R&B/Hip-Hop

Long before he got “1900” tattooed across his neck and teamed up with Kodak Black, 1900Rugrat’s life was filled with uncertainty. Hailing from Limestone Creek, Florida, a small town in Palm Beach County with a population just over 1,000 people, Rugrat was kicked out of his adoptive parents’ house as a teen and moved in with his friend Rickfrmdacreek’s family down the block.

Rugrat, born Miles Spiel, describes himself as a “bad a– kid” doing “stupid s–t,” which led to school suspensions and even legal trouble. He started rapping as an eighth grader after seeing a classmate rhyme while thinking he “could do better,” but Rugrat kept his raps lighthearted as the class clown using his Turtlebeach video game headset and a computer to record.

Then real life began to creep in. Rugrat couldn’t hold a job for more than four months while having stints at Walmart and Tijuana Flats. He became a massive Chief Keef fan, and the drill pioneer’s trap bangers are clearly an influence in Rugrat’s music today.

Seeing rappers like YNW Melly, Kodak Black and Tay-K blow up when he was in high school provided inspiration that his music dreams could perhaps be within the realm of realistic — even if that seemed far-fetched at the time.

“It made me like, ‘I can do that s–t too.’ It ain’t impossible for somebody to blow up,” Rugrat tells Billboard while getting over a cold that sidelined him temporarily from touring with Bossman Dlow. “You don’t gotta be this completely iced-out motherf—–ing tatted up and rich as hell to blow up.”

He continues: “You could be a regular-a– dude and make some hard s–t and blow up. You could look regular and make some hard s–t. You don’t gotta have a million dollars invested in you.”

His luck changed last year when labels started to call after his TikTok freestyles were going viral. Rugrat’s raspy flow over Rocko’s hypnotic “U.O.E.N.O.” beat exploded on TikTok and “One Take Freestyle” hit streaming services days later in September with a DIY cover art featuring a photo of himself on a highrise apartment balcony. He maniacally confronts being a white rapper with the track’s memorable opening bar: “Cracker got an AR like he shootin’ schools up.”

The 22-year-old continued his ascension in October during a trip to NYC when he asked anyone tied to the music industry he ran into if they could get him in contact with Gape P of On The Radar Radio. Rugrat and five friends pulled up to OTR to perform his “One Take Freestyle,” which further expanded his breakout track’s exposure.

Rugrat ended up inking a joint venture with 300 Entertainment and Remain Solid, which is an imprint founded by his manager, Track. Co-signs have poured in from Kodak Black, who hopped on the “One Take Freestyle (Remix),” Justin Bieber and Lil Uzi Vert. Los Angeles Dodgers MVP Mookie Betts even uses “One Take” as his walk-up song when walking to home plate at Dodger Stadium.

These days, you’ll find Rugrat with plenty of ice on and his bushy eyebrows peering out from under his Chrome Hearts beanie. 1900 continued his momentum into 2025 with the arrival of his Porch 2 the Pent debut project in February and he’s got much more in store for later this year.

Check out the rest of our conversation with Rugrat touching on his Florida roots, why Chief Keef’s music inspires him, being locked up with one of the Island Boys and more.

Billboard: Who were some of your early rap inspirations that helped you get to this point?

When I was really young, I listened to a lot of Lil Wayne, Eminem. Just s–t my folks would play in the crib, like Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka [Flame], obviously Kodak [Black], but that was when I got to more of a teenager. It was Kodak, Chief Keef, when I was 12, 13. I really listen to a lot of Chief Keef. I listen to a lot of different rappers, but one rapper I keep listening to on a daily basis is Sosa (Chief Keef).  

What stands out about Chief Keef? Take me back to when you first hit play on that Finally Rich.

I don’t know when it was. That’s when I wasn’t super on Sosa. I f–ked with the Finally Rich album, and I still do to this day. I wasn’t listening to him day-after-day until I was probably 14 or 15. I just really dove into his discography when I heard that Back From the Dead album, and I started listening to all his s–t. I’d go on YouTube and look up “Chief Keef unreleased” and listen to a bunch of his s–t.

I don’t know what it is. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but he’s versatile as hell. His s–t catchy as f–k and he’s funny, too. His punchlines [are] funny as hell if you dive into his music. He got a whole song called “You Already Cute.” He talking a girl, “You don’t need no fake hair, you already cute.” He said some s–t like, “I don’t need no girl making me food with no weave in because you might get hair all in my food. You don’t need that girl.” 

How would you talk about growing up in Limestone Creek and Palm Beach?

I was just with my brothers most of the time outside. My folks ain’t want me in the crib when they was at work. I got kicked out of school a lot. So I gotta leave the crib early in the morning and I got in legal trouble with stupid s–t. When it came to when I got caught up with possession. It was robbery with snatching and burglary of an occupied vehicle just cause I ran off on somebody. That was no robbery or burglary and I pleaded guilty to it. I got petty theft and trespassing. Just little stupid s–t and I was back-to-back getting in trouble. My folks would kick me out the crib. They was tired of that s–t. It’s not like I’ma call DCL’s like, “My folks kicked me out.” I’m not tryna go to no damn group home. 

I just moved in with my brother, [Rickfrmdacreek]. I know cuz since I was like six. That was my second family for real. When I got kicked out for real and ain’t let me back, they really became my family. My life was different than everybody else. Even my brother, my right hand man, we lived two different lives. If he ever need something, I’m right there. If I go broke today, he’s still gonna be right there. Same with his momma. I was always moving around. Not with one family moving around, I was house-to-house type s–t. That s–t was lame as hell. That s–t just made me disassociate with everything.

I like being by myself. S–t was normal, bruh, we just bada– kids doing stupid s–t. We got ourselves into bulls–t. I got into a bunch of legal trouble and problems with people and then nobody wanna do business with you. You kinda dirty your face. I was f—-d up. I ain’t have no money. I could’ve moved but I had to rap. That’s all I knew how to do. I got to rapping. I was working too, though. I had a one-bedroom apartment. I was 21 — this was like seven months ago. I’m on my feet, but I’m scraping by. I probably would’ve been scraping by right now. 

I think I saw a picture of you working at Walmart. 

Yeah, but that wasn’t the one I had when I blew up. I never kept a job for more than four months. I was always getting into it with somebody. They be trying to dog your a– around. Then I’m in here for no money and you tryna talk to me. I was at Tijuana Flats. 

When did rapping become your thing? I saw some s–t back in the day you were recording using a Turtle Beach Xbox headset.

Yeah, so when I was in 8th grade, I had dropped a bunch of songs. I was a lil’ kid. It was a kid at my school rapping. I was like, “That s–t decent, but I know I could do better than that.” I started rapping. It was on some funny s–t. I was like the class clown. This was when I was more carefree and didn’t have much going on. This is before I got kicked out the crib. I was way happier. I’m making music and the funny s–t. I’m getting decent views too.

Then I started getting into legal trouble. I’m not even really tryna make [music] on my computer no more because technology changes. This s–t sound a–. If I really wanna do this s–t, I gotta figure it out. I got no money to go to the studio. I made a little bit of cheese, but when I went one time I wasn’t tryna make music on my computer. 

I started taking the s–t more serious because I had a lot more going on in my life. A lot more to talk about. I started growing up. S–t wasn’t all just fun and games no more. I was going through s–t. I never found my flow like that. I was jumping style-to-style and now I can stay consistent and do another one. S–t been a long journey with music. 

What did you think about the Florida rap scene when it started to take off around 2017 with a Kodak Black, YNW Melly, XXXTentacion?

That s–t was crazy. I was a freshman in high school and I remember I heard “Murder on My Mind” when it was just a SoundCloud song. That s–t had this one jit in my class going crazy. I’m listening to it like, “This s–t hard as f–k.” Then a month later, everybody singing that s–t in the school, and everybody know that b—h. 

Did that inspire you?

Hell yeah, when you growing up and you seeing a jit that’s doing it. Somebody that’s young, that s–t make you feel like you can too. Even though he was older than I was, I see that the same way I see Tay-K and Duwap Kaine. When they had first blew up that was around the same time. That s–t really inspired me.

What was your experience as a white rapper trying to do it?

I used that s–t to my advantage. I peeped people talking about my skin color so I started talking about it. F–k it. That’s just what it is. At the end of the day, if a jit joke on you, you supposed to use that joke and make it 10 times better. If everybody in the room laugh about some s–t, use it and then you make everybody in the room laugh. Everybody called me “Cracka” growing up. I’m from Florida. I just started referring to myself a such on some funny s–t. Everybody thought that was funny so I put that s–t in my music. 

How was signing to 300 Entertainment? [Rugrat’s signed to Remain Solid (founded by his manager, Track) and 300 Entertainment]

I had signed with 300 [Entertainment] and 100K. After talking with everybody from both teams, I knew that I’d be able to do business with them on a personal level. That was my most important thing. I knew I could get a check anywhere. You can get a good contract anywhere. It’s all about is the person you getting that contract with is they gon’ do right by you? People don’t be thinking about it. They just want that check. They not thinking about the long-term. Read contracts first, get a lawyer. I got a really good lawyer. I love my lawyer to death. 

What’s the biggest purchase you made since signing?

Probably my car. A Jag. 

Mookie Betts on the Dodgers got “One Take Freestyle” as his walk-up song.

Bruh, what the f–k?! I be mad because I don’t be knowing until somebody tell me. I be upset. Somebody just commented that they heard my s–t at Dodger Stadium. I gotta see a video or something, dog. That s–t still be making me cheese. 

“One Take Freestyle,” talk about what that record meant to your career and getting Kodak [Black] on there.

I still bump that song and every time I listen to it, I be like, “That’s why I blew up. This b—h hard as f–k.” I barred that b—h up from start to finish. That b—h had so many bars and punch lines. If a b—h say that s–t a–, they lying. I don’t even listen to people when they say my s–t is a–. I don’t give no f–k. It’s like a Skrilla beat. I was rapping on Philly beats on the freestyles I was doing on TikTok. Then I was like, “Okay, now I gotta take one of these b–hes to the booth.” I gotta go to the booth tonight. I’m 100 behind on rent and I’ll make that back. I got a two-hour session and that b—h went on all platforms four days later. Labels was already hitting me before “One Take” blew up.

Then I’m in the meeting with a label under Sony. I get the “One Take” video emailed to me. The first edit of it was a– so it got re-edited. I told them to pull it up on the big screen in the studio and we dropped that b—h right then and there. I logged into YouTube and dropped that motherf—-r. That s–t started going and going. I’m out in NYC and meeting with every label. I’m asking everybody in here, “Who know, Gabe [P from On The Radar]?” One white girl and 300 [Entertainment] got me in touch with Gabe. He said they were all booked up and I’m like, “Please, bro! I’m not finna be able to come back to New York. Just let me do it.” He squeezed me in and I did “One Take [Freestyle].”

I went to On The Radar and first I did “Clean & Dirty.” I was like, “That s–t finna blow up.” I did that “One Take” and that s–t boosted that s–t even more. That s–t went so viral all over Twitter and Facebook. I don’t even have Twitter and Facebook. People like, “Who here from Facebook?” I’m like, “What the f–k?” 

Then you got Kodak on the remix. 

At first, I seen him vibing to it in the store. A lil video went viral of him vibing to that b—h. I really paid homage to him on the song when I said, “I’m already white hoe, I don’t need no white b—h.” Cus he had said on “Snap Shit:” “I’m already Black/ Don’t need no Black b—h.” All these years I’m like, “I’m finna rip it. I gotta rip it.” I finally did it on the one that went viral. He went and said, “I admit I said a lot of dumba– s–t when I was a youngin’/ I didn’t used to get down with brown b–hes but now I love her.” He went and referenced that s–t.

That’s why I be saying Kodak’s really hard. People just don’t be tuned in like that. It was surreal. I was in the studio with him and he was playing a bunch of unreleased [songs]. We talked about him hopping on the remix. He was with it. That b—h just went and the video was fun as hell. We were out there for 12 hours.

I saw Lil Uzi Vert showing you love, too.

That s–t has me turnt because all my brothers love [Lil] Uzi. Justin Bieber, bruh! That s–t’s wild. He way too fried. That’s what it is. They hating, bruh. His new little snippet he posted when he went live. He slid in that b—h. That s–t be crazy. Lil Baby’s son — that s–t was wild. I was at Lil Baby’s birthday party. I ain’t never seen no club that big. Had to walk a mile to get in there. Florida is small, congested and 1,000 people in that b—h. 

What else do you have coming up for the rest of the year? Is there an album coming?

I don’t know if I’ma drop an album this year. I think I might, but I’m in single mode right now. I’m tryna crank singles out right now. I might do a tape with a producer. I wanna focus on singles and do a L.A. Leakers freestyle that’ll go viral. I blew up off freestyling on TikTok so I know it’s gon’ work. A lot of people don’t be remembering. People think it’s the “One Take” s–t, but I had the labels on me. I had 700,000 followers even before “One Take” was a thought. I had “No Makeup” and that “Demure.”

“One Take” was the big one. I’m tryna get one like 10 times bigger than “One Take.” I don’t even want another “One Take.” I want one 20 times bigger than “One Take.” My goal is to get a hard-a– single. Then somewhere down the line get an [Lil Uzi Vert] on like an Auto-Tune. My Auto-Tune flow is so gas, but my fans are not fans of that. Uzi’s fans are, so I know that s–t will go and bring a whole new audience. I want to be able to cater to both audiences. That’s more listeners.

That’s why my album had 13 rap songs, and six had Auto-Tune. I just wanted to show versatility. With my album, I’m doing straight rap. Then I’m finna shift off of that. I don’t think I’ma ever stop rapping ever. I wanna make a full tape of certain styles. On some underground wavy s–t. If you listened to “Molly Girl” or Sosa’s “Let Me Know,” I’ll make a whole album off of that. That’s down the line when I can tell them what’s in and what’s hard. I’m just tryna crank some s–t I know already works. 

I saw a viral tweet saying they want Timothée Chalamet to play you in a movie.

That s–t funny as hell. He look like me for real. 

When you were locked up, were you in there with one of the Island Boys?

Yeah, they weren’t in my program, but they were in the detention center in Palm Beach. No matter where you get locked up in Palm Beach, you going to the Palm Beach Detention Center. The one off 45th by the train tracks. It was one of the brothers. I never said a word to him. I got kicked off B1 a day or two later for getting into a fight. They put me in confinement and switched me to B2. Jit had little blonde curls and no tattoos or none of that. 

What’s 1900Rugrat doing in five or 10 years from now?

Somewhere on an island. I just want to be isolated. Not from the world on some crazy s–t, but I like being in nature and s–t with my phone off. Counting money for real, like overly rich. Like, I got all my businesses running themselves for a week. I got everyone handling some s–t so I can kick back this week and smoke some good dope in Bora Bora and take a deep breath. 

Track (Manager): Let me know when you doing that vacation, bro, because I need that one.

Lil Nas X says he is on the mend after being hospitalized earlier this week with partial facial paralysis. Sparking fan concern with video from his hospital bed in which the right side of his face appeared to be frozen, the “Hotbox” MC provided an update on Tuesday (April 15) via an Instagram Story in which he said “I’ve been chewing a lot so I can get this muscle stronger,” pointing to the right side of his mug while wearing a pink shower cap.

“It’s much better, it’s much better,” he assured viewers, adding, “my eye still has to play catch-up. But like, but like I can give a genuine smile, so that’s good. I’m still winkin’ at mothaf–kers, but…. yeah.” To date, Lil Nas has not provided any additional information on what caused the condition or what his prognosis is for a full recovery.

And while the medical issue appeared to throw him off his game a bit, in the next slide he posted a snap of a palm tree and the moon shining on the surf at night, with the caption: “Can’t s–t ruin dreamboy summer. ITS TIMEEE” to the strains of his recent Pharrell-esque pop funk jam “Hotbox.”

The original video detailing the facial freeze found Lil Nas, 26, in his hospital gown laughing at the medical issue, saying “And when I smile? This is me doing a full smile right now by the way,” pointing out that the left side of his mouth was open as the right side sat immobile. “It’s like, what the f–k? I can’t even laugh right, bro. What the f–k?”

That video was captioned, “Soooo lost control of the right side of my face ?,” with the MC displaying a chipper attitude about the unexpected health issue. In a follow-up Story he provided a close-up video of his face, panning from one side to the other and explaining, “We normal over here, we get crazy over here!,” with the caption, “I’m so cooked [two crying laughing emoji].” In another slide he assured fans, “Guys I am OK!! Stop being sad for me! Shake ur ass for me instead!,” with the final slide offering yet another assurance that things are going to be fine and a photo of the rapper promising, “Imma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”

No additional information was available at press time about what caused the paralysis and a spokesperson for Lil Nas had not returned a request for comment.

Fans are awaiting word on a release date for Lil Nas’ Dreamboy LP, the follow-up to his 2021 debut full-length album Montero. Last month he released the 8-track Days Before Dreamboy EP that pulled together his recent run of singles.