With smooth, bouncy records like his breakout hit "Gwap" to more lively, party cuts like "Back to Ballin", UG Vavy's 2016 releases have hit many different marks across the board of what many have come to expect from the fresh and creative talent here in the Chicago hip-hop scene as of late. That being said, there is one element that can be found in copious amounts in each and every track he has let loose thus far, and that element is confidence. Vavy consistently approaches each track with a level of comfort that seems almost playful at times, yet still commands respect from the listener. He keeps this trend up in his newest release entitled "Run x4", flexing at its finest.

This is all coupled with the revelation of a Yakub Films directed video for "Gwap" in the works (we've included a preview at the bottom). UG seems to be primed and ready to take 2017 for all it's worth - hell he's already one of our 'Artists to Watch in 2017.'

With the release of "Run x4" - we spoke to the Chicago artist about how he tackled 2016, who he wants to collaborate with and what he does when he's not making music.

TD: 2016 was a pretty strong introduction to UG Vavy as a solo artist, how do you feel about the way you came out of the gate?

UG: It's actually a cool ass start. Thanks to Supa, Wiley, Calez, and my other rap friends they helped me expose my music to their fans unselfishly. I still have more people to reach obviously but they've helped me go from nothing to something smoothly.

TD: One of the more standout moves you made last year was joining forces with Supa Bwe and forming FIGHT ME. What do you guys have in store for this coming year?

UG: We have a lot of music in works just trying to polish and fine tune it. When its ready it'll do exactly what we expect to do.

TD: Who else have you collaborated with or have plans to collaborate with in the near future?

UG: As of right now its been Supa, Wiley, Twista, Warhol.ss, and Big Body Fiji to name a few. I still want to do some work with Femdot, Dee Lily, Saba, Mfn Melo, Joseph Chilliams, and DinnerwithJohn and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

TD: Should we be preparing ourselves for a UG Vavy project before 2018?

UG: Most definitely 2018 I'm jumping out the gym officially I'm using 2017 to heat up to that point.

TD: Beyond music, you're also a nurse - can you talk about it?

UG: Yeah I'm an LPN, I basically pass pills all day, and handle any situations that happens on my unit. The job keeps me humble because you see the reality of things. You learn a lot about life and different situations when you around so many people on a daily basis. From my co-workers to my patients they drop gems everyday. Even though some might be out of their mind, they always have their moment when they say some real shit.