With a single email, senior Jackson “King Jamz” Mason was instantaneously elevated from the status of SoundCloud rapper to opening act. Mason, along with senior Paul Jesse and three other performers, will open for popular rapper “Ugly God” tonight at 8:00 p.m at the Granda Theater.

Barton: What’s your reaction to getting to open for something like this?

Mason: “It’s pretty exciting. I was just sitting in my chair with Joachim [Case] and Brandt Riley, and I didn’t think I was gonna get it, and I read the email and I couldn’t believe it. I was like ‘wow, this is crazy.’ I just feel like I actually have a chance at something…It’s pretty surreal.”

B: What was the process of getting to open for Ugly God?

M: “I probably sent over 50 emails to the Granada everyday, and then I told all my friends to go on Instagram and comment on Ugly God’s post ‘choose King Jamz.’ There’s like 50 [comments] on there. They probably were fed up with me, and that’s probably why they gave it to me.”

J: Are you a big fan of Ugly God?

M: “Yeah, huge fan, because he also started on SoundCloud in high school. I was like ‘hey, that’s what I’m doing.’ When I saw him coming to town I was like ‘I should try to get that show,’ and I did, and that’s crazy…[Ugly God] is a sign that anyone can do it if you try. If you try at something, you can do anything you want.”

J: What do you hope comes out of this?

M: “More fans definitely, and then somebody recognizing the talent that me…and every other SoundCloud rapper at this school has.”

J: Before you got the email, did you ever think this could be a real thing for you?

M: “I started emailing back in September…They did not email me back until this Wednesday. Two days before the show!…Towards the end of October I was like ‘ah, whatever.’…And then I got the email and I was like ‘alright, this is actually gonna happen.'”

J: Are you anxious?

M: “I’m really anxious. I’m not that nervous, I’m just really excited. I haven’t been able to sleep the past few days. We’ve been practicing our live show and all this, so it should be pretty fun.”

J: What are you thoughts overall about tonight?

M: “It’s gonna be a great show. It’s chance to got out there and prove to yourself that you can actually do this, and you’re not just a SoundCloud rapper…Hopefully something more comes of this and I can make this a thing for the future. There’s pretty slim chances, but you never know.”

Mason released his new track “SOS (Sons of Savages)” less than two weeks ago. Tickets for tonights show are $25 in advance and $32 at the door. Doors open at 7:00 p.m..