Blade (musician)

Last updated
Blade poses with Steve Hodge holding a Maradona jersey on Soccer AM. Blade Steve Hodge Maradona Jersey.jpg
Blade poses with Steve Hodge holding a Maradona jersey on Soccer AM.

Blade is a British rapper who started his hip-hop career during the early 1980s. [1] He is widely recognized as being the first British rapper to have released a double album on a fully independent label, [2] being the first hip-hop artist selling records on the streets direct to fans, [3] [4] [5] and using the crowdfunding method before the term existed. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Contents

Music journalist Will Ashon famously described Blade as "the underdog's underdog". [12]

Early life

Blade was born in Tehran, Iran and is of Armenian descent. At the age of four, he was sent to Calcutta, India, to attend a boarding school, where he stayed from 1973 to 1976. [13] [14] [15] At the age of seven, he relocated to London and continued his education as a boarding student at Christ's College in Blackheath from 1976 to 1985. [13] [14] [15]

During the Iran/Iraq War, unable to return to his birth city, Blade remained at his boarding school all year round for almost ten years, doing a variety of jobs there to maintain his residency. After leaving Christ's College as a student, he earned a job working in the kitchen as a dishwasher and kitchen assistant. He had first been offered the job as a student as a means to contribute toward his school fees because his parents were unable to send money out of Iran due to an embargo. [6] [16]

During this time, he crafted his skills as a beatboxer and MC and was soon performing at school discos and anywhere the opportunity presented itself. [9] [12] [14] His name is an acronym for "Beneficial Living Always Develops through Experience". [17] He also regularly frequented Covent Garden which was considered by many as the central hub for UK hip hop during this era (1983–1986). [13] [8]

Early career

Early in his career, Blade had partnered with fellow South London native Merlin MC who would go on to achieve chart success alongside Beatmasters [18] and Bomb the Bass. [6] Blade's own career would truly begin in 1986, after meeting producers Mastermix and 2000 Adee. [4] [6] [19] Both Mastermix and 2000 Adee would work with Blade on his early releases, the first of which was his debut single, 'Lyrical Maniac' (1989). [20] The single was recorded during sessions at Cold Storage Studios in Brixton's Acre Lane. The sessions were donated to Blade by Pete Tong, a club and radio DJ who was, at the time, A&R officer at London Records. [2] [13] [21] [22] The sessions were engineered by "No Sleep" Nigel (Nigel Laybourne), a producer and engineer who worked extensively with British rap artists in the 1980s and 1990s. Nigel would play a part in every Blade release for the next 10 years. [23] Scratches were provided by DJ Renegade, who would remain Blade's live and studio DJ until 1993 before joining Son of Noise. [6]

Initially, 300 self-funded white label copies of 'Lyrical Maniac' were pressed. However, only 10 copies survived after Blade pretended that they had a manufacturing fault due to financial difficulty and to request a refund. [24] Discouraged, depressed and suicidal, Blade was standing on a railway platform and considering jumping when he was approached by a friend who shared the news that Capital Radio hip hop DJ Tim Westwood had played his record. Blade has always referred to this as a life-saving moment. [6] [16]

One record store he approached was Cavern Records, in Lewisham Centre. After a few reorders, they offered him a record deal. This saw the birth of Raw Bass Records, [1] [4] but the partnership proved short-lived as they were not interested in releasing his second single, 'Mind of an Ordinary Citizen' (691 Influential, 1990). [20] Blade went on to self-fund this project, which saw the inauguration of his own label named after the local telephone dialing code in the New Cross area. [6]

A third single, 'Rough It Up' (691 Influential, 1991), [20] was released and sold in the same manner, followed by the 'Survival of the Hardest Workin'' EP (691 Influential, 1992) [20] which saw him begin to sell his records by mail order; [6] [8] a method which journalist Donna Snell had described as "naive" back in 1992. [8]

"Lion Goes From Strength To Strength" (1993)

Released on Blade's own 691 Influential record label, this was Blade's debut full length album. [20] Word spread that Blade needed the funds to complete the recording and manufacture of the album and so was born the idea to raise the money through crowdfunding. The idea was for people to send the purchase value to Blade via his already existent PO Box mail order facility and in return all advance orders would receive a free 7" limited edition vinyl of an exclusive track. [11] [1] The idea was a much bigger success than Blade had anticipated and the 7" turned into a 12" release with two tracks that have never been released except as the free vinyl giveaway. [1] [9] The album was a double vinyl release which also boasts an 11.5" square lyric booklet with photos, credits and also the names of all the advance buyers and supporters. [1] [22] This album is widely regarded as the first time the Kickstarter method was used to sell music, almost seventeen years before Kickstarter was even founded. [6] There are also only twenty copies of the album on limited white vinyl. One copy of the limited white vinyl sold second-hand at 1000 GBP. [14] [1] The album was reissued in 2010 on CD. [25]

Blade continued touring but soon brought everything to a standstill while dealing with the loss of his father and the birth of his first son, and aside from a couple of minor releases for survival purposes between 1993 and 1997, he maintained a relatively low profile. [12] [14]

A few more releases – including 'Rhyme Bomb' (1997), the only record he released through an American label (Bomb Records). [26]

Mark B and Blade

Mark B and Blade met when producer and DJ Mark booked Blade for a show in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1991. Mark had wanted to work with Blade for many years after that initial meeting, but Blade didn't feel Mark's production suited him so rejected the idea. [16] [27] They maintained a good friendship and, over the years, Blade would guide Mark with production techniques more suited to rappers. [24] In 1998 they recorded together for the first time. Blade gave full production duties on the 'Hitmen For Hire' EP (Jazz Fudge, 1998) to Mark but was never really satisfied with the end result, often labelling the sound as "too clinical". [22] [28] [27]

"The Unknown" (2000)

Their 2000 album, "The Unknown," was instrumental in elevating the profile of UK hip-hop artists. It was well-received and achieved chart success, [29] becoming the first UK Hip-Hop to sell over 50'000 copies. [5] The duo toured extensively and received heavy media coverage, including daytime playlisting by BBC Radio One. [30] The song "Ya Don't See The Signs" (2001) reached No. 23 in the UK singles chart, [31] leading to the pair performing on Top of the Pops. [13] [14] [32] They also undertook a tour supporting Eminem. [33] [1]

Despite the duo's considerable success, Blade's partnership with Mark B was halted. [27] The record deal belonged to Mark B, with Blade only being considered a featured artist. During this time, Blade also faced personal difficulties, including a violent street attack and temporary homelessness. [22]

"Storms Are Brewing" (2004)

Blade remortgaged his house to fund his next LP, 'Storms Are Brewing' (691 Influential, 2004) yet a week before the record was released, the distributor he had signed with, 3MV, declared bankruptcy. [1] [7]

"Guerrilla Tactics" (2006) and retirement

Following his experiences with 3MV, Blade was again considering walking away from music, but a chance meeting with Derby based producer Baby J at the UK Takeover event in Nottingham in 2004, led to another album. [34] His final show would be in Winchester on 6th October 2006. It would be a full ten years before Blade would be seen again, and only after Mark B’s untimely passing in 2016, [35] to perform a tribute show at the Boom Bap Festival. [36]

In 2006, Blade accidentally stumbled on a new business venture manufacturing CDs, which he kept active until 2020. [37]

2020–present

Blade currently runs a YouTube channel called 05:21 Official conducting interviews with artists and filming live performances in a studio environment. [38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch hip hop</span>

Dutch hip hop or Nederhop ("Netherhop") is hip hop / rap music created by Dutch speaking musicians in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). Although the first Dutch rappers in Europe typically wrote in the English language, this began to change when Osdorp Posse gained a big following of fans. They were the first to record and release hip hop in the Dutch language, perform for big crowds and to achieve chart success with their albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gang Starr</span> American East Coast hip hop duo

Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston, Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based in Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and are considered one of the best MC-and-producer duos in hip hop history. They are recognized for being one of the pioneers of jazz rap. Some of their top hits include "Mass Appeal", "Take It Personal", "Moment of Truth", "Full Clip" and "Above The Clouds".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pharcyde</span> American hip hop group

The Pharcyde is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Fatlip. DJ Mark Luv was the group's first disc jockey (DJ), followed by producer J-Swift. The group is perhaps best known for the hit singles "Drop", "Passin' Me By" and "Runnin'", as well as their first album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992). The group continues to tour and record, both collaboratively and in solo projects—the most recent being Hardson's collaborative EP with DJ Nu-Mark released in 2014 on Delicious Vinyl.

Christian hip hop is a cross-genre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United States during the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daz Dillinger</span> American rapper and producer (born 1973)

Delmar Drew Arnaud, known professionally as Daz Dillinger or simply Daz, is an American rapper and record producer. As a member of Death Row Records in the early 1990s, he is credited with the label in pioneering West Coast hip hop and gangsta rap for mainstream audiences. Alongside Kurupt, he formed the hip hop duo tha Dogg Pound in 1992, with whom he has released eight albums.

Filipino hip-hop or Pinoy hip hop is hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, both in the Philippines and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans.

Emerging in the first half of the 1980s, Swedish hip hop originated in the cities of Stockholm and Malmö. Early on, most rappers in Sweden performed in English. Funkalics and The Latin Kings, two very different acts united by their innovative use of the Swedish language, debuted a decade later and paved the way for a second, and bigger, breakthrough for Swedish hip hop. Today, some of the most popular rappers use Swedish, often in different accents.

UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. British hip hop can also be referred to as Brit-hop, a term coined and popularised mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC. British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1950s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK. Toasting and soundsystem cultures were also influential in genres outside of hip hop that still included rapping – such as grime, jungle, and UK garage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alchemist (musician)</span> American DJ and producer (born 1977)

Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as the Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and rapper. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masta Ace</span> American rapper (born 1966)

Duval Clear, known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice and rapping proficiency, and has influenced several MCs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel</span> 1981 single by Grandmaster Flash

"The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" is a single released by American disc jockey Grandmaster Flash in 1981. It is a live DJ mix recording of Flash scratching and mixing records from various groups using three turntables. The musician employed several DJ techniques in the recording, including crossfading, cutting, rubbing and backspins.

Nathaniel Thompson, better known professionally as Giggs, is a British rapper and songwriter from Peckham, London. He released his debut studio album Walk in da Park in 2008 and released a follow-up album Let Em Ave It the following year.

Hip-hop or hip hop music, also known as rap, and formerly as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s from African Americans and Afro-Caribbean immigrants in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre consisting of stylized rhythmic music that often accompanies rapping, a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech. In the early 1990s, a professor of African American studies at Temple University said, "hip hop is something that blacks can unequivocally claim as their own." By the 21st century, the field of rappers had diversified by both race and gender. The music developed as part of the broader hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, breakdancing, and graffiti art. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of the culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRS-One</span> American rapper

Lawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One and Teacha, is an American rapper from The Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is known for his songs "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy". Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after La Rock's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists.

The Brotherhood were a pioneering UK hip-hop group with a solid following across the UK from the early 1990s. Releases with seminal UK Hip Hop label Bite It! Recordings were followed by a later move to Virgin. The 1996 album Elementalz has been described as one of the best UK hip hop albums ever made and "a staggering achievement in British music". The band finally split in 1998 and have since been credited as one of the most influential bands on the 90s UK hip-hop scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sure Shot (rapper)</span> Musical artist

Mark Duffus, also known as Blak Prophetz, is a British rapper and producer from the West Midlands in England where he formed the group Blak Prophetz in the early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustard (record producer)</span> American record producer and DJ (born 1990)

Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer and DJ. A frequent producer for California-based artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign, he has produced a bulk of singles and albums for both rappers, as well as other prominent acts in hip hop and R&B. He first saw recognition for his work on Tyga's 2011 single "Rack City".

Joe Christie, better known as Braintax, is a British rapper and producer. Christie had also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains. All of his releases were on his own record label, Low Life Records.

Mark Anthony Battles, known professionally as Mark Battles, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Indianapolis, Indiana.

The 57th Dynasty is a British hip hop group from Brixton, London.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Blade Interview – UKHH.COM". 2004-08-09. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  2. 1 2 Pinkerton, Lee (19 June 1993). "Blade Runner". ECHOES– via Underground United.
  3. ↑ Constantinides, Alex (October 1991). "Rough Cuts". Hip-Hop Connection (33): 2–3.
  4. 1 2 3 Leonard, Michael (December 1990). "Citizen Blade". Hip-Hop Connection (23): 16–17.
  5. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (4 October 2001). "Review: Mark B and Blade". The Guardian.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The Quietus | Features | Anniversary | 25 Years On: Blade's The Lion Goes From Strength To Strength Revisited". The Quietus. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  7. 1 2 McNally, James (March 2006). "SURVIVOR". Hip-Hop Connection (198): 82–92.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Snell, Donna (September 1992). "Blade:Runner". ECHOES.
  9. 1 2 3 Deeaz, Tee (1993). "Blue Eyes & Blade". Fat Cap (1): 1.
  10. ↑ Pemberton, Andy. "Blade: The Lion Goes from strength to Strength". Hip-Hop Connection (52): 26.
  11. 1 2 "Blade on the Cut". Hip-Hop Connection (48). February 1993.
  12. 1 2 3 Ashon, Will (March 1996). "Nappy Head". Hip-Hop Connection (85): 42–43.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Batey, Angus (28 February 2004). "Face of british rap unmasked". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McNally, James (May 2004). "The First Cut Is the Deepest". Hip-Hop Connection (176): 54–57.
  15. 1 2 Frisk (1992). "Blade". Make't Better (3): 14–15.
  16. 1 2 3 Aydin, Ekrem (April 2001). "Mark B & Blade". Backspin (27): 28–32.
  17. ↑ "BLADE: Cut To Kill". Rage: Music and Lifestyle. August 15, 1991.
  18. ↑ "BEATMASTERS WITH MERLIN". Official Charts .
  19. ↑ Morgan, Michael (June 1990). "MC Blade". Hip-Hop Connection (17): 8.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Rogers, Paul (June 1993). "Roaring Success". Hip-Hop Connection (52): 32–34.
  21. ↑ Kothoff, Akim (December 1993). "BLADE". MZEE: Das Absolute Hip-Hop Magazin (3).
  22. 1 2 3 4 Shok, George (2000). "Mark B & Blade". Big Daddy (5): 6–8.
  23. ↑ Cuba, Jonny (2002). "No Sleep Nigel". Big Daddy (10): 42.
  24. 1 2 S3 Episode 14: Blade | Hip Hop Saved My Life with Romesh Ranganathan, 2021-03-25, retrieved 2023-10-15
  25. ↑ Batey, Angus (2010-10-07). "The hip-hop heritage society". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  26. ↑ "Blade -Interview". www.bombhiphop.com. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  27. 1 2 3 "Low-Life | UK Hip Hop Story | Mark B and Blade". old.britishhiphop.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  28. ↑ Aydin, Ekrem (April 2001). "Mark B & Blade". Backspin (27): 28–32.
  29. ↑ NME (2005-09-12). "Mark B & Blade : There's No Stoppin' It EP". NME. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  30. ↑ NME (2005-09-12). "Mark B & Blade: London Charing Cross Mean Fiddler". NME. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  31. ↑ "MARK B AND BLADE". Official Charts. 2001-02-10. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  32. ↑ Simpson, Dave (2001-09-13). "The home boys". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  33. ↑ NME (2001-02-08). "THE DEAL – SLIM, BLADE, B". NME. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  34. ↑ "Blade – Rapnews.co.uk UK rap, grime and hiphop culture resource!". Rapnews.co.uk UK rap, grime and hiphop culture resource! – UK hiphop and UK grime resource with the best UK hiphop and UK grime rapppers, news, videos, features and videos. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  35. ↑ Fact (2016-01-01). "UK hip-hop producer Mark B has died". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  36. ↑ Everton, Ethan (30 August 2016). "BOOM BAP FESTIVAL 2016: 10 ARTIST HIGHLIGHTS".
  37. ↑ S3 Episode 14: Blade, 25 March 2021, retrieved 2023-10-15
  38. ↑ "blade – UKHH.COM". 2022-01-02. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.