Blxst

Los Angeles-based producer and songwriter Blxst fuses rap with R&B by alternating between aggressive rhymes and smoother vocal melodies across polished, layered instrumentals. Recognition arrived through his introspective tracks exploring personal relationships, notably the 2019 release “Hurt,” alongside joint efforts alongside Bino Rideaux and Mozzy. His 2020 agreement with Red Bull Records produced the project No Love Lost; its expanded edition included the Hot 100-charting single “Chosen,” which featured Ty Dolla $ign and Tyga. Def Jam then backed his follow-up collaboration with Rideaux, Sixtape 2, which reached the Billboard 200 shortly after XXL magazine placed him on its 2021 Freshman Class list. Momentum carried into 2022 when Before You Go, his debut solo album, reappeared on the charts, followed by the EPs Just for Clarity 2 and Sixtape 3 in 2023 and the 2024 single “Risk Taker.”

Matthew Burdette took up rapping and beat-making soon after high school, drawing primary inspiration from Ryan Leslie along with Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. The first track issued under the Blxst name, “Who Would’ve Thought,” surfaced in 2016; activity increased sharply in 2018 with six singles on his Evgle imprint, among them the Eric Bellinger-assisted “Can I.” The 2019 standalone “Hurt” became his initial major solo success, accumulating millions of streams, while his production on Kalan.FrFr’s “Right wit It” drew Bino Rideaux’s attention. Contact led to an exchange of beats that Rideaux incorporated into Sorry for tha Wait, after which the pair issued the EP Sixtape and staged multiple sold-out West Coast performances.

Following the Red Bull Records signing, Blxst dropped the 2020 EP No Love Lost and additional tracks such as “My Emotions” and “Slip & Slide” featuring 1TakeJay. The deluxe version of No Love Lost introduced “Chosen,” which reached number 51 on the Hot 100. The subsequent year saw the two-track Just for Clarity single, containing guest appearances by Drakeo the Ruler and Russ, plus the Def Jam-distributed Sixtape 2 with Rideaux that entered the Billboard 200 at number 117 weeks after the XXL Freshman Class nod. Blxst also contributed to “Go to War” on Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm later in 2021.

Building on that visibility, he assembled a full-length album featuring Rick Ross, Zacari, and Arin Ray while handing most production duties to ThaRealCStylez and ThaRealJFKBeatz on “About You,” Jahaan Sweet and Sevn Thomas on “Sometimes,” and additional collaborators. Before You Go arrived in 2022 and debuted at number 90 on the Billboard 200. During the same period Blxst appeared on Kehlani’s “Any Given Sunday” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard,” then linked with Larry June for the single “Keep Calling.” That track surfaced on the 2023 EP Just for Clarity 2, which also showcased Terrace Martin, Mustard, and Roddy Ricch. Additional 2023 activity included the Tyga and YG collaboration “West Coast Weekend,” the Remble-featured “child of GOD,” and Sixtape 3 with Rideaux. In 2024 Blxst issued the singles “Heart Ain’t Empty,” “Rewind” with Feid, and “Risk Taker” with Offset.