Dean Blunt

Last updated

Dean Blunt
Birth nameRoy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi [1]
Origin Hackney, London [2]
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
  • contemporary artist
Labels

Roy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi, better known by his pseudonym Dean Blunt, is a British singer-songwriter, musician, producer and contemporary artist. He is best known for his current solo work as well as his previous work as part of avant-garde duo Hype Williams (with Inga Copeland), and more recently, the hip hop group Babyfather. Blunt was also the founder of London rock band Graffiti Island. [2] [7] He has been described as "a prolific, category-rejecting artist" [2] and "an art-pop provocateur." [3]

Contents

Life and career

Although little is known about his personal life, Blunt has said he comes from a London family that he describes as "Sun readers, working class, kind of ignorant in ways". [8]

Blunt performed music with Russian-born artist Inga Copeland (also known as Lolina) as the electronic duo Hype Williams from 2007 until 2012. Supposedly founded in 2005 as a "relay" project passed between artists every five years, the group has given few interviews, leaving music journalists and the media in doubt as to the exact nature of the project. [9] [10] The group's lineup has remained obscure, although Blunt's artistic style has been heard within newer releases, and a variety of other names have also been invoked as members. A mysterious representative named Denna Frances Glass has alternately been posited as either the manager of the project or a fake identity created by Blunt and Copeland. [9] [10] In 2016, Glass announced that Blunt and Copeland were no longer part of the project, which would be continuing with other members. [11]

Blunt embarked his solo career in 2011, releasing a set of albums as well as several EPs and singles. His first few full-length studio albums, The Narcissist II (2012), The Redeemer (2013), and Black Metal (2014), received attention and praise from various music publications. [2] [12] [13] BBF Hosted By DJ Escrow, his first album as Babyfather, was named the best album of 2016 by Tiny Mix Tapes and Resident Advisor .

In 2018, Blunt contributed heavily to ASAP Rocky's album Testing , with production and writing credits on "Purity" and "Gunz N Butter" and additional vocals on "Calldrops". Blunt's work on the album followed collaborative singles between the two artists prior, such as the Babyfather track "Benzo Amore". [14] The pair have since collaborated on multiple recordings. [15] [16] [17]

Blunt is also known for his playfulness and obfuscation. In 2015, he sent his bodyguard to accept his Philip Hall Radar Award at the NME Awards. [18] In 2016, he listed a toy Foxtons estate agents Mini Cooper with a splatter of pink paint filled with marijuana on eBay for £250. [19] At a New York concert, in March 2016, media guests were asked to check in under aliases that they had received with their ticket confirmations. [20]

Blunt has directed music videos for Actress and Panda Bear. [21] [22]

Blunt has produced theatre works including The Narcissist at HAU1 in Berlin in 2012; Lord Knows at Le Romandie in Lausanne in 2013; and I’m Just Passin Thru To Show Some Love in 2013 and Urban in 2014, both at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. [23] In October 2017, Blunt also debuted Inna, an opera directed by himself with music from Mica Levi, at the same institute. [24]

Blunt has put on a number of art exhibitions, including New Paintings at the Triangle and W44VY at Arcadia Missa. [25] [26] He has also published a book compiling "excessive expenses made in the most popular VIP clubs in the hip hop scene", entitled Cîroc Boyz: Vol 1.

Blunt practices Transcendental Meditation and is a vocal proponent of it. [27] In a 2016 interview with i-D, he said: "Transcendental Meditation is an effortless practice that brings a lot. Pareto. The hardest thing to remember is how simple it is. Focusing too much on the mantra defeats the objective." [28]

In 2024, the collaborative album Backstage Raver was released with longtime collaborator Joanne Robertson. [29]

Discography

Solo

As part of Babyfather

Other

As part of Hype Williams

Awards and nominations

YearOrganisationAwardResult
2015NME AwardPhilip Hall Radar Award [Best New Act] [18] Winner

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnite (band)</span>

Midnite was a roots reggae band from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, which started playing in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyperdub</span> British electronic music record label

Hyperdub is a British, London-based electronic music record label and former webzine, founded by Steve Goodman, a.k.a. Kode9. The label was formed in 2004, and grew out of the UK's early dubstep scene. Artists signed to the label have included Burial, Cooly G, Dean Blunt, DJ Rashad, DVA, Fatima Al Qadiri, Ikonika, Jessy Lanza, Klein, Laurel Halo and Zomby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mica Levi</span> English musician

Micaela Rachel "Mica" Levi, also known by their stage name Micachu, is an English musician, composer, producer, singer, and songwriter.

<i>Backstage: Music Inspired by the Film</i> 2000 soundtrack album by DJ Clue?

Backstage: Music Inspired by the Film is the soundtrack to the Chris Fiore's 2000 documentary film Backstage. Originally scheduled for a Fall 1999 release, it was then delayed to a January 11, 2000 release. The album was ultimately released on August 29, 2000 by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASAP Rocky</span> American rapper (born 1988)

Rakim Athelaston Mayers, known professionally as ASAP Rocky, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. In August 2011, Mayers' single "Peso" was leaked online, and within weeks, began receiving radio airplay. He signed with Polo Grounds Music, an imprint of RCA Records in October of that year, and shortly after, released his debut mixtape, Live. Love. A$AP (2011) to widespread critical acclaim.

Hippos in Tanks was a record label founded in 2010 by Barron Machat and Travis Woolsey. The label specialized in electronic music. It was named the best label of 2011 by FACT. Following the death of Machat in 2015, The Fader praised the label for "laying the groundwork to an alternative template for the avant-garde." The label is no longer active.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceGhostPurrp</span> American rapper and record producer

Markese Money Rolle, known professionally as SpaceGhostPurrp, is an American rapper and producer from Miami, Florida. He is the founder of the now-defunct American hip hop group Raider Klan, as well as a co-founder of the Black Money Boys.

<i>Aquarius</i> (Tinashe album) 2014 studio album by Tinashe

Aquarius is the debut studio album by American singer Tinashe, released on October 3, 2014, by RCA Records. In 2011, after the disbandment of the girl group The Stunners, Tinashe announced that she would begin pursuing a solo career. The following year she released her debut mixtape In Case We Die. After raising her profile with the mixtape, Tinashe met with RCA Records where she subsequently signed a recording contract. Following her signing a record deal, Tinashe immediately began working on the album. During the recording process for the debut album, she released two other mixtapes, Reverie (2012) and Black Water (2013).

<i>Black Metal</i> (Dean Blunt album) 2014 studio album by Dean Blunt

Black Metal is an album by British musician Dean Blunt, released by Rough Trade Records on 3 November 2014. The album features vocals from Blunt and frequent collaborator Joanne Robertson. Musically, the album is structured more conventionally than Blunt's previous work, but is diverse in instrumentation and genre.

<i>MC4</i> (mixtape) 2016 mixtape by French Montana

MC4 is the twenty-first mixtape by American rapper French Montana. MC4 was originally intended to be released as his second studio album. It was released on November 5, 2016, by Coke Boys Records, Bad Boy Records, Maybach Music Group and Epic Records. However, the album's release was canceled after Target unofficially released the album on CD on its original release date of August 19, 2016, two months before the album was set to release, which was later leaked online in its entirety. Subsequently, the album was heavily bootlegged. It was French Montana's last project released by Maybach Music Group before leaving the label.

Hype Williams is a music and art group best known for consisting of UK-born artist Dean Blunt and Russian-born artist Inga Copeland between 2007 and 2012. Supposedly founded in 2005 as a "relay" project passed between artists every five years, the group has given few interviews, leaving music journalists and the media in doubt as to the exact nature of the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blended Family (What You Do for Love)</span> 2016 single by Alicia Keys featuring ASAP Rocky

"Blended Family (What You Do for Love)" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys, featuring vocals from rapper ASAP Rocky. It was written by Keys, Rocky, John Bush, Brandon Aly, Tish Hyman, Dave Kuncio, John Houser, Kenneth Withrow and Edie Brickell for her sixth studio album Here (2016), while production was helmed by Keys and Mark Batson. The song refers to the former marriage of Keys' husband Swizz Beatz and musician Mashonda Tifrere. It was released on October 7, 2016 by RCA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playboi Carti</span> American rapper

Jordan Terrell Carter, known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. An influential figure among his generation, he has contributed to the progression of trap music and its rage subgenre. He first signed with local underground record label Awful Records in 2014, and later signed with ASAP Mob's record label AWGE, in a joint venture with Interscope Records two years later. Carter gained mainstream attention following the release of his eponymous debut mixtape (2017), which peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles "Magnolia" and "Wokeuplikethis".

Venezuelan electronic music producer Arca has released ten studio albums, one remix album, two mixtapes, one compilation album, five DJ mixes, one box set, five extended plays (EPs), twenty-nine singles, twenty-three music videos, and ten remixes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghostemane</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1991)

Eric Whitney, known professionally as Ghostemane or Eric Ghoste, is an American rapper and record producer. He has released eight solo albums and three collaborative albums under his Ghostemane moniker, primarily merging elements of heavy metal, hip hop and industrial music. Whitney has also released music with a number of additional solo projects, pursuing styles including black metal as Baader-Meinhof, noise music as GASM, and electronic music as Swearr. He began his career in local hardcore punk and doom metal bands around Florida. In 2015, he moved to Los Angeles, California, starting a career as a rapper, under the moniker Ill Bizz. Around this same time, he was a member of the hip hop collective Schemaposse.

<i>The Redeemer</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Dean Blunt

The Redeemer is a studio album by British musician Dean Blunt, released in 2013 on Hippos in Tanks.

<i>Black Is Beautiful</i> (Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland album) 2012 studio album by Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland

Black Is Beautiful is a studio album by Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland of the electronic duo Hype Williams, released in 2012 on Hyperdub.

<i>Black Metal 2</i> 2021 studio album by Dean Blunt

Black Metal 2 is an album by Dean Blunt, released on Rough Trade Records on 11 June 2021. The album was only formally announced on 8 June 2021, following pictures being posted to the social media accounts of collaborators Vegyn and James Massiah depicting a billboard with the album cover; however, references had been made to it by Blunt prior to this, as far back as 2016, including in the description of various releases on SoundCloud. It serves as a sequel to his 2014 album Black Metal and features an edited version of that cover as its album cover. The album features additional vocals from Joanne Robertson on six songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lolina</span> Estonian electronic musician and singer

Alina Astrova, better known by the recording aliases Lolina and Inga Copeland, is an Estonian experimental musician and singer living in London. In addition to her solo work, she collaborated with British musician Dean Blunt on various releases, including several albums as the duo Hype Williams from 2009 to 2012.

Bar Italia, stylized bar italia, are a British indie rock band formed in London in 2019. The band consists of members Nina Cristante (vocals), Sam Fenton, and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi. Their name is derived from the Soho café Bar Italia.

References

  1. ↑ "AMIR (VOC MIX)". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kellman, Andy. "Dean Blunt". AllMusic . Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Joyce, Colin (20 October 2015). "Dean Blunt Goes on a Trip for 'On Wine, Hashish & Molly' Version of Archangel's 'Julia'". Spin . Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Scott Barron, Michael (18 February 2016). "Dean Blunt's Babyfather Project Announced an Album with the Most Incredible Art – Thump". Vice. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  5. ↑ David Laderman, Laurel Westrup (2014). Sampling Media. OPU USA. p. 109.
  6. ↑ "Dean Blunt Goes Hip-Hop with Arca on Babyfather LP". 31 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (5 April 2012). "Hype Williams: do they ever speak the truth?". The Guardian . Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Blanning, Lisa. "Hype Williams transcript – The Wire". The Wire Magazine – Adventures In Modern Music.
  9. 1 2 "FACT mix 216: Hype Williams". Fact . 24 January 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  10. 1 2 Gibb, Rory. "In Search of Hype Williams". The Quietus . Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Brito, Kristian (11 August 2016). "Hype Williams' new album out now; Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland touring separately". Brooklyn Vegan . Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  12. ↑ Milton, Jamie (6 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". DIY . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Joyce, Colin (17 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Dean Blunt appears on three tracks from A$AP Rocky's new album, Testing · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor.
  15. ↑ "Dean Blunt and A$AP Rocky Collaboration "Stoozy" Surfaces Online". FLOOD.
  16. ↑ "A$AP Rocky and Yung Lean appear on Dean Blunt's new album". The FADER.
  17. ↑ "Dean Blunt Drops New EP Featuring ASAP Rocky and Mica Levi: Listen". Pitchfork. 19 September 2018.
  18. 1 2 Zadeh, Joe (19 February 2015). "Dean Blunt Pranked the NME Awards Last Night – Noisey". Vice. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  19. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (14 January 2016). "Dean Blunt Is Selling a Toy Car Stuffed With Weed on eBay". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  20. ↑ Trammell, Matthew (19 September 2016). "Dean Blunt's Agit Rap". The New Yorker . Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "Panda Bear Shares Dean Blunt-Directed Video for "Token" | Exclaim!".
  22. ↑ "Watch Actress's Video For "Falling Rizlas," Directed By Dean Blunt". The FADER.
  23. ↑ "Dean Blunt & Mica Levi — 'INNA'". www.vooruit.be.
  24. ↑ "Inna". www.ica.art. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  25. ↑ "BLUNTLY SPEAKING Harry Burke on Dean Blunt at Arcadia Missa, London". textezurkunst.de.
  26. ↑ "Dean Blunt: New Paintings – [ SPACE ]". spacestudios.org.uk.
  27. ↑ "Dean Blunt". caribiccare.com.
  28. ↑ "Dean blunt talks art, transcendental meditation, and how atlanta could be a paradise". I-D. 22 February 2016.
  29. ↑ "BACKSTAGE RAVER by Joanne Robertson & Dean Blunt". Genius. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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.