Miller rose to popularity in the early 2010s with an experimental approach to Southern hip hop. His debut album Mista Thug Isolation gained him notoriety in the underground hip hop scene. Since then, he has experimented with a number of styles within and outside the hip hop genre, most recently releasing the indie rock album Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern. His other work spans genres including instrumental and abstract hip hop, black metal, free jazz and noise music.
Career
Miller began recording music in the 2000s under a number of aliases. Much of his early music cannot be found today on the internet, however some of it has been re-released, such as on his Register compilation album. Some of his early work included the black metal projects Vudmurk and Seidhr, the industrial and noise projects Across, Public Garden and Rats, and the underground hip hop group The Legacy, during which time he rapped under the name Young Gus.
Miller began releasing hip hop under the name Lil Ugly Mane on Bandcamp and producing beats for himself and other artists under the name Shawn Kemp in 2010, releasing his debut mixtape Playaz Circle in 2011. His early work under the Lil Ugly Mane name drew on various styles of underground Southern hip hop from the 1990s such as Memphis rap and chopped and screwed. His style was similar to that of the contemporaneous Raider Klan collective, with whom he collaborated. His 2012 debut album Mista Thug Isolation earned positive reviews from Mishka NYC, among others and support from members of the popular hip hop collective Odd Future. The album has since been hailed as a classic of the 2010s underground hip hop scene, earning later praise from Pitchfork and The Needle Drop. The album was followed by a number of smaller releases, including the Uneven Compromise EP, which is ranked in the top 10 greatest EPs of all time by user-generated music review site RateYourMusic, and the single "On Doing an Evil Deed Blues", in which he outlined his grievances with the music industry and his intention to retire the Lil Ugly Mane project.
Miller announced he would release one final album under the Lil Ugly Mane name, and began sporadically releasing compilations of beats and older material on Bandcamp, including the Three Sided Tape series, the final installment of which, Third Side of Tape, received positive coverage from Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop among others. In 2015, Miller released what was intended to be the final Lil Ugly Mane album – Oblivion Access and the final Shawn Kemp project – Trick Dice, a collaboration with rapper Nickelus F. Oblivion Access saw Lil Ugly Mane taking a more experimental approach divorced from his earlier '90s Southern rap influences.
In 2017, Miller announced he would continue rapping under the name Bedwetter and released his debut project under the name – Vol. 1: Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth and Describe the Present. The album continued with the more introspective and experimental style of Oblivion Access. Around the same time however, Miller began rapping under the Lil Ugly Mane name again as part of the group Secret Circle with Antwon and Wiki. After releasing a few singles, the group disbanded and scrapped their debut album due to a personal falling out. Miller began working with the remaining members of GothBoiClique, however then appeared to go on hiatus, only releasing small collections of older material sporadically.
In 2021, Miller began releasing new music under the Lil Ugly Mane name. He released the single "Headboard", followed by "Porcelain Slightly" and then his third major release under the Lil Ugly Mane name – Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern, which was covered positively by Sputnik Music and Stereogum. Around the same time, Miller released a new black metal demo under the Vudmurk name.
Grave Within A Grave
Lil Ugly Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Imprisoned in necrotic flesh, cognizant beyond my death
Paralyzed and frozen in this carnal penitentiary
Lucidly projecting hellish spectres, ghoulish architecture
Enveloped in a darkness far beyond my mind can measure
Suffocating violent pressure. tt just goes on forever,
Are these electro-magnetic hallucinations?
Is this everybody's afterlife or something I've created?
With the cold illumination that I no longer exist
In a grave within a grave it was the first time I prayed
No one there to tell me that I shouldn't be afraid
Falling endlessly deeper, yet immobile and still
In this infinite aethyr washing over my filth
Neither angels or reapers or ghosts were fulfilled
Just a cavity to soak up my guilt in my depravity
The flowers up above me wilting down so they can laugh at me
To think we spend our lives convinced we understand agony
A familiar voice: "He's finally at peace"
Shrieking through the silence to remind me I'm deceased
I tried to answer but the dead can't speak
The biggest prison in the world's underground six feet
In a grave within a grave within a grave
It was the first time I prayed, in a grave within a grave
No one there to tell me that I shouldn't be afraid
The song "Grave Within A Grave" by Lil Ugly Mane describes the experience of being trapped in one's own corpse after death. The singer describes feeling paralyzed and frozen within their own flesh, unable to move or communicate. Despite being deceased, they are still able to lucidly project hallucinations and experience an afterlife, but are unsure if it is real or just a creation of their own mind.
The lyrics also touch on themes of fear and guilt, as the singer is left alone in this dark and infinite abyss with no one to comfort them. They question whether this is everyone's afterlife or just their own personal hell, and contemplate how we spend our lives thinking we understand agony when we truly have no idea what awaits us in death.
The final verse of the song is particularly bleak, with the singer acknowledging that they are truly alone and forgotten in their grave within a grave. There is no one there to tell them that they shouldn't be afraid, and they are left to rot in their own filth.
Line by Line Meaning
From the inside of my corpse, 30 seconds is like a century
Despite being dead, time still passes perceptibly for me, and each moment feels unbearably long.
Imprisoned in necrotic flesh, cognizant beyond my death
My consciousness is trapped inside my decaying body, aware of the fact that I am no longer alive.
Paralyzed and frozen in this carnal penitentiary
I am unable to move or escape from my physical prison, left to contemplate my fate.
Lucidly projecting hellish spectres, ghoulish architecture
My mind conjures up horrifying images and landscapes that are beyond comprehension.
Enveloped in a darkness far beyond my mind can measure
The darkness that surrounds me is incomprehensibly vast and profound.
Suffocating violent pressure. tt just goes on forever,
I feel trapped and overwhelmed by a constant, unrelenting force that never ceases to oppress me.
Are these electro-magnetic hallucinations?
I am unsure whether these experiences are real or a figment of my imagination.
Is this everybody's afterlife or something I've created?
I question whether this is a shared experience or something unique to my own consciousness.
Abandoned and dismissed in a flaccid impotence
I feel neglected and powerless in my current state, as if I am no longer relevant.
With the cold illumination that I no longer exist
The realization that I am truly dead washes over me, leaving me hollow and empty.
In a grave within a grave it was the first time I prayed
Despite my disbelief in the afterlife, I find myself praying for the first time ever as I confront my own mortality.
No one there to tell me that I shouldn't be afraid
I am left completely alone and terrified, with no one to offer me comfort or reassurance.
Falling endlessly deeper, yet immobile and still
I am consumed by a feeling of descent, but am unable to physically move in any way.
In this infinite aethyr washing over my filth
I am surrounded by an infinite and undefinable substance that cleanses me of my impurities.
Neither angels or reapers or ghosts were fulfilled
I realize that none of the traditional figures associated with death or the afterlife can offer me any solace in this state.
Just a cavity to soak up my guilt in my depravity
In the absence of any external judgment, I am left alone to confront my own guilt and moral failings.
The flowers up above me wilting down so they can laugh at me
Even the physical world seems to mock my predicament, as the flowers that once held symbolic meaning wither and die.
To think we spend our lives convinced we understand agony
I reflect on how little we truly understand about the nature of suffering and pain, even as we experience it throughout our lives.
A familiar voice: "He's finally at peace"
Despite my own fear and unrest, a voice comfortingly suggests that I have finally found peace.
Shrieking through the silence to remind me I'm deceased
The voice serves as a haunting reminder that I am indeed dead, despite any other sensations or experiences I may be having.
I tried to answer but the dead can't speak
I attempt to respond to the voice, but am reminded once again of my own powerlessness as a corpse.
The biggest prison in the world's underground six feet
Despite the vastness of the world and the human experience, the simple fact of being buried underground is the ultimate confinement.
In a grave within a grave within a grave
Even death has multiple layers and depths, with each experience more profound and terrifying than the last.
It was the first time I prayed, in a grave within a grave
Despite any prior disbelief or skepticism, I find myself turning to prayer in this moment of uncertainty and fear.
No one there to tell me that I shouldn't be afraid
In the face of immense darkness and fear, I am left utterly alone with my own thoughts and emotions.
Contributed by Allison M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ericpeck5983
"The flowers up above me wilting down so they can laugh at me, to think we spend our lives convinced we understand agony"
An absolute goddamn gut punch.
@lordschwarzkopf9561
this is so good thats its worth falling into a monthly depression after listening to it
@naixxxxxxxxx
i honestly have to resist listening to this album too much in a short amount of time. it'll send me downwards.
@marazali1816
Embrace it
@pvcka7267
True
@marazali1816
yo don't embrace it fuck the past me. i love you all whoever needs to hear it
@alejandroalfonso67
@@marazali1816 thank you man you're great
@CyberSpectrumND
That ambient shit at the end is beautiful
@jdterrell
the ambiance at the end is everything
@chaosinorderrr
This whole song is poetry! Devastatingly beautiful!