he calls “fentanyl music” – music that he says is poisoning young people by glorifying violence and drugs.
His new album “4 Hood” is fighting that battle with real, raw R&B tracks that battle his inner demons while promoting spirituality and positivity.
Citing influences as diverse as Tupac, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Jesus, Bully Goat layers melodic vocals over strong production, with hints of pop and country over grimy, thought-provoking street tales.
“A lot of my references and vocabulary come from different cultures,” he says of the album.
Recorded over the past year in studios all over the country, “4 Hood” shows an evolution from his 2020 debut “Moon Walk,” which earned him cred from some of the indie hip hop community’s biggest stars, including Solo Lucci, King Myers, and Sainttrip, who are among the album’s many featured artists.
Lucci, a collaborator of Chris Brown, Young Thug, and many other of your favorite artists, guest stars on “Cool Whip,” a bouncy, high-vibe jam made for the clubs that serve as the album’s lead single.
But that’s just a sample of the depth of mind at work on “4 Hood,” which over its 20 tracks is a chronicle of survival and growth through a life of hardship and violence.
Born into a biracial family, Bully Goat – GOAT stands for “God Over All Things” – grew up in the hardscrabble West Side of St Paul, Minnesota where he attended Catholic school and church and got sucked into crime and drugs at a young age. He survived being shot several times when he was just 15 years old and multiple near-fatal car accidents that forced him to learn how to walk again.
“When I was supposed to be graduating from high school, I was being indicted by the FBI. I didn’t see myself living past 22,” Bully Goat says of his teen years.
He eventually served time in federal prison, where he reflected on the events that led him down that path.
“I grew up listening to gangster rap with my friends, and we were doing what the music was telling us to do. We wanted everything we seen in the music videos.”
Bully Goat eventually broke away from the gang life and started a family in Minnesota. But following the protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police officers, he felt he needed to relocate to Arizona for his family’s safety.
“That really was an impactful thing for me, too,” he says of the tragedy that tore apart his city. “They burned down the neighborhoods I grew up in.”
The suffering in his community inspired him to get serious with his music career. He says “God has called one of his angels to sing to the world as proof and living testimony.”
“I went to catholic school, I read the bible, I must’ve prayed the rosary a million times. My music has been about me evolving out of religion and into spirituality. Seeing the real problems that people are experiencing and don’t speak on,” Bully Goat says.
Make sure to stay connected to Bully Goat on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
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