Blxckie opens up about 4LUV deluxe, his dream collaboration and what fires up his creativity
It is a particularly unique quality to discover artists that make their craft look effortless. With unparalleled work ethic, authentic finesse and a charm that draws a room full of people in, all eyes have been on Blxckie this year. Real name Sihle Sithole, Blxckie has erupted onto the scene commanding global attention. Albeit the Durban-born rapper’s brief spell in the spotlight, he has managed to achieve an impressive portfolio of accolades, which justifies his path to becoming one of Africa’s mega stars. You heard it here first. There isn’t a place where you will not hear his signature sound – from underground parties to national airwaves – Blxckie’s songs are on heavy rotation thanks to his impressive bars and distinctive flow.
The moment the “Ye x 4” hitmaker made notoriety was in 2020 during the heavily restricted pandemic where he would upload videos of him spitting freestyles on social media. The virtual streets started speaking and the name ‘Blxckie’ started bubbling over. It was in the same year the rapper cemented his place as the most promising newcomer after releasing “Big Time Sh’lappa” alongside LucasRaps. The track instantly caught people’s attention, earning him a dedicated fan base that was (and still is) growing by numbers. The music video for “Big Time Sh’lappa” has recently reached just under three million views.
Since then, Blxckie has gone onto exploring a range of sounds, fleshing out this multi-dimensional approach to music. His debut album release “B4Now” featured his most prominent Hip-Hop songs “David”, “Ye x 4” which on the flip side the Amapiano track “Sika’ (dubbed as the national birthday song) exposed a different range to the artist. B4Now brought on an energy and excitement to South African hip-hop that was surprising and could be considered a missing link in the genre. As a testament to Blxckie’s musical prowess, earlier this year he was awarded a total of 10 plaques ranging from (gold and platinum plagues). He also announced a collaboration that was a first of its kind with the biggest local authorised streetwear retailer Sportscene, making history as the first artist in SA to create a music t-shirt.
In light of the astounding accomplishments of this young artist, we at SA Creatives are honoured to feature Blxckie as our October cover issue star sponsored by Nando’s Creativity. We caught up with uSomnyama, yena yedwa, to discuss what feeds his creativity.
Q: What was the creative process like for 4LUV deluxe ?
Blxckie: The reason why I dropped it was based off the reception I got for “Hold”. It wasn’t anything that I was planning to get it to what it is right now but the song really went crazy so I figured people are really into this Blxckie RnB style. After “Hold” I did the whole EP after that and I wanted to add a few more songs, taking it from six to ten songs. And I wanted to give people more of it since it went gold. I wanted to give my fans more music.
Q: You got one of the most exclusive rappers in the country A-reece to feature on “Sneaky”, how did that collar come about ?
Blxckie: The first time I met “A” was last year in Cape Town, I had to fly back to Jozi to do a TV appearance and he was there also, so that’s the first time we officially met. Before that I was like: I don’t even know if A-reece likes me like that because I just had a feeling. When I met him though it was pretty chilled. He congratulated me [for being awarded 10 plaques], our managers exchanged numbers and we just went our separate ways. Then I sent him a few songs and [voicenotes] on Instagram and yeah he was like “Yo this is crazy !”. So that beat was one that I had for a long time and he liked it. It took him a while to get onto it but he eventually did. He jumped on it right in time for when I wanted to drop the deluxe. There were a few other songs in the archive but that was the one he really messed with.
Q: Who would you like to collaborate with in the future ?
Blxckie: I haven’t really thought about that but I’ve always wanted to do a song with Lira. There’s also a lot of stuff that’s in the works that I would like to do, so stuff with Tshego, Msaki, Kabza [de Small], Phori [Maphorisa] in my eyes. The final infinity stone is Lira. I just feel like we’d make something really cool.
Q: Why Lira your number 1 artist would would like to work with at this time ?
Blxckie: I feel like we’d make a cool song and I’ve been a fan for a long time, so yeah. Very much a passion project really.
Q: What feeds your creativity ?
Blxckie: I really do strive for growth and knowledge in anything I do. I’m always in my head about the music I’m making so what pushes me to get better at it is to see how I can do more. I want to see how far I can take my music. There’s so many things like the Europe tour [with EarthGang] and different accolades that have been a testament to my growth and the type of creative level I’m trying to get to. It’s not just about dropping music just for people to listen to, it’s also about how far I want to take it. That’s what feeds my creativity.
Q: What can we expect from you in the near feature ? Because it’s already quiet clear that you’re destined to accomplish huge milestones.
Blxckie: Well for starters you can see me at the Basha Uhuru Festival that’s going to be happening at Constitutional Hill in October, I’m going to be one of the headlining performers there. Then I’m going to be touring Europe with EarthGang at the end of the year and just expect to be getting a lot more music. Maybe something will be in the pipeline with Msaki soon. Yeah just more music, more stage performances.
READ: Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival celebrate 10 years in the game
To catch Blxckie heat up the main stage as headliner of the Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival happening at Constitution Hill 25-29 October 2022, make sure to follow @nandoscreativityofficial for more updates. Never miss a pulse of the latest music, art and design showcases fired up by Nando’s Creativity.
