Outside of his Sad Boys career, he released his debut extended play Beautiful, Wonderful in November 2014, and has done production work for acts including Halsey and Deniro Farrar, and remixes of songs by acts including Jacques Greene, Kacy Hill, Meek Mill and Tinashe. These have also garnered a positive critical response from publications including Pigeons & Planes and The Fader. He has stated in a 2014 interview to be very focused on his work with the Sad Boys and his solo material.
Berlander is part of a mixed race family, since his Nigerian grandfather met his grandmother, who was a Swede, in London.[1] Berlander, as well as the other members of the Sad Boys group, have described living in Stockholm as "boring" and "miserable".[3] While he has resided in the city for most of his life, Berlander had once lived in a small urban area called Gnesta, which he opined to be a Swedish equivalent to Kentucky: "Stupid people and alcohol problems, I don't know. It sucks of over there. It's so boring."[2] He said that his mother "liked to spoil me."[2] He did not do well in school, dropping out to pursue a career in music, and his father has always been mixed on this decision; he had always encouraged him to "just go to school and be a good person", saying that “You can't make music without a guitar.”[2] However, Berlander said in a 2014 interview that his dad had been getting a little more supportive and into what he had been doing so far.[2] He also claimed in that same interview that he is sober, although he said that he was wanting to try promethazine "because it's medicine. But the weeds and the speeds – no, not that."[2]
Yung Gud collaborated with S-Type of the LuckyMe record label for the song "Fire", which was released on The Fader on 9 February 2015 as a single off S-Type's EP SV8.[16] "Fire" was also the opener for Astrid Anderson's FW15 show, which S-Type soundtracked for.[16] The two talked about making a track together when they first met each other at one of the Sad Boys concerts, and Gud made some drum parts and sent them to S-Type for him to "do my thing with" two weeks later.[16] Production credits have included rapper Deniro Farrar's single "World On My Shoulders 3.0", which premiered on 27 April 2015,[17] "Blue Prada" by Prada Mane[18] and additional production on "Strange Love", a track by singer Halsey off the deluxe edition of her debut album Badlands.[19]
In 2014, Yung Gud released two remixes of "No Excuse", a track by Canadian producer Jacques Greene. On 30 May 2014, The Fader premiered the recut that was a part of a remix extended play for Greene's three-track record Phantom Vibrate.[20] The magazine described it as a "ecstatically pattering" rework of the song that alleviates "the jagged turns and gun shot sounds of the original to reveal its lushest sonic innards."[20] Joe Price, writing for Complex magazine's website Pigeons & Planes, said that with this remix, Yung Gud had "proven once again that he has legs beyond what many coin as “meme rap.”"[21] Later on, Yung Gud did a much more harsh-sounding "VIP" remix of the track, which starts off alike to Yung Gud's first remix, and then it dives "into a deep chasm of rumbling bass complete with a hammering rhythm that rarely lets up", Price wrote.[22] It was issued on 20 December,[22] garnering 800,000 plays in eighteen days on SoundCloud.[23] Yung Gud's "spacey and dreamy" re-edit for "2 On" by Tinashe, which came out on 6 September 2014, was reviewed by a Complex magazine critic who highlighted its "interesting drum work" and Tinashe's vocal performance fitting with the beat.[10]
In 2015, Yung Gud distributed two remixes. On 28 June, Yung Gud did a remix of rapper Meek Mill's track "Monster".[24] Constant Gardner of Pigeons & Planes made note of the re-cut's "chest-shaking" bass, a layer of "icy" synth lines and "twinkling" glockenspiel-style sounds, and also said that "This is Meek Mill taken from the streets of Philly to his throne in a sparkling Arctic ice palace, and it’s awesome."[24] Yung Gud remixed Kacy Hill's "Foreign Fields", which the re-edit was released on 30 September as a promotional single of her debut EP Bloo.[25] A Pigeons & Planes journalist wrote that Yung Gud's reworking turns the original song "into a grand experience", opining that it takes it into "new heights with heavier basslines and haunting production."[26] A Stuff.co.nz critic compared it to Katy Perry's track "Dark Horse" due to its nature sound effects and a "marching band drum beat".[27]
Begotten
GUD Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jag bjuder upp djävulens dotter
Sen så dansar vi tills blodet rinner från varje näsborre
Helikopter snurrar över blocken
Att jag kommer dö ung är spikat som Jesus på korset
Jag är back on my bullshit Lille Skutt är långt från färdig
Hon säger att hon vill festa göra snöänglar i äbi
Jag hämtar verkligheten till dig i närbild
Fuckboy stanna till blev en staty
Jag mördar grejer som fentanyl
De Michael Myers Patrick Bateman
När jag spottar de fucking mayhem
Snacka skit och du faller bak
Alltid varit en underdog
Oddsen är låga men husen är höga så vi grindar till sista andetaget
Det taget tjock dimma över staden
Jag ser spöken i mörkret
Temperaturen är minusgrader
Jag har sett mina nära kära svikas flera gånger
Känns så kefft deras tårar vattnar ondskans frö jag sådde
Oxycodone tabletter tomma kartor vid altaret
Din gloria blir en snara i en kall värld vi anpassades
Borde vara bältad på psyket men har bältet designer
Jag får psykos jag ser syner
Painkillers på min rider
The lyrics of GUD's song "Begotten" depict a dark and intense atmosphere. The opening line, "Ikväll så är det bal," can be translated to "Tonight is the ball." The singer invites the devil's daughter to dance with him until their noses bleed. The mention of a helicopter spinning over the blocks suggests a chaotic and dangerous environment. The line "Att jag kommer dö ung är spikat som Jesus på korset" translates to "That I will die young is set in stone like Jesus on the cross," indicating a sense of predetermined fate.
The song portrays the singer as being back on their "bullshit," indicating a return to their old patterns and behavior. The reference to Lille Skutt, a Swedish cartoon character, being far from finished implies that the singer still has much more to accomplish. The lyrics also mention a desire to party and make "snöänglar i äbi" (snow angels in the abyss), potentially alluding to a reckless and hedonistic lifestyle.
The song takes a dark turn when GUD references iconic horror characters Michael Myers and Patrick Bateman. The lyrics suggest that GUD embodies the destructive and chaotic qualities associated with these characters. The singer also mentions experiencing betrayal from loved ones multiple times and feeling a sense of bitterness towards their tears watering the seeds of evil they have sown.
The mention of oxycodone tablets and empty maps at the altar suggests a struggle with addiction and a reliance on painkillers. The lyrics indicate a sense of detachment from reality, with the singer experiencing psychosis and hallucinations. The final line, "Painkillers på min rider," translates to "Painkillers on my rider," suggesting that the singer uses drugs as a coping mechanism.
Overall, "Begotten" showcases themes of darkness, destruction, addiction, and a feeling of being trapped in a harsh and unforgiving world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ikväll så är det bal
Tonight is the ball
Jag bjuder upp djävulens dotter
I invite the devil's daughter to dance
Sen så dansar vi tills blodet rinner från varje näsborre
Then we dance until blood runs from every nostril
Helikopter snurrar över blocken
Helicopter spins over the blocks
Att jag kommer dö ung är spikat som Jesus på korset
That I will die young is as certain as Jesus on the cross
Jag är back on my bullshit Lille Skutt är långt från färdig
I am back on my bullshit, Lille Skutt is far from finished
Hon säger att hon vill festa göra snöänglar i äbi
She says she wants to party, make snow angels in ecstasy
Jag hämtar verkligheten till dig i närbild
I bring reality to you up close
Skiter i om de olägligt sparkar dörren hämtar cashen
I don't care if they inconveniently kick the door, I collect the cash
Fuckboy stanna till blev en staty
Fuckboy stops and becomes a statue
Jag mördar grejer som fentanyl
I murder things like fentanyl
De Michael Myers Patrick Bateman
They're Michael Myers, Patrick Bateman
När jag spottar de fucking mayhem
When I spit, it's fucking mayhem
Snacka skit och du faller bak
Talk shit and you fall behind
Alltid varit en underdog
I've always been an underdog
Oddsen är låga men husen är höga så vi grindar till sista andetaget
The odds are low, but the stakes are high, so we grind until the last breath
Det taget tjock dimma över staden
Thick fog covers the city
Jag ser spöken i mörkret
I see ghosts in the darkness
Temperaturen är minusgrader
The temperature is below zero
Jag har sett mina nära kära svikas flera gånger
I have seen my loved ones betrayed multiple times
Känns så kefft deras tårar vattnar ondskans frö jag sådde
Feels so lame, their tears water the seed of evil I sowed
Oxycodone tabletter tomma kartor vid altaret
Empty maps of Oxycodone tablets at the altar
Din gloria blir en snara i en kall värld vi anpassades
Your glory becomes a noose in a cold world we adapted to
Borde vara bältad på psyket men har bältet designer
Should be strapped in at the psyche, but I have a designer belt
Jag får psykos jag ser syner
I get psychosis, I see visions
Painkillers på min rider
Painkillers on my rider
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind