Is Uglymoss Changing His Name? Interview With a Rapper

by Alexandra Mansilla

Is Uglymoss Going To Change His Name? Interview With a Rapper

21 Apr 2024

Uglymoss was born in Sharjah and raised by his grandmother after his parents left him. It wasn't easy for him to pursue music in a community where it wasn't the norm, and many people turned their backs on him. Now, his face is everywhere, and he is set to perform at BRED Abu Dhabi this year. We spoke to him about the challenges he faced, his tattoos, favourite hoodies and what he has in store for the BRED show.

— Moss, you were raised by your grandma after your parents divorced and abandoned you. Do you communicate with your parents now?

— So, basically, I don't have a relationship with either of my parents. They divorced when I was around 2 to 4 months old, and I haven't seen my mom since then. She left for Europe and moved on with her life. My dad didn't want to raise me, so I was left in the care of my grandmother. Legal guardianship was transferred to my grandma through court proceedings, and since then, I haven't had any contact with either of my parents. So, it was just me and my grandma and grandpa.

— You are talking about it so calmly now. Were you okay with that?

— Never. Growing up, it was one of the biggest pains I went through. It shaped a side of me and built some aspects of my character. It is hard to explain, but I feel like it made me who I am today. I gained strength from it and learned to move forward despite their absence.

However, growing up without someone to call mom or dad was tough. It is both a blessing and a curse; it is one of my biggest pains, but it also motivates me. If they didn't want me in their lives, then I would strive to become something they wish they had.

— Did they try to connect with you when they saw your face… everywhere?

— No, never. They have never tried, and I have never tried, either.

— Okay. So, your grandma. Tell me about her, please.

— My grandma is called Samira. She is a very lovely woman who raised me her whole life after raising all of her kids. And it was her time to chill, but then I got there. She raised me until I finished high school, and then she left for Europe. And ever since, yeah, I have been here by myself. You know, it is a blessing that I had someone to take care of me at times when things could have gone rough. And yeah, I am very thankful and blessed to have her.

Photo: Andrew @mellodrives

— When you think about her, what memories do you have?

— Most of my memories of her revolve around her food and her fun personality. And also, I remember how I tried to hide from her what I was doing. You know, studio sessions often run late into the night, sometimes until 2 or 3 AM. If I stayed out late, she would call me, asking where I was and why I was late. I had to struggle with the fact that I couldn't stay out as long. Most of the work was in Dubai, but we were in Sharjah at the time. If she knew I was in Dubai, it would be a whole problem. I would have to tell her I was in Sharjah, even though studio sessions were mostly in Dubai and ran late.

At the time, she didn't understand what I was doing, what my music was about. She would tell me to get a real job, become a doctor, or a scientist because that is what success meant to her then. So, that was my biggest struggle with her — trying to explain my life, my passion, and my future. Just assuring her that I was around and would be home soon was challenging. She would often think I was lying and would call me out on it.

— Where exactly did you live in Sharjah?

— I was born and raised in Al Qasimia, a small neighbourhood in Sharjah. It had a park, a mosque, and around 10 to 15 buildings — one of the smallest areas in Sharjah. It was a tight-knit community. Our daily routine involved going to school, and after school, there wasn't much to do except hang out at the park with friends, play football, or just chill around the area.

— Okay. Now — why Uglymoss? It is clear about the part with “Moss”, but why “ugly”?

— Honestly, there wasn't much thought put into it initially. I was just too young. When I decided to take rapping seriously, I needed a professional name. Many rappers get called by names their friends give them, but I didn't have that. So, I went with "Moss." However, I realised that there were probably millions of others with the same name. At that time, it seemed like every rapper was using "Lil" or "Young," and I wanted something different. "Ugly" just came to me, although I can't recall how. I was young and thought, "It's not 'Young' or 'Lil,' it's something new." So, I created accounts on various social media platforms and secured the name without needing underscores or dots. I thought, "Cool, we're all set."

Now that I am meeting industry professionals, introducing myself as "Ugly" doesn't sound as nice. My team and I have been contemplating changing it, especially since things are getting more serious. However, I still believe it is cool in its own way. Despite wanting something more conventional, I appreciate how "Ugly" has evolved into what it is now.

Photo: Andrew @mellodrives

— Your words: “I feel like really all my influences are from what I watch online or how my life is here in Dubai.” What did you watch online?

— I have always been drawn to the US rap scene. Initially, I listened to old-school artists like Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Biggie, and 50 Cent, but it was more about enjoying their music rather than aspiring to become a rapper myself. However, in the wave of 2015–2016, a new movement emerged with artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Chief Keef, Yung Bans, and Trippie Redd, who brought a fresh sound characterised by autotune and mumble rap. This phase inspired me to start creating my own music. I saw myself reflected in them and realised that I could do it, too. So, I credit the trap music era of 2015–2016 for shaping me as an artist.

I have always kept up with the underground scene in Atlanta, knowing who is blowing up and who is on the come-up. Additionally, A$AP Rocky has been a significant influence on me. He bridges the gap between old-school and new-school rappers with his fresh style and collaborations with emerging artists. I admire his music, fashion sense, and artistic vision. Overall, inspiration comes from everywhere — the music I listen to, the experiences I go through, the stories of friends, and what I see on the internet.

— Also, you said that in the beginning, it was hard for people to accept what you were doing. How did you notice it?

— In Sharjah, where I grew up, it was challenging for people to accept my passion for music. In a classroom of about… let’s say… 40 students, all everyone needed was to play football or engage in other sports. Pursuing music wasn't a common path for young people in my area, so I stood out as the odd one out. I was the only one passionate about making music, and as a result, I faced ridicule and isolation from my peers. I lost friends and had to deal with people making fun of me. I felt uncomfortable being seen outside or in school, preferring to keep to myself and focus on my music. Despite my worries about others' reactions, I remained determined to pursue my passion. Over time, as I started to see success in my music career, those who had distanced themselves from me began to reappear, trying to reconnect. It became clear to me that their initial rejection wasn't about the quality of my art or music but rather about the unconventional path I had chosen. Now, I feel incredibly blessed and fulfilled to have followed my passion despite the challenges I faced at the beginning.

Also, as I mentioned, my main inspiration was Atlanta. It was an underground sound there at that time. No one really understood it because it was ahead of its time. Now, it has become a mainstream sound, and people have started to appreciate and understand it. Previously, they wouldn't get it and would ask, "What is this?" It just didn't make sense to them. But now, the sound has gone mainstream. Mainstream artists are embracing it, and everyone is loving it. It couldn't have gone any better, you know?

— If you imagine the portrait of a person who listens to your music, what do they look like?

— The audience can be very different. They might share similar tastes but lead different lifestyles, have different styles, and span different age groups. I would say my audience ranges from around 16 or 17 up to even 25 or 30, give or take. I think they are pretty stylish and cool individuals who grasp the vision and the future of sound, you know? Because what we are working on isn't mainstream or for the radio, it is quite niche and appeals to a certain type of person who seeks it out. So I feel like these people are really special and truly understand what they are listening to and what they are about.

— We have seen some photos of you in various articles, like those featuring the best-dressed people in Dubai. My question is, what is your favourite hoodie?

— My favourite hoodie? Oh, that is a tough question. Because even when I open my wardrobe, I am like, “Damn, I just love everything.” I just love every piece. It is definitely not by name or brand. I have always appreciated pieces for how they are made. But if I had to pick, I would say the best hoodie I have is a Rick Owens hoodie. I have always been into Rick Owens. It is definitely my top brand.

When I was younger, I used to skate as well. Skateboarding was a big part of my life back then. And when you skate, you are also into fashion brands because as a skater, you want to look cool while you are skating around, right? So you would want to have the best kicks, the best board, ... and hoodies are especially essential because when you fall down, you want that extra protection. There are a lot of skate brands like DGK, Grizzly, Diamonds, Element, and many others. I think my interest in fashion started from there. I really got into it. Plus, there were a lot of pro skaters who became influencers in the fashion world, people I looked up to. From there, skating and music intertwined, with rappers hanging out with skaters and vice versa, and that whole scene just fascinated me. I think that is what sparked my interest in fashion.

So, to answer your question, if I had to choose my favourite hoodies in my wardrobe, it would be Rick Owens and Chrome Hearts.

— Do you skate now?

— I haven't skated in so long, although me and my friends have been talking about it, wanting to hit the skatepark just like in the old days. I think I will break my knee. And we have a lot of shows lined up, so it is a bit sketchy. But yeah, I really want to skate again. We had a shoot with Bloomingdale's recently, and there was a skateboard involved, so we were just skating while the shoot was happening. We also had a campaign for BMW with SOLE DXB last year, and skating was involved in the whole campaign. So that was cool. But I haven't been to the skatepark by myself.

— You have a lot of tattoos, right? What is the most significant one?

— I think the most significant one is the tattoo on the front of my arm. It is a skull being stabbed by a knife. So, the skull represents me, and the knife represents the challenges I have faced from family and friends. The imagery symbolises the harshness of life. And then, it is wrapped by a snake, which symbolises deceitful friends and situations. Yeah, it just explains me in a way where tough things happen. The other tattoos are just sketches and cool drawings.

— I can imagine how much thought you put into your songs, with each sense playing a crucial role. However, perhaps there is one song that holds a special significance for you.

— I would say, obviously, I love all my music, but one song that holds a special place in my heart is called "Tsebeny". It is a synth-pop soft song that is different from my usual rage and energy music. It has a softness to it that resonates with me. I listen to it when I am calm, and it still gives me energy while being chill. You can listen to it while riding in a car or chilling at home with a candlelit — it fits every situation. That is a special song, although every song is meaningful to me. I ensure that if I am releasing something, it is 100% green light for my heart, you know, and for my team as well.

— What are you doing now?

— Right now, we are finalising a lot of tracks. Hopefully we might have an EP this year. And we are working on some cool collabs, and a lot of shows in the region. And we are pushing as much as we can.

— What cool collabs?

— I don't want to disclose the names at the moment. I like to keep it a surprise. Even with my releases, I always tend to have it in a surprise way. And I don't like to talk much about it because everything changes. But yeah, there are really cool people on it, that are fan-favorite by a lot of people. So inshallah, what makes sense will be out. And it is definitely always working on creating new sounds and introducing something new to our genre, and everything that we create.

— And what are you preparing for BRED?

— We are working on building an aesthetic set with cool visualisers. And we want to have cool intros and concert versions of music. So they will be different from the released music. They will have intros and outros, and new instruments, and a lot of new synthesisers. And we are using guitars, just to give a unique experience. And we do it in the best way we can. Bringing something new to our scene, you know?

Photo: Andrew @mellodrives

— What is your team?

— My team that is going to be with me. It is definitely going to be Alex Inlights. He DJs with me, and he is my sound engineer on stage. He does almost everything, you know? It is going to be both of us on stage. And he is going to be playing the guitar as well. While DJing and sound engineering. Alex is 10 persons in one.

And we have Andrew. Andrew is our content production guy and a really, really cool and close friend of mine. He is going to be handling the visuals and stuff from my side. I think we will just keep it a surprise, and hopefully, everyone will love it. And we also have Yasmine, Alex's fiance. She helps us with all the operations. And yeah, I am very blessed to have a team like this that I can call family. And a team of work as well. It couldn't be better, you know?

— The last question. Once, I worked with one musician and saw how he spent 24 hours in the studio to reach that exact sound he wanted. Are you the same?

— Yeah, definitely. With music, sometimes you can sit in the studio for a few hours and then feel like you would need a break. But for some days, you would sit forever. You can even last a day or two or more, multiple days in the studio. So, it just depends on what you are working on.

Right now, we are at a phase where we are locked in building an EP, which is a project of four to six songs. And we are very focused on bringing a sound that aligns all the songs together by giving the same energy and the same message and the same flow, you know. So for that, you would need a lot of hours. And we can spend up to two days in the studio without leaving. And then you take a break and come back for it.

I am an artist, and I want to make music. I mainly focus on music and bringing the best sound I can, and making the next step as possible.

by Alexandra Mansilla

Is Uglymoss Going To Change His Name? Interview With a Rapper

21 Apr 2024

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