Chicago producer Bugg is locking in with the hardest rappers

Nino Paid in the video for "WYM?" by bugg. YouTube.

If you hear a sinister, child-like chuckle on the beat, then you know Bugg was involved. The Chicago producer is one of Chuckyy’s key collaborators, lacing the hard-nosed rapper with instrumentals ranging from the near-empty ambience of “FREE SMURK ONFG” to the neo-trap pizzicato of “Hiccup.” Bugg has a wider sonic range than most of his contemporaries, and seems to be gearing up for a producer tape of his own, if recent collaborations with Nino Paid and up-and-comer Bby Kell are any indication.

Here are 7 songs by Bugg you should know.

Read Next: 18 rappers we can’t wait to see at Rolling Loud

Chuckyy, “N***a Poetry”

This feels like the definitive Chuckyy and Bugg song. Though it’s not as big as the sonically-similar “FREE SMURK ONFG,” “Poetry” is one of Chuckyy’s tightest songs as a rapper and lyricist, diving deep into the grimy details of his rise to rap stardom.

Chuckyy, “Hiccup”

This feels like the definitive Chuckyy and Bugg song. Though it’s not as big as the sonically-similar “FREE SMURK ONFG,” “Poetry” is one of Chuckyy’s tightest songs as a rapper and lyricist, diving deep into the grimy details of his rise to rap stardom.

When I interviewed Che last May in the middle of recording REST IN BASS, the Atlanta rapper told me “Hiccup” was his favorite Chuckyy song at the moment. Chuckyy would subsequently feature on Che’s song “NEVER TOO YOUNG TO DIE,” but I understand why “Hiccup” might have particularly appealed to the Atlanta rapper. The track’s pizzicato strings and brash horn stabs feel like a trap beat that Gucci Mane might have chosen 15 years ago. That’s an especially nice springboard for some of Chuckyy’s most dynamic raps to date.

Babychiefdoit, “Look Up”

The 808s on this song sound like they were beamed in from Mars or some other alien planet. Yet the instrumental for “Look Up” has tons of negative space for a sawtooth synth line to reverberate against: the beat kind of sounds like an enormous cricket at different points. Babychief’s raps are slightly calmer than usual, at least in style if not subject matter – the teen phenom’s bars seem to trickle across the instrumental like water.

Luhh Dyl, “What’s All The Commotion”

Atlanta rapper Luhh Dyl is a favorite in The FADER office for his unflinching raps, candid and unvarnished whether he’s feeling stoic or vulnerable. On “What’s All The Commotion,” Bugg provides him a soul flip stacked with propulsive hi-hats and thumping 808s; the harder instrumental pushes Dyl into flossier territory, flexing his current wins in contrast to his more typical hustle raps.

Chuckyy, "Lamb Chop"

I’ve been rapping this song word for word every day since I heard it. Maybe it's a song of the summer?

Bby Kell, “Prove Sum”

This single with fast-rising Atlanta rapper Bby Kell has a spacey, off-kilter vibe. Kell rips through the instrumental with ease, her raspy voice barrelling through stop-start bars. In the simple and silly Bugg-directed video, she tries on sunglasses, hits a money spread, and rides around in a shopping cart.

Nino Paid, “WYM”

This Nino Paid collab feels pretty distinct from most of bugg’s discography, with an unusually warm organ line over shimmering chords. Nino’s flow is as perfect as ever, but this single made me especially excited for whatever project Bugg might have in the works for the summer: clearly he’s been saving the best studio cuts for himself.