3ohblack

After roughly five years in the scene, DMV rapper 3ohBlack broke through when his audacious, pro-self-defense single “All Talk” (2019) caught fire online and secured a deal with Capitol. Born Brian Antonio Edwards, he first encountered music via the go-go circuit in his hometown of Washington, D.C., performing in a band before shifting to rap around 2014 and quickly appearing on records by PaqGod, Fatz da Big Fella, and Diego Bo$$. In short order he released a string of mixtapes, among them the Leggin or Nah series—whose fourth installment included a guest spot from Rico Nasty—along with Bipolar, whose standout cut was “Legg Walk,” and Bigalow. The same year he dropped the Leggism project, 2019, “All Talk” spread rapidly among TikTok users; by year’s end he had inked the Capitol contract, then followed with the 2020 singles “Avirex” and “Drive the Boat.”