Stream Artz & Bugy's debut EP ft. Freddie Gibbs, Royce Da 5'9" & more (w/ track-by-track)
Turkish production duo Artz & Bugy have just released their debut EP, We Survive, and it’s loaded with impressive guests from all over the world: US rappers Freddie Gibbs, Royce Da 5’9″, and BEAM, British rapper-singer IAMDDB, and Turkish rapper Ezhel, as well as Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer (who narrates the intro track). Their production is just as multi-faceted as their list of guests, pulling from US rap, their home country’s music, Jamaican dancehall, and more, and the whole thing is worth listening to no matter what style or region of hip hop you prefer.
You can stream the whole EP below, and Artz & Bugy also gave us a track-by-track breakdown of every song. Read on for what they had to say…
“Intro”
When we had the idea of producing a track like an intro which would tease and give an idea of the EP and what it meant to us, we had only one narrator on our minds: Haluk Bilginer. He is such a master and top actor on the global level, his name gave us shivers. His performance exceeded our expectations. We are so proud to have him on board on this crusade of ours.
“Numby”
Working with BEAM on “NUMBY” was really fast and exciting. We contacted him directly, first we had a nice chat with him for a few days. He recorded his vocals on the same day we sent him the beat! It was really fire. Then we worked really hard and a long time on production. We’re happy with the result.
“War Time”
Reaching Freddie Gibbs was insane for us. His manager who is a real gentleman helped and guided us through the process because the time when we had personal contact was crazy busy for him, he had a grammy nomination, shows and all that shit. He said yes for the feat, and then it took some time for him to pick this beat. When he sent his vocals tracks, it was really crazy and exciting. Gangsta Gibbs delivered it all. Another one.
“Yallah Habibti”
The beat of “YALLAH HABIBTI” had to search for the ideal artist for a long time. Since there is a strong melody on the beat, a singer/MC who could write the the top line with a contrapuntal approach was essential, and it’s not so easy. When we finally contacted IAMDDB though her manager, she was thrilled by the beat and she sent us a message saying she really wants to take her time to write the best vocals. The first recording she sent was fire, all as we had imagined. We’re proud of this track.
“Affirmations”
Royce Da 5’9″ is another master on this EP, whose existence makes us proud. It really took long time to finalize the track, towards the end we almost thought that it is not going to happen, but Royce delivered his vocals on the last exit before the bridge and “Affirmations” arrived in time.
“Hayrola”
Well with Ezhel, he’s one of our gang so we had to deliver the best with him and for him and he did the same to us. “Hayrola” is one of the best tracks we recorded with him and we are so proud.
