By K.B. Tindal
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
West Coast tried and true, Blanco was born in Berkeley, California, but grew up in the Bay Area, where his passion for hip hop developed. This summer, Blanco has made steps toward becoming a household name. Blanco dropped Raw, a collaborative effort with veteran Los Angeles emcee, Nipsey Hussle, last month.
Currently, Blanco is working on Game Over with The Jacka. With one joint mixtape out and another on the way, Blanco has racked up several big name collaborations. This year alone, Blanco has tracks out with Freddie Gibbs, Messy Marv, Styles P, and YG. That is a lot considering the year is very far from over.
Hip Hop Vibe had the chance to talk to Blanco and he spoke on his Raw mixtape, the joint project with Nipsey Hussle. He spoke on the impact of that tape, while talking about his other mixtape with The Jacka, Game Over. In addition to talking about the tapes, Blanco also talked about the collaborations.
Read the entire interview below:
What were your goals coming into 2013 with this music and do you feel as if you accomplished them? No. I have a lot more to do and a lot more projects to drop. My power and positioning has to come up, I have to be nationwide.
Was there a preexisting relationship with Nipsey Hussle that led to the formation of Raw? Yeah. I had Nipsey Hussle on my first solo album. I met him in Los Angeles at the BET Awards afterparty. Met him and we talked and I told him I wanted to work with him and we knocked four songs out immediately, including “L.A. Confidential” with YG. After the first song, we went and did American Psycho and I knew that me and him had chemistry and then I asked him if he wanted to do the Raw project. It was a good look for California, so we came together for it and the goal was to make it a West Coast classic album that would hearken back to the days of Death Row Records.
Raw has been out roughly a month, looking back at that work, are you pleased with how it all came together? Yes. There are two versions of it, the free download is the one that just came out. Last year was when we released it, but that whole album is a great body of work and it touched a lot of people. Most people recognize me for Raw, as opposed to some of my other projects.
You have a lot of songs out with Messy Marv, can you explain to us what that bond is like both personally and musically? He is a unique guy and he has appeared on some of my first albums with my brother and my homies as The Yay Boyz. But, truth be told, that was the only time we had a face-to-face. Messy Marv likes to stay out of the way and we stay in contact, but we rarely meet in person. But, any time I have a project coming out, I talk to Messy Marv because he has supported my career for a long time.
Can you give us some insight into how “Duck Hunt” with you, The Jacka, and Messy Marv, alongside Nipsey Hussle and YG came together? Well, that song started off when I was chilling with YG, so we started that song. YG did the chorus and it was going to be a song with just me and him. But, I played it for Jack, Mess, and Nipsey, and they all wanted to jump on it, so I sent it out and they all jumped on it. So, with that song, all I did was play it and THEY all wanted to get on it. That song has a real bop style flow to it and that is why I feel the song was so well-liked.
When should we expect Game Over with The Jacka to come? It’s out online, we dropped it a few weeks ago and it’s in stores right now. That is the trilogy of three albums me and Jacka. Obey and Misfits were the first two and we closed with Game Over, and the title fits how we ended it, ending our series.
Another song that had a lot of momentum off that project was “Cruising USA” with Freddie Gibbs and Styles P, what sticks out to you the most about that track and those guys? Freddie Gibbs is a phenomenal artist and I have known about him ever since he first came out. Jacka also knew about Freddie Gibbs and we had a lot of the same interests, so when we got together, he began supporting everything I do, jumping on any project I ask him for. We even have some stuff coming up in the works. With Styles P, he was in the Bay Area doing a show and I reached out to him because I grew up a fan of him. The song had a weed vibe to it and I felt it would remind him of his “Good Times” record, when I played it, it reminded me of him. So, when he came to town, I reached out to him to see if he would jump on it. Yeah, but I had separate encounters with both Gibbs and Styles P. But, when it comes to my features, I personally reach out to the artists and I play them all my music to let it happen naturally with us deciding which songs fit where. My whole thing is about having the best music out.
How do you feel you have impacted the rap game in 2013 and do you feel as if your impact has been felt? I think I have had an impact because I show the true independent hustle because me and my brother own our label. Being from the Bay Area, I feel like I have done enough and a lot of the people I grew up listening to are working with me. My reputation on the streets have taken me further than my musical talents and my name is circulating regardless. No one in the industry can say they haven’t heard of me and my movement, Guerilla, we control a lot more than people realize. I have dropped ten real albums over the past two years, not mixtapes, real albums through Billboard, mixing, and all that. I take this music seriously.
When will fans be treated with the next solo Blanco project? I have my two solo projects already done, but my joint albums are coming first. My joint albums are the Guerilla label, with me playing the artist and the CEO. A lot of labels put out a lot of artists, but I am the artist and I bring in the collaborations. I have a solo rock album in the works with no features, live band, guitar, drums, with one producer, it’s a masterpiece. Then, I have my album, Molly and Amber, produced by Bosco, who has worked with J. Cole and Kanye West, he produced the whole thing. Nipsey Hussle is on that album, as is Messy Marv, along with a lot more people. But, I am dropping all my compilation stuff first and then jump back into my solo projects so people cannot justify why my albums are good outside of just me.
Can you give us your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so fans can follow you? Instagram is @WhoisBlanco and Twitter @IAmBlanco.
