Meet ben bunko, the underground rapper with high potential!

24th April 2026 Bryce Quartz

A chat with ben bunko, the latest independent queer musician on the scene with star potential who does it all!

ben bunko is a queer, LA-based artist aiming to please and provoke the masses through indie rap. Hailing from Orange County, California, he uses his conservatively liberal upbringing to not only inspire and inform his messaging, but also to shape his sound, marrying bedroom pop suburbia yearning with boom bap underground rebellion.

A majority of ben’s short but diverse discography is produced, recorded, and mixed by ben himself. He started making beats at 14, and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in audio engineering. Ben’s latest project, STATION WAGON, is a tribute to his Volkswagen Jetta, his rock and refuge throughout his journey of adapting to life in Los Angeles as well as today’s political climate with life under a fascist regime.

When I first listened to ben’s music, I was honestly blown away by how obviously skilled and talented he is as a rapper and musician. On his latest project STATION WAGON, the tracks GROOVEWORLD and VIDEOMADE standout the most to me. On these tracks, he’s lyrically tackling topics such as the Trump regime, ICE, AI, and more.

Just between these two tracks, he shows how versatile he is with different vocal projections, flows, and being able to rap over different instrumental styles. He further proves this on every track from GROOVEWORLD, truly showing how much he can pack a punch with his authenticity.

Through and through, ben bunko’s work discography so far is proof that he’s on his way to greatness. Not to mention, the visuals on posted on his social media are beautifully made and unique to the aesthetic of his music too. I’m a bit obsessed! ben bunko has insane star potential, and I can see him going very far.

I had the privilege of chatting with ben about his journey and his music, check it out below!

Bryce Quartz: Hey there, Ben! Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. How have you been feeling lately?

ben bunko: Hi Bryce! I’m so honored to be interviewing with you, for Bear World Mag! So, thank you for offering me such a wonderful opportunity. I’ve been feeling optimistic, I’d say. I feel like there’s some sort of shift coming to fruition, like things are starting to fall into place. Maybe a bit more slowly than I had hoped, but I’m still very grateful. So, I’m feeling a bit anxious in anticipation, but hopeful!

Bryce: Let’s jump right into the fun stuff now! How long have you been making music and what got you into it?

ben: I’ve been making music since I was a sophomore in high school, I think? About 8 years ago. Like many beatmakers, I started making beats on a cracked version of FL Studio. It was on my brother’s computer; he was the one that put me on to making beats, really.

We would make them together, like, he would lay down some keys and I would program the drums in. After that, I just kept making beats and it wasn’t long until I started to write verses to them. I dropped my first song with me actually rapping on it in 2020, so I’ve been making music for 8 years and rapping for 6.

Bryce: I just discovered you and I’m already a huge fan of your aesthetic and sound. How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard you before?

ben: I’d say my music is it’s own unique brand of rap, I just call it “indie rap” to make it simple and to kind of pay homage to the alternative hip-hop scene that made me fall in love with music in the first place. I really like using a heavy, trashy-sounding synth and putting some boom bap drums on them, I’d say that’d be one of my signature sounds.

But when I produce or write, I usually like tapping into multiple genres I feel inspired by, anything from 80’s synth pop and indie garage rock to lofi hip-hop, drill music and hyperpop. It’s a little hard to describe my music especially since my projects are all so different! But I’d say if you go through my discography, you’d find there’s something for everybody!

Bryce: I am a bit obsessed with your latest EP titled Station Wagon, the first two tracks VIDEOMADE and GROOVEWORLD are quite an intro! What’s your thought process when you go into writing and creating a song?

ben: I feel like my creative process hasn’t changed much throughout the years. A lot of the time, I fall into this habit of making “type beats,” like replicating a certain artist’s sound to get the creative juices flowing, and then adding elements that feel “bunko.”

So many of my initial ideas are often reminiscent of an artist that I connect with, and as I refine and dial in a certain vibe/sound/feeling, I build out the song and try to experiment as much as I can. I try to mix my influences together to create a melting pot of my own music taste. Sometimes making bunko beats feels less like “producing” and more like “curating.”

When songwriting, I usually like to have fun and incorporate my sense of humor, I love wordplay and writing punchlines! A good deal of my music is autobiographical as well, I like taking things I’m going through and dealing with in my day-to-day life and adding commentary, expressing my thoughts/feelings through songwriting.

Bryce: As a queer artist myself, I know first hand how much harder it is to break through to a wider audience with feeling the pressure of having to work twice as hard as our cishet counterparts. Can you share with our readers what that journey of self acceptance and creating music as a queer person has been like?

ben: Songwriting has always been that emotional outlet for me, especially during the period of my life when I was coming out. It gave me a voice; I listened to that voice and it helped me understand myself. As I was slowly exposed to more and more queer media, I started feeling what I would later come to know as the concept of Pride.

Seeing people I looked up to use their queerness as a superpower, and not a scarlet letter or secret, made all the difference to me. I think afterwards, I started to view my queerness as “othering” in a positive light, like my queerness made me special in the best way possible.

I try to give that impression in my music, that I’m excessively proud of who I am just because I’m being me, and I hope that leads to a listener adopting the same state of mind for themselves.

Bryce: Every musician has artists that inspire them and influence their work. The music world is so cool because everything created is built upon what came before. What are some of the artists that inspire you or influence your work?

ben: I’d say my biggest inspiration is Kevin Abstract, hands down. From his latest collaborations on Blush to the general aesthetics and themes he works with in his projects, he’s just such a genius. I’m a big fan of his dedication to the visual and not just the sound, it’s very admirable to me as an artist who also likes to think visually.

His debut album was so integral to my journey of self acceptance, and BROCKHAMPTON was crucial to how my artistic style developed. I’m a sucker for rap groups in general, there’s a lot of traces of Wu-Tang, ATCQ, and OutKast in my beats and rhymes.

I also have lots of pride about where I’m from and I like my music to reflect that. I think Southern California is a wonderful place to live, so I have to mention artists that I think best represent my idea of the West Coast sound: groups like The Beach Boys, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sublime, as well as artists like Tyler, Vince Staples, and Kendrick Lamar.

Bryce: Wow, we have so much in common as far as inspirations go! Kevin Abstract from BROCKHAMPTON changed my life and inspired me to start creating music, you have good taste. I am sure you have lots of new music in the works, is there anything you can share about what’s next for ben bunko?

ben: I’ll say that the new ideas I’ve been working on are quite different from STATION WAGON, sonically. Experimenting with different styles and genres motivates me to keep growing as an artist and it’s also just so fun to explore and experiment, especially as an indie artist with no pressure from a record label or quotas to hit!

Bryce: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me, ben! Is there anything you’d like to leave our readers with today?

ben: Of course, Bryce! Anything for Bear World Mag lolz. To the readers, be yourself, always trust the voice inside you <3