BLAKE

BLAKE is a rapper from San Antonio, Texas, who broke through in late 2016 with his viral track «Flexin», which pushed his profile well beyond the SoundCloud-era rap scene he emerged from. Born in Beaumont, Texas, before moving to San Antonio as a kid, he performs under his real middle name. His early catalog, including «Dirty South» and «DRIP», built a loyal YouTube following before «Flexin» turned him into one of the more talked-about young voices in Texas rap.

His sound sits at the melodic, hook-driven end of mid-2010s rap, closer in spirit to the era's SoundCloud and mumble-adjacent wave than to traditional Southern rap, with an emphasis on catchy, repeatable hooks over dense lyricism. That approach caught the attention of a major label: in early 2019 he signed to Atlantic Records, following months of speculation sparked by a photo he posted captioned «Atlantic Records» back in December 2016.

BLAKE has cited Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Chief Keef, Rocaine, and Lil Yachty among his biggest influences, and has expressed interest in linking with artists like Ugly God. Tracks such as «Yup», «Ice Ice», «Such & Such», and «Face» rounded out the run of songs that established him as a name to watch coming out of San Antonio's rap scene.