For 2UGLi, survival and hip-hop have always been inseparable.
Born Carlos M. Araujo in Los Angeles, the rapper spent part of his early childhood in Tijuana, Mexico, before his family relocated to Chula Vista, California. He began freestyle rapping at 14 while experiencing homelessness and growing up without his father. Music became an outlet for the instability surrounding him and gave him a way to channel his frustration while remaining focused.
Between 1999 and 2004, 2UGLi became deeply involved in battle rap. Surrounded by high school friends who were also skilled rappers and freestylers, he developed a reputation for being loud, spontaneous and unpredictable. Behind that sense of humor, however, was an artist drawn to the darker and more aggressive corners of hip-hop.
After becoming homeless again during his senior year, he found work and met another rapper whose grimy style matched his own creative instincts. The connection eventually led to a place to stay and the formation of Apes In English, a group that later added two of 2UGLi’s high school friends.
Performing under the name Peeping Tom at the time, he helped the group build momentum within California’s underground hip-hop scene. As he began recording solo material, he realized that he needed a new identity.
His appearance frequently drew dismissive reactions from people in the music business. As a graffiti artist who relied on a skateboard for transportation, he was often told that he dressed too grimy or looked more like a battle rapper than a marketable recording artist. Those judgments inspired the name 2UGLi 4 Hollywood, a rejection of the idea that an artist needed to conform to the industry’s preferred image.
The name was later shortened to 2UGLi during discussions with Babygrande Records. What began as a joke about appearance ultimately became a declaration of individuality and a symbol of his refusal to reshape himself for mainstream acceptance.
That uncompromising attitude remains at the center of I Got the Juice Moufukka Vol. 1, a 26-track compilation introducing the roster of his independent label, UGLi Business.
The project brings together 2UGLi, Jacy Chantiles, Mavimarx, Rudy ILLRoot Flores, WAYCE, CAWZLOS and several collaborators across a raw, grimy and boom-bap-driven collection. More than a label sampler, the compilation represents the latest chapter in a journey shaped by homelessness, battle rap, underground touring and years of navigating the music industry without consistent resources.
Turning an Underground Legacy Into a Label
2UGLi and longtime collaborator The Premonist, formerly of The Society of Invisibles, originally established UGLi Business in 2017 with the release of Leaving My Mark. The album was initially expected to be 2UGLi’s final project following his departure from a previous label.
His plans changed after connecting with music executive Matthew M80 Markoff. Markoff helped 2UGLi secure a deal with Fat Beats and supported the release of My Day Begins When Yours Ends through Fat Beats and UGLi Business. The project returned the rapper to the underground scene and strengthened his determination to develop the label.
2UGLi has since formalized UGLi Business as a limited liability company and DBA while assembling a roster of artists from different regions.
Jacy Chantiles, a singer and rapper from York, Pennsylvania, was among the first artists invited to join. 2UGLi discovered her in 2017 and recognized her ability to move between singing and rapping. Grand Rapids, Michigan, rapper Mavimarx joined after catching 2UGLi’s attention during the preparation of his Fat Beats album.
ILLRoot, 2UGLi’s longtime collaborator and hype man, also became a central part of the label. The two previously worked together on Planetary Alignment, but UGLi Business is now preparing a platform for ILLRoot to establish himself as a solo artist.
WAYCE joined the roster after performing at a gathering connected to a UGLi Business listening event in Tijuana. CAWZLOS, an artist 2UGLi initially met through The Cawz in 2006, later became part of the collective after reconnecting with the group in Sacramento. CAWZLOS has performed across the Sacramento hip-hop circuit, toured Europe with Middle Class Rut, worked with producer 26HRZ and designed the Living Legends logo.
The compilation also includes BOXGUTS, 2UGLi’s former labelmate and a prospective addition to the UGLi Business roster.
A 26-Track Introduction to UGLi Business
The idea for I Got the Juice Moufukka Vol. 1 emerged while 2UGLi was attending mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous meetings related to a DUI. During one meeting, he drew a juice-box character raising both middle fingers and added the phrase that eventually became the compilation’s title.
He later brought the drawing and concept to The Premonist. They developed it into a visual identity for a project that could introduce the UGLi Business artists before the release of their respective solo records.
The resulting compilation combines unreleased material, new collaborations and songs designed to highlight the distinct personalities within the collective. The first volume draws from a broad group of producers while maintaining an intentionally rugged underground sound. A planned second volume will be produced entirely by The Premonist.
Among the project’s featured records are Fermented, featuring BOXGUTS, 2UGLi and ILLRoot and produced by The Premonist; Sad World, featuring Jacy Chantiles and produced by C-Lance; and Introduction, featuring 2UGLi and WAYCE over production by The Premonist.
Other notable selections include BOOP, featuring Judgement; We Own the Night, featuring GENEZIS and 2UGLi and produced by Plague Plenty; and The World Goes Black, featuring Species and Judgement. The Premonist produced several of the compilation’s central tracks and remains a major creative force behind the label’s developing sound.
The compilation reflects 2UGLi’s roots in an era when independent rappers built audiences by handing out CDs, competing in battles and developing relationships at live shows. His career has included a South American tour, a recording with Raekwon, magazine coverage and a New York performance alongside Jise1 of The Arsonists, with Jeru the Damaja and Black Moon headlining.
He has also appeared on GID Radio with DJ J-Ronin and worked with the late Mac Dre. Markoff later helped secure permission for the Mac Dre collaboration to be released 18 years after it was recorded, with Snowgoons contributing a remix.
The late Chino XL also played an important role in encouraging 2UGLi to establish his own label. That support helped reinforce the idea that he could create an independent home for the uncompromising hip-hop he wanted to make.
Preserving Indrid Cold’s Legacy
UGLi Business is also preparing to honor Indrid Cold of The Society of Invisibles, who has remained in a persistent vegetative state following an overdose in 2019.
Before the overdose, Indrid was completing an album with The Premonist during the same period that 2UGLi and The Premonist were recording Leaving My Mark. The project was originally intended for release through UGLi Business but remained unfinished and unavailable after Indrid’s medical crisis.
The Premonist has now completed the album, and the label is planning to release it in late 2026. The project will preserve Indrid’s voice, recognize his contribution to the collective’s history and bring his unreleased work to the audience it was intended to reach.
Now based in San Diego after returning to the city in 2024, 2UGLi is positioning UGLi Business as a home for independent artists whose work may exist outside mainstream expectations.
I Got the Juice Moufukka Vol. 1 captures that mission in full. It introduces a diverse roster, honors the relationships that shaped the label and transforms 2UGLi’s outsider identity into the foundation of a growing underground movement.
The movement has arrived. “I GOT THE JUICE MOUFUKKA VOL. 1” is now available on all digital platforms.
Download the album on Bandcamp
UGLi Business
UGLiBusiness.com
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Natalia is a Rap and Hip Hop enthusiast. After graduating from The New School of New York’s Public Relations Program and taking a course in Journalism at Michigan State University, she decided to dedicate her life to the music publishing business and to the discovery of new talent. She helps new artists gain exposure to the masses via online marketing and publications.
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