Photo by Amy Lee
Iconic West Coast hip hop artist and Grammy-nominated Blxst released his highly anticipated debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You, today via Red Bull Records/EVGLE. Executive produced by Grammy-winning producer Sounwave (Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé), the project is a 20-song, hour-long concept album that weaves a four-chapter story. The official music video for lead track “I Need Your Love,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, was just released.
Blxst & Ty Dolla $ign “I Need Your Love”
The album builds a cinematic world around the character Birdie, a young man who inherits a chauffeured car service following the sudden passing of his father. While Birdie is focused on his destination, he is constantly reminded of the life lessons his father taught him as the stories unfold in the backseat. I’ll Always Come Find You is the soundtrack to Blxst and Birdie’s introspective journey, exploring the twists and turns of love and relationships, personal identity and soul-searching on the road through life.
Speaking about the album, Blxst said:
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved concept albums like ‘Get Rich or Die Trying’ (50 Cent), ‘The Carter’ (Lil Wayne) and ‘Graduation’ (Kanye West), and I especially loved the ‘hero’s journey’ storyline. In ‘I’ll Always Come Find You,’ Birdie and I are experiencing similar things but living in different worlds. It’s my way of telling an intimate story while still preserving my privacy. Ultimately, this album is anyone’s story, and I invite everyone to take a back seat and join me on this journey.”
The artwork and visuals, which are based on cars and drivers, were created by creative director Amber Park (Gunna, Sabrina Carpenter, Kehlani). The attention to detail is apparent in the sounds of car doors closing, engine revs, and fake radio DJs.
Additionally, actor LaRoyce Hawkins, who works for the Chicago Police Department, plays the father, and rap pioneer E-40 plays the radio DJ. Fatman Scoop also lends his iconic voice to the song “Too Many Friday Nights.” Snoop Dogg also introduces the “dedication hour” in the song “To The Moon.” The attention to detail allows the listener to feel like they are experiencing Birdie’s journey while listening to the album.
Blxst utilizes his versatility to balance a variety of genres, styles and instruments, from his signature LA-rooted R&B, rhythmic reggaeton to house beats. Determined to create the album he’d always dreamed of, he cherry-picked and expressed from his diverse influences.
Blxst & Anderson .Paak “Dance With The Devil”
The album’s diverse featured musicians also add to the album’s appeal. Offset charts Birdie’s youthful adventurous spirit on “Risk Taker,” while Anderson .Paak laments the protagonist’s early downfall on the groove-packed “Dance With The Devil.” Night turns to morning on the cross-cultural “Rewind” featuring Feid & Becky G, and Ty Dolla $ign graces the album with a rendition of “I Need Your Love” just as Birdie is finally ready to go home.
Blxst & Feid – “Rewind”
Regarding the music video for “I Need Your Love,” Blxst said, “I consider Ty$ my musical mentor. Being from LA, he was one of the few people who took sonic risks and inspired me to do the same. And it was definitely one of my ambitions to make a record like this one, one that pushes the boundaries and doesn’t limit itself to one area.”
Blxst appeared at Kendrick Lamar’s one-night-only live show “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” at the Forum in Los Angeles to celebrate Emancipation Day on June 19th. He also recently performed songs from “I’ll Always Come Find You” for fans at the first Red Bull On The Record event in New York. He will also be leading a chauffeured motorcade across LA to bring the album back to his fans on the West Coast for a release party. Keep an eye out for more live and interactive activities in the future.
About Blxst
Not only as a rapper, singer, songwriter and producer, but as a creative visionary who mixes, masters and self-edits his own videos and artwork, he has defined a new era of West Coast hip hop and culture.
The South Central LA native taught himself to produce and record in high school, eventually collaborating with YG, Mozzy, Snoop Dogg, and Nas. In 2019, he formed an ironclad creative partnership with rapper Bino Rideaux and released the album Sixtape. In 2020, he partnered with Red Bull Records to release his solo debut EP No Love Lost, which was met with unanimous praise from tastemakers. The EP debuted at #3 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart, #6 on the US Rolling Stone Breakthrough 25 Chart, #11 on the US Trending 25 Chart, and the gold-certified single “Overrated” soared to #15 at urban radio. The deluxe edition of No Love Lost has amassed over 1.3 billion streams, and the platinum-certified track “Chosen” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign, Tyga) has amassed over 300 million streams in just one year, charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached #1 at rhythmic and urban radio.
In 2021, Blxst released his own EP “Just For Clarity” and the album “Sixtape 2” again with Bino Rideaux, and was included in the 2021 “Freshman Class” of American hip-hop media XXL. He won the Rising Star Award at the 2021 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Summit. Amidst the excitement, all shows on his fall 2021 “No Love Lost Tour” sold out in just 10 seconds.
Blxst, who has recorded more than 2.8 billion cumulative streams, started 2022 by winning “Best New Artist of The Year” at the XXL Awards and released his second solo album, “Before You Go”. The song “About You” was nominated for “Best Male R&B/Pop Artist” at the 2022 BET Awards. He won the “International Breakthrough Award” at the AIM Awards, which spotlights new artists belonging to independent labels, and the “Rookie of the Year Award” at Billboard’s R&B & Hip-Hop Power Players 2022, and his momentum is unstoppable.
And with his collaboration with Amanda Leifer on Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, “Die Hard” earned him two Grammy nominations for Best Melodic Rap Performance and Album of the Year for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, breaking a new career high for Blxst. He has also won multiple “Best of 2022” titles from major opinion leaders such as the Associated Press, Rolling Stone, and the LA Times.
In 2023, Blxst will pay tribute to the city that raised him with Just For Clarity 2, a four-track EP featuring scene-shaping artists Roddy Ricch, Mustard, Terrace Martin, and Larry June. A bite-sized project with broad and diverse appeal, Blxst is confident and self-aware, owing everything to his hometown of LA. 2023 will close with Sixtape 3, the third installment in his series with Bino Rideaux.
Having been praised as an “artist to watch” by Billboard, Complex, Pigeons & Planes, UPROXX and more, Blxst continues to forge his own path and lead the game forward.
release information
BLXST (Blast)
Debut album “I’ll Always Come Find You” now available
Streaming link:https://blxst.ffm.to/alwayscomefindyou
Label: Red Bull Records/EVGLE
Tracklist
Act 1/Side A
1. Paper Route (feat. 2 Chainz)
2. “Engle & Son”
3. Long Way (feat. Amanda Reifer)
4. Want You To Know
5. Selfish Ways
Act 2/Side B
1. Too Many Friday Nights (feat. Fatman Scoop)
2. Reason
3. Risk Taker (feat. Offset)
4. Private Show
5. How Many
Act 3/Side C
1. Bad Idea
2. Thousand Hours (feat. Joony)
3. Dance With The Devil (feat. Anderson .Paak)
4. I Had To
5. Rewind (feat. Feid & Becky G)
Act 4/Side D
1. Better Off Friends
2. Always Something
3. I Need Your Love (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
4. To The Moon
5. Ten Summers Or Better (feat. Kamasi Washington)
Music Videos
Blxst & Ty Dolla $ign “I Need Your Love”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzexXWW8CX8
Blxst & Anderson .Paak “Dance With The Devil”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRYeHQl6Gz8
Blxst x Offset “Risk Taker (Official Visualizer)”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOFGYOKmo7o
Blxst & Feid – “Rewind”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIPpOOiu6ao
Follow Blxst
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blxst
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blxst/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLXST1/
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