Before selecting you as the champion who articulates the pitfalls, risks, and piercing losses that come with securing the bag, the streets need to anoint you with stripes. For the streets of Kempton Park and Soweto, Priddy Ugly fits the mould of charm, character and consciousness needed to emerge from the dirt a victor, evident in his latest EP, MUD.
The moments leading up to the MUD campaign were perfectly planned. From the iconic “1632” snippet that surfaced on Instagram a few months ago, to the Amapiano-esque “Botshotsho” teaser polarizing the Twitter streets, Priddy virtually struggled to keep his name off the trend list.
Featuring the eclectic talents of lordkez, Bontle, Maglera Doe Boy, Marcus Harvey and Lady Du, the EP speaks to the grander ambitions of his metamorphosis era, cementing Priddy Ugly as the hip hop everyman. While the diversity of the everyman ensures there’s a Priddy Ugly for every kind of South African, it often comes at the cost of purebreds who’ve tasked the drip lord with the weight of being their rapper’s rapper.
What Priddy’s artistic metamorphosis will bring remains to be seen and while I hate suspense, being on the edge of my seat is thrilling this time.
Feature pic supplied by artist
