You may not know who Bugzy Malone is - but you're about to find out. The British rapper and grime artist hasn't quite hit big in the states (yet?) but has been rising up through the ranks in the UK since 2010. He really hit it big in 2015 and has been credited with redefining what UK rap sounds like. Before Bugzy, the sound was leaning very commercial/pop, but he came on scene and introduced the world to what we now call grime. He's won countless awards, has a strong fan base, has made moves in fashion, and now he's reunited a homeless man with his family.
Yeah, it's that last bit that we're going to talk about.
Bugzy Malone has already shot a video for his song Run, but decided that the end result just wasn't the message he was trying to get across. As sometimes happens, the artist asked for a re-shoot. Malone told BBC that he went back to reshoot because he wanted to feature the real people of his home town of Manchester. He wasn't interested in using actors. He wanted to show the world some honesty. So he re-shot, paid some real people, and made a real difference in at least one life.
One of the people Bugzy met on his re-shoot was a homeless man. The two talked and did their shoot. Then the man was paid and said he was going to book himself a room for the night so he had someplace warm to sleep. Both men left the encounter moved. The man by Bugzy's motivations, and Bugzy (who has struggled himself) by helping.
Malone even posted a few images and some thoughts on Instagram.
The story gets even better, though. Some time after the video was released, Bugzy's camp got an email. The young man's mother had seen the video. She found out where it was shot and then made it her mission to go and find her son. The man had been on the missing persons list for nearly a year. He struggles with mental health issues and has attempted suicide. While laying in his hospital bed, his mother showed him Bugzy's Instagram posts.
Malone's words and the few thousand encouraging comments helped motivate his recovery and soon the young man was "back on track." The email says he is back home with his family, doing well, and was in a committed romantic relationship. Malone told the radio show that this email and reunion mean more to him than his accolades and public praise. Bugzy believes that there are things that mark your success when you're on the right path, and for him this was it.
"For me that was one of the biggest signs that I'd accomplished what I'd set out to accomplish this year."
Twitter loves this story - and Bugzy Malone.
Here's the music video that changed so many lives:
Bugzy Malone - Run Ft. Rag'n'Bone Man (Official Video)www.youtube.com
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram