NugLife Got Some of the Nicest Beats Out.

I first heard a beat from NugLife back in 2019. This was going back to my playlisting days where I curated hundreds of playlists and was constantly chasing new dope music. While I always love my 90s ish, I also remain a big fan of new hip hop and for me, it always starts with the beats. And then a big factor is how the music actually sounds in your headphones… in your car… in those wired earbuds… sure the emceeing counts but it is the beat that is going to keep me on track. The first track I heard from NugLife was “The Love Dispensary” back in 2019. It was all because of NugLife’s timing that had me tilting my hat in respect. His producer tag “NugLiiiiife” along with how the drums hit shifting off of the singer Zzay into the first verse from Mike Pro is really impeccable. That 0:55 - 0:58 is really dope… Amazing production…

I’ve always been a fiend for beats and once I found an beat I liked, I started looking into the catalog of the artist because I knew if there was 1 tight beat, there were likely some more behind that. When I went to NugLife’s Spotify catalog, it was easy to see that he had been putting in work for years on the artist side. I didn’t even know who NugLife really was… The algorithm delivered his track to me one day and I didn’t know if he was a producer… a rapper… a singer… I didn’t ever read the artist bios on Spotify… a lot of times I didn’t research artists on IG. Back in the late 2010s, the Spotify algo was so good that it was serving me heat as long as I was patient and gave them more data on what I like… I did go over to YouTube at times to see if some of these underground artists were pushing content… That’s when I caught my first NugLife video for the track “Don’t Be Afraid - Untitled Pt. 2” which showed me who NugLife is… Wait… He makes the beats and is the one rapping here with the sick visuals? okay….. i see you.

After having some of those older releases playing while I worked my 9-5, I started following NugLife on socials where I quickly saw that he was a machine with content. I’ve never made a beat so seeing somebody always pressing buttons on their MPC was really good content for me. NugLife was a mega stoner and a skater as well so the whole formula was a vibe. NugLife was from Southern California and he seemed to really build well with other artists and help put on his homies that were artists. I really respected the hustle for NugLife. When NugLife 2020 came out in 2020, you could hear that NugLife had stepped up the production and he also lined up some amazing features that would help his beats get heard by many more. First track that really hit me off of NugLife 2020 was “Digital Dope” with that slow crooning old-timer in the back of the beat…. The Underachievers kill it as well… just go listen to this heat….

But man… That first track was hard. “OG Tryptamine” was NugLife and his homie Rocky G. The way Rocky G comes in on the track is just different. It takes me back to OG Project Blowed type styles where Busdriver, Ellay Khule, and CVE would constantly test different styles. Rocky G comes in on the track and is different… That bounce of his flow with that jazzy hip hop slump is dope… The way Nug comes in on the beat is dope too… again… really good timing. and listen to Nug’s final verse… in the pocket without a doubt.

The one that sits with me off that NugLife 2020 project remains “Roulette” featuring Vel Nine aka Vel the Wonder and Planet Asia. I remember seeing Planet Asia tour heavy with Rasco down here in San Diego in the 90s so seeing an vet emcee with a young beatmaker was dope. Seeing Planet Asia’s name on the track pulled me in but who was this girl, Vel Nine? The beat on “Roulette” is straight up lofi but some draped up and dripped out lofi. Vel came in on the track and absolutely MURKED IT. That production from Nug with Vel’s powerful voice was way too fresh…. whoa….

2021 brought us the NugLife track “Spittin’ Waves” with Vel Nine and Rome Streetz. That track was off of The Beat Dispensary 2 and after following Nug’s release calendar, I was amazed by the sheer volume of music he was pushing out. Does this kid ever sleep? These drums on the track kept me in tune and the video itself was a vibe. NugLife always had the nice beats but he put out a steady flow of music videos as well so people could see the vibe further. These kids were putting out amazing art. No doubt.

Then I see NugLife has a whole project with Planet Asia? Oh worrrrrrrrrrd??? I really liked the sound of that… I liked seeing that. Planet Asia hasn’t skipped a beat ever and that ALKALINE GENETICS project was hella slept on. I really think you need to go back and listen to that one… Or just watch “RUNNING LAPS” and recognize the heat. If this dropped in 2001 with the right push, it would have been MAJOR. Old school Wu feel but modern chopping keeping listeners engaged… chef’s kiss type hip hop.

NugLife dropped The Beat Dispensary 3 back in 2023. I would always listen to snippets of all of the songs in hopes to find something that I wanted to listen more to and then get on repeat. “FIND MY WAY” was that track for me and maybe I’m just a sucker for that slow horn? That chorus was nice too… Viva Mescal kills it and Trizz comes in with a chill flow which allllllll just works with the track. This beat is too damn nice….

When I saw NugLife and Vel Nine were dropping a project called NINA with each other, I knew this was going to be a sight to behold. To me, they were such a great duo together and this project is on some Gang Starr in 2023 type shit. The way Vel comes in on “NINA” is a masterclass of emceeing… straight assassin with the mic and that beat??? yoooooooooooooooo… this is a crazy intro. Vel sounds like a str8 OG in the game and the confidence she carries in her voice on this verse is crazy. Go to your car right now and turn the volume way up and let this smash… really… go do it…

But then I heard “PHASES” and I honestly lost my shit. The music I was hearing was some Amy Winehouse meets Jean Grae meets The Pharcyde meets Jamiroquai… I know that sounds weird but just hear me… Listen to that beat… perfection… now go listen to Vel’s delivery on this and the realness in her lyrics and then she comes in like the wind on that hook and the beat changes and you’re like, what the fuck is this? This is beautiful music. This doesn’t have a genre tied to it…. it’s just really good music.

“FAVORITE PIECE” is a solid cruising track… that’s some Sunday afternoon kickin it with your homies while grilling at the park type shit… The singing on the hook with the beat change is masterful… really good vibe changes and chops here…

Last year, we had NugLife 2024 hit and that track with NugLife, Boldy James, and Zombie Juice?? Smooooooth… Some 80’s gangster shit in a dark alley type slump… Boldy sounds so good over this beat. Then Zombie Juice slides in with the beat going nuts in the background and it is literally an audio trip. Kind of like what Ski Beatz did on Pilot Talk but NugLife was just different… this is wavy fam…

But if you go deeper into that album, you eventually find’ THE DYNASTY” which is a great audio adventure… if you puff, go puff right now… then go listen to the track… then go watch the video… this is some Kush & OJ type ish in 2024… That beat… The verses… How good is Rocky G on that track? Psychedelic hip hop executed flawlessly. and oh wait… if you don’t puff, go grab a coffee or a tea or a smoothie or something because you need to surf the wave on this one. “The Dynasty” is an amazing song.

This year brought us some more heat from NugLife and one of the ones that stuck out to me most was “CHURCH SMOKE” which sounds like Blueprint era Just Blaze on the production and the verses work in unison with the beat and all of the layers to the samples that make this a solid composition. The verses work hand-in-hand with the beat and when NugLife hands the mic over to FrankieOG it’s one of the most memorable clips off of track for me in 2025. Real talk… This is real emotion in a track… You can feel the track and these kids are dope. Don’t sleep on FrankieOG on that skater either… Go bump “CHURCH SMOKE” today…. you won’t lose…

Nug dropped off a lot of beats this year… Perfect for those long days at work or when you’re cleaning up the kitchen and making breakfast in the morning. Beats like “JAZZ BIRDS 135.15BPM'“ put me in a trance… an audio trance where life slows down and you just let these drums hit as they were intended… if I opened a coffee shop today, this would be playing as the first song to let people know what the vibe was.

Alright…. I think you get the point by now… NugLife is a producer who should be in steady rotation for you. The vibes are always top shelf and the crew he brings with him on these projects are dope. They all need to be heard more…. So do your part… Go bump some NugLife and send a track to a homie… send a video to a friend…. let the artists know you f*ck with what they’re doing. And as a fan, it’s just great to hear THAT PETRO that this kid NugLife has…. 2026 is almost here… I already have a feeling NugLife is going to be a part of your end of the year discussions.