Interview: The House That Blxst Built

The House That Blxst Built

In conversation with the certified hip-hop artist who has a Rolodex more valuable than his Rolex.

by Adriel Smiley

Published on August 13, 2024

Blxst has an unusually large catalogue for an artist dropping their debut project. You’ve heard his songs, and you’ve definitely heard his voice – He’s already released a string of successful mixtapes and EPs, including the platinum single “Chosen” with Tyga and Ty Dolla $ign. “Die Hard,” his appearance on Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, in 2022, was one of the standouts and most streamed records from the project. With a string of big-name collaborations, he’s your favourite artist’s favourite artist.

As his popularity ascended during the pandemic, going from a lesser-known LA artist to a staple in hip-hop and R&B, the past five years have appropriately set the stage for his debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You. Blxst may have picked up a misguided reputation for songs that all sound alike, but his debut successfully refutes it.

The record contains 20 songs, split into four discs, each with a different vibe. In an era of swollen tracklists throughout Blxst’s genre, being able to include multiple soundscapes is imperative. He does have an acute sense of self-awareness that sonic diversity hasn’t been something that he’s been known for so far.

“I wanted to throw people off from the gate, I wanted to give people exactly what they didn’t expect,” he says. “I want you to either love it or hate it; that’s my motion for the album.”

The gamble is calculated, but that does not guarantee a positive reception. With singles as diverse as “Risk Taker,” which features Offset, and “Dance With the Devil,” teaming up with Anderson .Paak, it makes forecasting his sonic direction a guessing game. The latter is the song from the album he’s the most proud of.

“I’m a huge fan of Anderson .Paak, how he approaches the music, how he incorporates live instruments. He’s just a class act, he’s a character on and off camera,” he says. “To have a song with him in my ear is like having a song with James Brown.”

Blxst’s blend of hip-hop and R&B feels unique, seamless, and, most importantly, effortless. In April of 2023, the LA native left his hometown to start the creative process for this project, giving himself the space to create more freely.

“In Utah, I did a camp out there. I flew out a bunch of producers, my Eagle team. We pretty much brainstormed how I wanted to approach this album,” he says. “Initially, it was just a song creative session. It was dope for me to just be an artist and create with no intentions.”

Regardless of his success, his recording process remains modest. Day to day, he records from home with a simple setup: an Apollo twin, a preamp, some speakers and an open mic. Although I’ll Always Come Find You features a few different genres, what remains consistent throughout is Blxst’s command of melodies.

When detailing his writing process, his relationship to melody sounds borderline spiritual. “I make a beat, pull up a beat and just hum a melody from start to finish. Then I take certain sections, ‘Oh, this melody connects,’ and fit words.” He goes on, “It’s crazy because the melody, it automatically tells a story in itself. Once the words come about, it feels like I’m not even in control, that’s like God at that point.”

With California and Los Angeles’ musical scenes experiencing a revival at the forefront of hip-hop culture, Blxst’s music may be the perfect soundtrack. On Juneteenth, Kendrick Lamar hosted a concert titled The Pop Out with the intention of celebrating his recent rap-battle victory and unifying the West Coast. Blxst was among the many LA-based openers, among acts including Roddy Rich, Tyler the Creator, and Steve Lacy.

When asked where his music lives best, he envisions a family BBQ. For outsiders, LA seems like one big, invite-only BBQ. “I just envision a family being able to be in the backyard, barbecuing and two-stepping. That’s just the embodiment of what a Blxst song is and what people fell in love with me for, and I’m well aware of that.”

As many new celebrities do with their first taste of wealth, Blxst may have done some self-proclaimed ‘stupid things’ with his first big cheque – but it wasn’t all blown on fun; he also spoke some of what he wanted into reality.

“My first big cheque, I bought 12 Eagle chains for my Eagle team, and I bought a Mercedes,” he says. “Luckily, I had enough to still buy a house later, so that was a proud moment. I bought my first home and I said that in a lot of interviews – ‘I want to be a homeowner.’ I actually made it happen, so I take pride in that.”

Moments like this, where your hard work turns into something tangible, are priceless. With the release of his debut album in the rearview and his headlining North American tour set to start in early October, he proposes a personal definition of success.

“I think success for me is impact. It’s kind of hard to really gauge what impact is. It’s when I’m looking into that audience, you’re singing word for word, or you see somebody crying and really connected to the lyrics. How many people that you impact around you, how many lives did you change?” he says. “I’ve hired a lot of people, you know, I put a lot of people in position and I say that humbly, being able to do that, because how I came up, I didn’t have any family in the music industry or things like that. So the fact that I’m able to get people in the door, or just experience or create an opportunity, that’s my version of success.”