The raunchy queer rapper, show host, social media superstar, bear affairs writer and Cub Supreme is serving two sexy shows at his home base this month. Now’s a good time to explore the cave of Bryce Quartz! [Cover photo: Evan Z]
Thotyssey: Hello Bryce, thanks for chatting today! So I was recently a guest on your GROWLr app chat show, which was fun! How long have you been doing that?
Bryce Quartz: It’s a pleasure to chat with you, and it was a pleasure having you on my show! I’ve been doing “Shine Bright w/ Bryce Quartz” since the middle of April. I created the show to promote all the amazing and wonderfully talented people in the bear community such as musicians, activists, actors, and so much more! It’s every Wednesday at 7pm on GROWLr Live, and even features a segment called “The Bear News” sponsored by Bear World Magazine. It’s always a fun time, and I’m so glad you joined us recently!
You’ve been a correspondent / writer with Bear World for a bit now, and you often host their sponsored showcases at Rockbar. How long have you been involved with that magazine, and how did the relationship come about?
I was actually covered by Bear World Magazine for the first time in July of 2020, when I was working on my third mixtape. It wasn’t until the middle of 2021 that I pitched an article idea to them — which they accepted, and the rest is history! Now, I’m a part time freelance writer for Bear World Magazine, and I consider the people on the team my chosen family. They are very special to me and close to my heart, and I love using the platform they’ve given me to promote and shine a light on lots of new artists and people in the bear community.
I recently did the cover story for the month of August, which features an interview from Nathan Piland who has over four million followers on social media, making this my biggest interview yet. There’s always something new coming your way with my writing for Bear World, so be on the lookout for what’s next!
Amazing! I bet you really feel that sense of close-knit community amongst the bear populations of all the world’s gayborhoods! It sometimes must feel like a very small world, right?
Oh, it’s a very small world in the gay community, let alone the bear community! But I still love the bear community, and I love being a part of it.
Tell us, if you will, a bit about where you from, and what the early stages of your craft as a recording artist, writer and performer were.
I am from Randleman, North Carolina, a town just south of Greensboro, NC. I grew up where you had to drive fifteen minutes to the nearest grocery store, past farmland and all that good stuff. I was raised Southern Baptist, and grew up adoring my sister because she could play guitar and sing at the same time.
I was a keyboard player in a few bands in middle school, but it wasn’t until I was 19 that I realized this was something I really wanted to do. I was listening to [the music group] Brockhampton and got inspiration from Kevin Abstract, an openly gay rapper in the group. I felt like I had found my purpose, so I started finding beats and writing raps. I started off dissing my family name, Trump, and Liberty University in my first two mixtapes, and my third one was just closing my beginner’s chapter as a rapper.
Last year, I garnered over 500k views on TikTok in just a few days, which pretty much decided my transition into rapping about raunchy sex. I made that track for fun, yet the amount of fans I gained from it helped me realize my self-worth as an artist. It gave me the courage to leave my ex, leave my family behind in NC, my job, and move to NYC with nothing but hopes and dreams. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I finally feel like I belong somewhere, not only as an artist, but as a human too.
You also made a track with Drag Race alum Brita Filter!
Yes! In 2020, I was still learning about my direction as an artist, but I knew I wanted to do good for our community as a queer musician with a platform. I pitched a voting song to Brita because she helps run Drag Out The Vote!, and when she greenlit the track, it was game on! I wrote the song in seven days with the help of my mentor Big Daddy Karsten and my good musician friend xMetalMouthx.
I also helped train Brita via Zoom on how to record the vocals, which was so much fun! Brita is kind, she’s patient, and she’s got a heart made of solid gold. I was shocked she even took a chance on me, but it really paid off because we made the LGBT+ voters’ anthem of the decade! Plus, it was cool seeing the official RuPaul’s Drag Race Twitter tweet my name, lol!
So many artists who pop on TikTok and YouTube have found it difficult to translate their talents to the stage, but you’ve performed live quite often now. How might you describe the Bryce Quartz live experience to the uninitiated?
I’d say, to put it simply: it’s horny, it’s funny, and it’s entertaining. Some of my favorite feedback I’ve received so far after performing includes “you made me question my entire sex life,” “oh my god, I was not expecting that from you at all” and “I’m straight, but I seriously loved your rapping ability.” It’s honestly nice to know that I either make you horny, I make you question your sex life, or I make you laugh when I perform. At least I can make everyone feel something at the end of the day hehe
Do you have a “wildest thing I’ve done / experienced in a live show” story?
I’ve definitely experienced quite a few things that are worth discussing! But I think the wildest thing to me was performing my raunchiest songs about Daddy Dick and bears and rough sex in front of 5500 Norwegians for Oslo Pride this year, and seeing dozens of Norwegians dance to and enjoy each song. Comparably, I’ve seen drag queens pull dildos out of their ass on stage before… so I don’t know, you tell me what’s crazier!?
To each her own!
You call yourself a cub, but lots of folks across the spectrum of beardom have different definitions of “bear” versus “cub” whether it’s a body hair thing, a size thing, an age thing or a dom / sub thing. How do you define “cub?”
I think you’re exactly right; there’s definitely different definitions for it, and what it means to certain people… but I think that’s how it should be defined at its core. If you identify as a cub because you’re more submissive, or you’re chubby but not that chubby, or you’re just new to the scene, I think it’s all valid. I identify as a cub because I’m young, I’m kinda chubby, and I’m a bit submissive sometimes… plus, I’m a wannabe bear! It’s “Mr. Lil’ Cub” if you’re nasty!
Growl! That brings us to Friday’s special one-off showcase at your home base Rockbar this Thursday starring yourself and your friend, rapper Chris Conde. Tell us about Chris and “1 Bear, 1 Cub!“
Chris Conde is a non-binary bear rapper who just recently moved here from Texas, and we met online a few months back. I’ve been linking up with Chris ever since they moved here, and have already booked them for my monthly Rockbar show “BAIT” twice as well as covered them on Bear World Magazine. I was given this [particular Friday] night at Rockbar so Chola Spears could go see Lady Gaga, lol, so I asked my partner in bear crime, Chris, if they would do a double feature night with me full of original performances and hip hop music to fit the vibe. I’m hoping if we do well with “1 Bear, 1 Cub” that we can keep doing it, wherever that may lead us. But it’s definitely going to be a show you don’t wanna miss!
And your prior-mentioned Bear World Magazine-produced Rockbar monthly showcase “BAIT,” featuring a variety of guest performers (mostly from or adjacent to the bear community), returns on August 26 with an extra large and in charge cast!
Yes! This month, on August 25th, BAIT is back at Rockbar with quite an all queer lineup… We have 3DD13 WAYN3 performing for us, who’s been on the NYC scene for a bit now and was on Bear World Magazine’s November 2021 cover. We also have Bugz Gutta co-hosting the show with me, another NYC icon who is the creator of Pynk Gorilla Entertainment and a rapper, and Jayling, another iconic NYC rapper who works with Pynk Gorilla Entertainment. Brooklyn based rapper Hi Yello will also be rapping on stage for us, serving his sexy lyrics and sensual flow!
Also joining us this month from Houston, TX is Estevan, The God, a cubby rapper who’s made a name for himself in the south from working with the likes of Megan Thee Stallion among others. From Atlanta, GA, Rico Cassadine will be joining us this month as well! Not only does he rap, but he’s also in the cast of the most recent season of Chasing Reality: Atlanta. I’m super hype to meet him! Not to mention we also have gogo bears Mel The Sumo and Jey Oso dancing for us, plus DJ Soljoz spinning the beats all night, bringing even more heat and sexiness to the building!
It’s gonna be legendary, having all this talent in the same room, and definitely a night to remember for the gay rap scene this year in the United States. Plus, the cover is free with a suggested $5 donation, and KStraps will be setting up a booth to sell some sexy stuff for everyone!
What else is coming up for you?
Well, I’m a busy cubby and I’m always on the move! Music related, I recently dropped an emotionally-driven collaboration with my friend from LA, Nick White, titled “Ghost” that’s now streaming on all platforms. I also have some features coming out this year that I’ve done for other artists, and I’m working day and night finishing up my next EP that will be released whenever it’s perfect!
You can expect new articles on Bear World Magazine this month written by me with exclusive interviews, as well as articles written on Rock The Pigeon weekly, a music blog I work for. My GROWLr Live show is every Wednesday at 7pm EST and features exclusive interviews with people in the bear community from around the world. It’s always a good time; it’s basically a talk show where I promote others. So come join me for the fun! Sponsored by GROWLr.
And you never know where I might pop up to perform at between Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan! I’m a cubby on the move, and I love to rap in a jockstrap on stage… so I hope to see everyone reading this on a stage near you soon.
All amazing! Okay, lastly: who’s a person in the bear scene that you’d love to collaborate with in any way? Even if it’s just a GROWLr hookup, lol?
I definitely want to collaborate with a few different artists in the bear scene… for different reasons, lol! My fans have been asking me to collab with Big Dipper for months now; maybe we can get that in the works at some point. I’d also love to work with the icon Wreckno. He makes insanely good music, and is one of my favorite queer rappers out right now. We’re cool, so maybe we can work that one out too. As far as hookup wise? Can someone please tell the porn star Will Angel to hit me up?
The word is out! Thanks, Bryce!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Bryce Quartz’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and his website. Stream and download his music on all available platforms.
Thotyssey 