A Boogie says self-imposed isolation helped him cope with PnB Rock’s death
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on January 16, 2023
A Boogie is getting vulnerable with Billboard. During his conversation with the outlet, he opened up about how isolation’s helped him find inner peace amid turmoil.
A Boogie isolated himself after witnessing his mother endure an injury amid a SWAT raid. She was rushing down the steps when she fell and rolled her ankle; Boogie says officers ignored her as she writhed in pain.
“That’s what really woke me up,” Boogie tells Billboard. “When I seen Mom Dukes fall down the stairs that day, bro. I’m looking up to see what was coming behind her, and all I seen was a flashlight, and whatever kind of chopper those SWAT teams have. It was crazy, and I just froze up. I couldn’t do anything.”
The incident showed him he needed some clarity and peace, so he detached to focus on his album Me Vs. Myself.
“In the beginning of this album, I purposely put myself through things to make the music, and I hated that about myself,” says Boogie. “I eventually learned when you don’t want something to happen, it hits more and I learned that through isolation. I didn’t want that raid to happen, but it woke me up.”
Isolation also helped A Boogie cope with the death of his friend PnB Rock.
“When it comes to someone close to me passing away, it’s hard, but I can’t lose focus because I have to be responsible and find the balance to deal with those tough losses … Isolation helped with that,” Boogie says. “I didn’t realize how good isolating myself was until I saw how much time I was spending with family and how good that made me feel. When I got back in the studio, ideas were just flowing — and that was important, because I speak through my music.”
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