Quadeca

Last updated

Quadeca
Quadeca Ben Lasky 2024 November 1st.jpg
Quadeca in 2024
Background information
Birth nameBenjamin Fernando Barajas Lasky [1]
Born (2000-10-02) October 2, 2000 (age 24)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
  • YouTuber
  • rapper
  • video game commentator (former)
Years active2014–present
Labels
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012–present
Genres
Subscribers1.93 million [2]
Total views233.516 million [2]
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers2016
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg1,000,000 subscribers2018

Last updated: April 2, 2024
Parents
Signature
Quadeca sig.png

Benjamin Fernando Barajas Lasky (born October 2, 2000), better known by his stage name Quadeca (formerly QuadecaX8), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, YouTuber and former video game commentator. Lasky began on the Internet by uploading rap songs, music videos, comedy sketches, and video game gameplay to his YouTube channel.

Contents

Quadeca deviated away from his YouTube career to focus on his music career, releasing four mixtapes prior to the albums Voice Memos in 2019, From Me to You in 2021, and I Didn't Mean to Haunt You in 2022. The mixtape SCRAPYARD, released on February 16, 2024, contains features from Brakence and Kevin Abstract.

Early life

Benjamin Lasky was born on October 2, 2000, in Los Angeles, California. His father, Mitch Lasky, is a Benchmark general partner and former entrepreneur and video game executive. [3] Lasky became an avid soccer player as a child and was enthusiastic about hip hop and other forms of music. He also has a younger sister named Anna who was featured in some of his earliest videos, along with an older sister, Natasha. Lasky opened his YouTube channel on June 11, 2012, under the name QuadecaX8; his early videos were based around video game commentating and the FIFA franchise. He was admitted to Menlo School in 2015, where he joined the soccer team. [4] Lasky continued to play with his soccer team through his student years and became a tri-captain of the team. [5] [6]

Career

In 2014, Lasky began to create rap-related content and freestyles for his YouTube channel. In February, he performed at a middle school talent show that went viral on YouTube. [7]

In late 2018, YouTuber KSI, called out Quadeca and other YouTube rappers claiming they were frauds. Lasky responded with a diss track "Insecure" within a week. [8] The music video received over 8 million views within 10 days. In November, KSI gave a review of the track and praised it, saying that it warranted a diss track from himself. [9] He responded to with his own diss "Ares," to which Lasky gave a lukewarm response in a tweet. [10] [11] Logan Paul revealed that he had wanted to collaborate with Lasky to diss KSI as well, but was denied. [12]

On March 8, 2019, he released his debut studio album Voice Memos, [13] and on March 22, Voice Memos peaked at No. 42 on Billboard's Independent Albums and Heatseekers Albums. [14] [15] He was invited to explain the lyrics of the song "Uh Huh!" on a Genius interview. [16]

He was featured as a guest on the song "Roll the Dice" from KSI and Randolph's collaborative album New Age on April 12, 2019. [17] On April 21, 2019, Lasky released the single "Not a Diss Track". On May 12, Famous American rapper Twista reacted to him and other new rappers on Genius's The Cosign, where he criticized Lasky for being "corny." [18] [19] On May 26, he released a music video to "The Man on my Left Shoulder." On August 1, 2019, Lasky released the single "Tomfoolery" with Egovert, Kil, and Moxas. On September 6, he released the single "I Don't Care", and on September 27, Quadeca and Moxas released "Schoenberg." [20]

On January 29, 2021, Lasky reannounced his second studio album titled From Me to You on YouTube, [21] which released on March 30, 2021, under AWAL. [22] [23] [24] [25] He released the self-produced single "Sisyphus" on March 20, 2021, which garnered widespread critical praise. [26] [27] [28]

On September 19, 2022, Lasky released the lead single to his third album I Didn't Mean to Haunt You , titled "Born Yesterday". [29] He then released the album's second single, titled "Tell Me a Joke", on October 25, 2022. [30] On the same day, he announced his album, revealing the cover art, tracklist, and release date. I Didn't Mean to Haunt You was scheduled to release on November 11, 2022, [31] [32]

On October 3, 2023, Lasky announced via his Twitter and Instagram pages an upcoming project, "The Scrapyard Series". Lasky detailed that the project would consist of five separate 2-3 song EPs, each one being released every 2-3 weeks. [33] The first EP was released on October 11, 2023, titled SCRAPYARD I. [34] The second EP, SCRAPYARD II, was released October 30, 2023, and the third EP, SCRAPYARD III, was released on November 22, 2023. [35] On December 24, 2023, Lasky announced that the remainder of the SCRAPYARD EPs would not be released, but promised that the series would "go out with a bang." [36]

On February 15, 2024, Lasky published a music video for his song 'WAY TOO MANY FRIENDS' off his recent mixtape SCRAPYARD, on YouTube, while also teasing his upcoming album "Vanisher" at the end of the video, which is currently in the works. [37]

Artistry

Style and influences

Lasky's early releases were categorized as YouTube rap but he has since diversified, combining elements of experimental hip hop, art pop, neo-psychedelia and folktronica. His earlier projects were influenced by rappers like Logic and J Cole. In his second album From Me To You, Quadeca draws from influences such as Tyler, The Creator, Joji, Childish Gambino and Frank Ocean. Quadeca has cited artists such as The Microphones, Duster, Lingua Ignota, Björk, Jane Remover and Caroline Polachek as influences for his third studio album I Didn't Mean To Haunt You. [38]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US
Ind.

[14]
US
Heat

[15]
Voice Memos
  • Released: March 8, 2019
  • Label: Self-released
4215
From Me to You
  • Released: March 30, 2021
  • Label: AWAL
I Didn't Mean to Haunt You
  • Released: November 10, 2022
  • Label: DeadAir, AWAL Recordings
Vanisher
  • Scheduled: N/A
  • Label: N/A
TBATBA

Mixtapes

TitleAlbum details
Work in Progress
  • Released: September 16, 2015
  • Label: Self-released
Nostalgia for the Now
  • Released: May 10, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
Bad Internet Rapper
  • Released: January 31, 2017
  • Label: Self-released
Out of Order
  • Released: November 10, 2017
  • Label: Self-released
Scrapyard
  • Released: February 16, 2024
  • Label: DeadAir
Collaborative albums
TitleAlbum details
1Day
(with Saint G)
  • Released: October 7, 2018 [39]
  • Label: Self-released

EPs

TitleEP details
Scrapyard I
  • Released: October 11, 2023
  • Label: DeadAir
Scrapyard II
  • Released: October 30, 2023
  • Label: DeadAir
Scrapyard III
  • Released: November 22, 2023
  • Label: DeadAir

Singles

TitleYearAlbum/Mixtape
"Wii Music Fire"2015Work in Progress
"Mind's Eye"2016Nostalgia for the Now
"You Can't Rap"
"Dreamlife"
(featuring Gracie Zander)
Non-album single
"2020"Bad Internet Rapper
"Unscripted"
"Lemon Tree"2017
"Cause He Has One"Non-album single
"Who Would've Thought"Out of Order
"Idontwannaspeakagain"
"Hold Up"
(featuring Quentin Miller)
"Clouted Up"2018Non-album single
"Heart Attack"
"No Deal"
(featuring Moxas)
"Unusual"
(featuring B. Lou)
Voice Memos
"Insecure"Non-album single
"Four Horsemen"
(with Crypt, Dax & Scru Face Jean)
2019
"War!"
(featuring Dax)
Voice Memos
"Uh-Huh"
"Not a Diss Track"Non-album single
"Volt"
(with Sad Frosty)
"Gordon Ramsay"
(featuring Sad Frosty)
"The Man on my Left Shoulder"Voice Memos
"Tomfoolery"
(with Egovert, Kil & Moxas)
Non-album single
"I Don't Care"
"Schoenberg"
(featuring Moxas)
"Fish Outta Bacardi"
(featuring Egovert)
"Beamin'"
"Class in Session!"
(with A1TH)
2020Ignorant as Hell
"Where'd You Go?"From Me to You
"Alone Together"
"Live Like This"Non-album single
"Sisyphus"2021From Me to You
"Rip Bozo"
(featuring Lou from Paradise)
Non-album single
"Born Yesterday"2022I Didn't Mean to Haunt You
"Tell Me a Joke"

Guest appearances

TitleYearAlbum/Mixtape
"Batter Up"
(Didac featuring Quadeca)
2018Non-album singles
"Lost in the Clouds"
(CamDaye featuring FiveAm & Quadeca)
"Supreme"
(Reactitup featuring Quadeca)
"Illy Mode"
(Scru Face Jean featuring Quadeca)
2019
"Roll the Dice"
(Randolph featuring Quadeca)
New Age
'Tonight's the Night"
(Walia featuring Quadeca)
Non-album single
"Emergency"
(B. Lou featuring Dax & Quadeca)
BOW
"Duh Nuh"
(Crypt featuring Quadeca)
Tales From The Crypt
"Outbreak"
(Josh A featuring Quadeca)
Disgrace
"Bigger"
(Joey Nato featuring Quadeca)
Who Made This Album?
"SOLID"
(JAG featuring Quadeca)
2020Non-album single
"Darken The Shadow"
(Pellek featuring Quadeca)
2021Darken The Shadow OST
"Tunnel of Glass"
(Asian Glow featuring Quadeca)
2024Unwired Detour

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