From the streets to the sheets, West Coast prodigy Blxst has turned his pain and passion into profit by masterfully blending melodies with bars. “I feel like I’m the type of artist that plays in both lanes,” he tells VIBE a few days after the release of his sophomore effort, Labor of Love, his first project in two years, written and produced entirely by him. “I’m a perfect bridge between rap and R&B.”
The 30-year-old artist traces his beloved brand of “neo-soul rap” (as described on Apple Music) and love for music-making back to childhood. His mother, who worked for L.A.’s Mental Health Department, played music by the likes of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Musiq Soulchild, while his uncle blasted East Coast hip-hop. That pairing, plus the rise of Rap&B collaborations in the ‘90s, proved pivotal for a young Blxst, who would learn to write songs from “being a fan of rap first [then] lyrics, metaphors, and the art of telling a story.”
His noteworthy narratives on life, love, and legacy have expanded his network and net worth, building a fanbase quick to say, “I ain’t heard one bad Blxst song.” The proof: His 2020 breakout EP No Love Lost, home to the runaway hit “Gang Slide,” the Donnell Jones-sampling gem “Overrated,” and the West Coast jamboree “Chosen” co-starring Tyga and Ty Dolla $ign. For his latest album, the Grammy-nominated multihyphenate – who secured nods for “Die Hard” on Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – reconnected with his purpose on a deeper level.
“I’ve been dropping a project every year since 2019 up until 2024. So this little two-year gap allowed me to be still, and be more present with my kids, my family, and myself, too,” says Blxst, who has two boys, ages 3 and 8. “One of my main goals [was to] connect back to my why. Why did I choose music? Why did I fall in love with this process? The answer really [was] for the love of it.”
Blxst’s mission extends beyond music, fueling growth born of vulnerable moments in his personal life. “When I first got into [making music], it was just like [me] trying to rhyme and sound cool, and I always felt like my story wasn’t unique, especially being from L.A.,” he says. “It’s a lot of gang politics, and that kind of makes you feel like you’re not cool or the ‘it’ factor. But what made me appreciate my journey is that it is unique and that I don’t have to be like the typical figure of what a, quote-unquote, ‘L.A. man’ is.”
His journey began on 75th Street and Central Avenue in South Central L.A. (his childhood home graces the cover of the Love of Labor album). The artist, né Matthew Burdette, grew up in what he considers “a house full of love” and faith due to his grandparents being Jehovah’s Witnesses. The baby brother of four older sisters also learned to be a “calm spirit” and “amongst a wide range of emotions” being surrounded by women, which could explain his approach to love. “Naturally, I’m a loverboy,” he says. “I love love, but also I’m not perfect at it.”
Blxst’s album Labor of Love magnifies the imperfect moments as he navigates different versions of love. His own family tree was a source of introspection. “Both of my grandparents [on my mom’s and dad’s side] were married for over 50 years,” he says while discussing perhaps his most autobiographical song, “Work.” “Just knowing my dad’s story shifted my viewpoint of what love is and not seeing my mom and my dad kind of f–ked my mind up, I guess, which I learned later on.”
Labor of Love also spotlights Blxst’s knack for doing it all himself: Catchy arrangements, authentic storytelling, nostalgic R&B and rap elements, slick rhymes, and sticky hooks. “I feel like I have a story to protect. I love being hands-on with every part of the art of making music. I came into the game producing, writing, engineering myself, and I want to continue to be able to do that without too many chefs in the kitchen,” says Blxst, who has remained an independent artist since he began his career and runs his own entertainment venture company, Evgle. “When I say independent, it’s not to be isolated. It’s to have some form of control over what you’re putting in the universe.”
Part of that creative control was creating a 13-track LP that serves as a soundtrack to his life and interpolates viral Internet videos, pop-culture classics, and soulful collaborators. Lori Perry’s 1996 Set It Off soundtrack cut, “Up Against The Wind,” wakes up the feels (see: that Queen Latifah scene) for “Day After Day” co-starring South Central rising rap star Big Sad 1900. He wraps up “Is That Too Much” with a soundbite from Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin’s 1971 soul-stirring conversation on love. British soul siren Sasha Keable also gets her groove on on “Ruin,” while vivacious vocalist Cheyenne Wright lends her talents to “Work.”
In 2024, Blxst tackled a different endeavor: the creation of his cinematic debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You, which follows the protagonist Birdie on an eye- and ear-opening journey across four parts. This “pivotal year” brought professional and personal turbulence for Blxst, who took a two-year hiatus until Labor Love.
“That’s when I started managing myself. I went on tour with no management. My house got broken into. Just a bunch of shit kept happening,” he reflects. Once Blxst moved him and his two sons out of their Encino, Calif., home after a break-in, he focused on rebuilding himself, musically and mentally.
“When you’re walking through the doors of success, it’s all good. But when shit hit the fan or when money get low [and] you got to pivot, then you feel like you want to point fingers, but the only finger I could point is at myself,” he says of his industry struggles. “I’m proud that I’m in a position where I can still chase my dreams and put out music.”
For Blxst, the gratitude remains in the grind. When asked if he’s celebrating the release of his second album, he does not hesitate to answer: “I feel like the work just started.”
