[ June 16, 2021 – Los Angeles, CA ] – This year, the XXL staff did record numbers of Zoom meetings from January to March to meet and greet artists, listen to new music and hear the rollout plans for roughly 100 Freshman prospects, which ultimately became the 10th spot selections. After much debate, conversations with industry peers and talks with anyone who felt compelled to share a Freshman list they created, 12 artists made the final cut including rising Hip Hop artist Blxst via Red Bull Records.
Over the next month, XXL will be releasing freestyles, cyphers, interviews and more of all Freshman artists including Blxst. Multiplatinum-selling producer Nick Mira is the music curator crafting beats alongside some of the Internet Money team. Look out for their production in the much-anticipated cyphers and all video content.
Blxst’s recent EP Just For Clarity marks the first release for Blxst since his critically acclaimed debut EP, No Love Lost, released late last year. With over 150 million streams to date, the project hit #3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album Chart, while its hit single “Overrated” has reached #32 on the Mediabase Rhythmic charts and #11 on Rolling Stone’s Trending 25 Chart. Accompanied by a cinematic series of music videos detailing love, loss, and loyalty in the city of Los Angeles, the success of No Love Lost resulted in a deluxe release this past December, featuring collaborations with Ty Dolla $ign, Tyga, Dom Kennedy, and Bino Rideaux. Declared an “Artist to Watch in 2021” by Billboard, BET, Complex, Essence, HipHopDX, Pigeons & Planes, UPROXX, and more, Just For Clarity marks the next sonic step in the multi-dimensional artist’s stratospheric career.
About Blxst
Blxst began his solo music career in Los Angeles in 2015, rapping, singing, writing, and producing. From self-editing his music videos and artwork, to mixing and mastering his sound, he’s been on an unstoppable run since the release of his first solo song, “Who Would’ve Thought,” and his breakout hit “Hurt,” which surpassed 4 million streams while being independent. With a number of notable productions and collaborations under his belt, Blxst gained considerable notoriety for his work with Kendrick Lamar, YG, Mustard, Eric Bellinger, G Perico, and more, lending his skills to Mozzy’s “I Ain’t Perfect,” “Streets Ain’t Safe,” and “Keep Hope,” as well as Bino Rideaux’s “Brand New.”
