We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful King Bogus The Monarch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with King Bogus below.
Hi King Bogus, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
So far I think the most meaningful project I’ve worked on was my project “The 9er”. 9er refers to the 912 area code or Savannah, Ga. I released “The 9er” in 2019 and I feel like it came at a time when a lot of people weren’t really showing the city love. I wanted to change that. I wanted to make something the city loved so much that even naysayers had to like it, because it was for the city. I actually won Top Artist of Savannah that year, a contest ran by Georgia Media. That motivated me even more to actually take this project more serious than any other project I released. I felt like I truly had fans and I had to deliver. I remember creating the project and pulling from personal experiences that at the same time I could make relatable to people in the city. I used street names, radio stations, everything! It was such a nostalgia bomb. A lot of places OUTSIDE of Savannah picked up on it as well; so much so that when I released that project it was met with many stellar reviews and news articles! “The 9er” brought me a lot of notoriety, helped me with my branding and it allowed me to give love to where I grew up. It is truly one of my most meaningful projects.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My stage name is King Bogus, The Monarch. Bogus is my actual last name so I wanted to lead with that. Didn’t want any surprises! I am from Savannah, Ga. I refer to it as The 9er. The area code is 912 so I just put my own spin on it. I come from a family where music and the elements around it were woven into my upbringing. My mother was a singer in a band. She always told me at the age of 14 she had the opportunity to sing on The Great American Band Stand. My grandmother didn’t allow her to follow through. Maybe because my uncle, her older brother, won a Michael Jackson look-a-like contest at the age of 13 or so. He had a child by the age of 14. Apparently all of the siblings on my mom’s side were even in a band together. There were 9 of them and my mom was the youngest so I can imagine grandma was tired of music. Through meeting my family and visits I was exposed to music and creating music at a very young age. I was always listening to music from all over as well. My parents were both in the military so we traveled a lot. I found myself writing poetry, only rhyming poetry, just to pass the time. I took a music class in elementary school and played clarinet. By 5th grade I was in the school band. I ended up losing my grandparents that year in the span of 3-4 months. It was devastating. I had nowhere to put my feelings and I ended up just writing raps for the first time. At this point in my life I had only truly been listening to Hip-Hop. Tupac, Biggie, Bad Boy, Jay-z, Mase and whatever else my older brother and dad were listening to. I was in the car or in the room soaking it all in. I realized, when I was writing lyrics about my grief and my feelings, a weight lifted off my shoulders. Ever since then I have been creating.
I am a rapper at heart, but I also sound engineer and produce., this helps me create faster and more in line with my needs as an artist. I do not have to depend on others for my creative process. I can work with others, and I have. It’s just being able to write and then record music when you want to is such a creative boon. I think that sets me apart from a lot of artists. A lot of them are not familiar with what their creative process needs.
i am very proud of the fact I have my own sound. I am often told I am hard to compare to. I try to maintain a genuine aspect to my music. In doing so my music has so any unique qualities its in it has set itself apart. My music is very dear to me and I try to put my all into it. I have songs with platinum selling, award winning artists like Lil Baby and Summer Walker. I think that is a testament to my work ethic and my ability to make things happen as an artist.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I have been told my many people that my social media presence is noteworthy. I do not feel the same way. The funny thing is, I think my way of thinking is what is driving my social media presence up. No matter how many likes, or comments or shares I receive I honestly never feel like it’s enough. Honestly, I just put myself out there. When I say that I truly mean “myself”. I was just myself on social media, Maybe even unapologetically so. I didn’t speak on things I did not know. I also did not go out of my way to be a character. I posted my music and my performances but I also gave people insight to my feelings and way of thinking. I spoke on social issues and huge moments that occurred in efforts to get my voice out there as more than just an artist and to relate to people. I believe everyone who can appreciate art, no matter the medium, appreciates being able to connect with the artist in different ways, beyond just the art. So talking and interacting in healthy ways with people definitely helped me build a great presence on social media. Most importantly, just be yourself, genuinely and unapologetically.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
This may be unorthodox but there was a show that significantly impacted me. The show was called “Silicon Valley”. It was about this guy who created this algorithm that was GENIUS, it was a game changer. He created a company with his coworkers. Companies were throwing money at him and countries were spying on him. Through it all he went through these stages of realizing how great his product was and that he needed to appreciate it so he could flourish with it. Throughout the series the main characters went from working part time on the company to full time. They went from working on six computers in a dining room to a multi level campus size facility. It really showed me that valuing what you have can get you to places you only dreamed of. So far this way of thinking has opened many doors for me! I hold that show in a special place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/kingbogusthemon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingbogusthemon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingBogusTheMonarch/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingBogusTheMon?s=09
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvZRB6j_2BIhsbleE_-8Vqg
Image Credits
Photos 1-4 provided by 21 Nuke Salute Photos 5-7 Provided by I Am Candid Photography