Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: The Resurgence of a Lyrical Giant

Meet Frederick Patterson, the dynamic force behind the rap persona Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff. Born in Brooklyn, NY, and later making his mark in North Carolina, Patterson's journey weaves between the worlds of barbering and rap, creating a unique narrative that reflects his passion, talent, and resilience. In this exclusive interview, we dive into his experiences, the influence of family, the evolving music industry, and his triumphant return to the stage.

Please share more about your journey from Brooklyn to North Carolina and how those experiences influenced your passion for both barbering and rap music?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: Well my moving to North Carolina really didn't have much of an influence other than a scenery change for the most part. My influences still came from NY even though at the time my only connections to New York were through magazines and music, I used those things as ideas for hairstyles and lyrical identity. A lot of the new hairstyles were featured in magazines then so I used pictures and recreated the haircut on myself. Of course through trial and error I got good enough that it looked like a barber did it.

As for hip hop, it had multiple identities so you could express yourself without sounding like someone else and still have an audience. But even then I liked the most lyrical rappers, I thought they applied the most creative abilities to hip hop. Anyone can have mother goose rhymes but to be able to have multiple meanings in one line is creative. At the time though, I could only get my hands on tapes that had radio mixes on them with all the new hip hop at the time. Through that is how I developed my love and rap style.

How did your role as a barber, with clients like Cullen Jones and Prodigy from Mobb Deep, impact your rap career and contribute to your reputation as a celebrity barber?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: For the most part my barbering and music was disconnected. I never promoted myself to any of my celebrity clients. I was a battle rapper and I was fixed on proving I was the best lyrically or at least one of them. I had no music laid down to actually promote my music either but I did try to battle Prodigy and that's how he became my client lol. I got most of my celebrity clients through word of mouth. The shop had a studio in the back because the shop owner's brother was a singer and we were one of the first to hear Alicia Keys' first album. I remember her saying that she hopes to at least go gold and after we listened to the album Jerry Gunn (the shop owner's brother) told her she should stand up and play the piano when she performs and that's what she did.

You mentioned the evolving landscape of the music industry and how it shifted away from lyrical content. How did this change affect your approach to rap, and what made you decide to step away from it at that time?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: I thought the music became more about your beats and hook opposed to lyrical content. The music became sing along songs like commercial jingles and lyrical content started to go over people's heads. People kept telling me I needed to dumb my lyrics down and I wasn't willing to compromise my abilities just to make it to the radio. So battling became pointless to me because win, lose or draw my goal was to go beyond battle rap and see if my creative perspective on lyrics could be respected beyond America, so I decided to hang it up.

Last year, you made a surprising return to the music scene, winning a showcase at your sister's event. What motivated this comeback, and how did winning that showcase rekindle your passion for rap?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: I'm glad my sister asked me. At first the artists were going to perform between hair show segments and I figured since I'm just intermission entertainment, I could help my lil sis out. But then she changed it and I was never one to back down from musical competition lol so I stayed on board. I really never expected to win. And she wasn't one of the judges. So as a part of the grand prize I got to showcase my music at the UMAs Worldwide Music Awards. This opened up a long forgotten desire to be heard. I think the universe played a huge part in this too because one day I decided to find an instrumental and do a short reel for Facebook and YouTube and the response I received was pretty huge. So that helped ignite the fire. I never expected that only a few short months I'd be performing on stage.

Performing at the UMAs Worldwide Music Awards alongside legends like Paul Anthony and Eddie Levert Jr. must have been an incredible experience. Can you share some memorable moments from that event and how it influenced your renewed focus on music?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: Paul Anthony and other legends were at the UMAs as guests while myself and others were showcasing our music. I'd say the most memorable moments were my introduction… the CEO Bernard Moore told the audience to listen close to my music because he had already heard how lyrical I was and after my performance, Bernard whispered to me "I'm glad I found you," I was humbled. Then when I was waiting to take pictures on the red carpet, OG Duv Mack from the Dogg Pound (Snoop Dogg) came out and called me "Rakim' and to me that's a very high honor coming from someone who didn't have to say that. And he wasn't the only one that said it. Someone else called me that at a whole separate time. It was humbling and surreal. It opened my eyes to the reality that I might have a place in today's music so I decided to take things more seriously.

Your sister, Bernadette Patterson, played a significant role in your recent music resurgence. How has family support influenced your artistic journey, and what does it mean to you to have that support?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: Well as I said earlier I'm eternally grateful that my sister helped reignite my interest in my music again. If it wasn't for her I'd still be listening to instrumentals wondering what if. My family is very supportive and Bernadette stays on top of me so I don't lose focus. I really think she wants me to succeed since this opportunity wasn't available before I decided to give up on music.

With the sleeping giant awakened, what can we expect from Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff in terms of upcoming music projects, and how do you envision your future in both the barbering and music industries?

Buc06 aka Boogaloo Spliff: I'm currently working on a 7 to 10 song EP. Most likely everything will be done in a few months so I'm looking forward to that. I'm working on a couple of videos for some songs I currently have out on YouTube. Later this year, I've been invited again to perform, but this time at the Fox Theater in Georgia for the UMAs Worldwide Music Awards and I'm looking forward to that also. As far as my barbering is concerned I have opening my own shop as a later project and possibly create a franchise but I don't want to get ahead of myself lol. But overall, I plan on being a household name.

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