Blueface
Blueface | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Johnathan Porter[1] |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | January 20, 1997 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels |
|
Johnathan Porter (born January 20, 1997[2]), known professionally as Blueface Bleedem or simply Blueface, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California.
In October 2018, after releasing his song "Respect My Crypn", Blueface became a viral internet meme due to his off-beat style of rapping. In November 2018, he signed to Cash Money West, the West Coast branch of Birdman's Cash Money Records label.[3][4]
Early life
Johnathan Porter was born January 20, 1997, in Los Angeles, California. Porter grew up in Mid City in West Los Angeles, and attended multiple elementary schools before moving in with his mother in Santa Clarita Valley, but later settled in Oakland with his father.[5] After settling down in San Fernando Valley, Porter attended Arleta High School and joined the football team, becoming the starting quarterback in 2014, standing at 6'4'' and weighing 160lbs.[6] As starting quarterback, Porter led the team to an East Valley League championship in 2014.[7] Throwing for 1,234 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2013 and 1,724 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2014, Porter committed to play for Fayetteville State University and briefly played college football before leaving in 2016.[8]
Blueface began to take an interest in rap music at a young age, and mainly listened to 50 Cent, The Game and Snoop Dogg.[9]
Career
2018–present: Career beginnings and viral success
Porter began rapping in January 2018 under the stage name Blueface Bleedem, a reference to his ties to the School Yard Crip gang. Originally moving back to Los Angeles after leaving his college football career behind, he was invited to his friend Laudiano's music studio to retrieve a phone charger, and after being challenged to rap over a beat, Porter began to work and collaborate with Laudiano to release his first song, "Dead Locs" to Soundcloud.[10][5] In June 2018, he released his first full-length project, Famous Cryp. In September 2018, after the song and EP helped him build a local following in California, he released his second EP, Two Coccy to Soundcloud and Spotify.[11][12][13][14]
On October 8, 2018, Blueface released a video for his song "Respect My Crypn" through WorldstarHipHop's YouTube channel, and shortly after, the song was posted to Twitter where it became a viral meme due to Blueface's off-beat flow and voice, with users comparing his voice to that of cartoon character Courage The Cowardly Dog and Birdarang from Teen Titans Go!.[15][16][17] The popularity of the video led to more of Blueface's music receiving attention, with his songs "Thotiana" and "Next Big Thing" earning newfound popularity. His popularity increased even further when he did a contest on his Instagram page that week regarding which high school he should come and visit. Pasadena High School (California) edged out a victory against Santa Monica High School. The social media stunt racked in new followers and attention to the rapper. In November 2018, Blueface was signed to Cash Money Records' West Coast affiliate Cash Money West, and posted clips of himself in the studio with both Drake and Quavo on his Instagram page.[14][18][1][19][20]
In December 2018, Blueface again went viral, thanks to an acoustic video with Einer Bankz previewing his new song "Bleed It". Blueface released the song two days later, including a video on the Lyrical Lemonade YouTube channel directed by Cole Bennett, that amassed over 2 million views in just 24 hours.[21]
On January 26, 2019, Blueface's track "Thotiana" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 75, making it his first track to chart on a Billboard chart.[22] The song was then released as a single on the same day and a remix with YG was released with a music video.[23]
Musical style
Blueface's off-beat style of rapping and unique voice have been compared to fellow California rappers E-40 and Suga Free, as well as Southern rappers Juvenile and Silkk the Shocker. Blueface has said that he writes "to the beat", and uses the instrumental as a base for all of his songs.[14][1]
Legal issues
On November 16, 2018, at approximately 8:30pm local time, Porter was approached by a man at a Chevron gas station, who proceeded to attempt to rob Porter. Porter fired shots back at the man's vehicle and was later arrested and charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle, a felony in the state of California. Porter was released on $50,000 bail on November 18. Porter was also arrested in 2019 for felony gun possession.[citation needed]
Personal life
Porter has one child, a son, who was born in 2017. Prior to entering the rap industry, Porter was a stay home dad; he did eventually hold a few temporary jobs.[24]
Discography
Mixtapes
- Two Coccy (2017)
- Famous Cryp (2018)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [25] |
US R&B/HH [26] |
CAN [27] |
FRA [28] |
NZ [29] |
SWE [30] |
UK [31] | |||
| "Thotiana" | 2018 | 9 [32] |
4 | 12 | 168 | 9 | 59 | 17 | Famous Cryp |
| "Bleed It" | 2019 | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | TBA |
References
- ^ a b c "Meet Blueface, A Drake-Approved LA Rapper Who he is a off beat rapper'". Uproxx. December 5, 2018.
- ^ Bleedem, Blueface (January 20, 2019). "It's my C day everybody better wish me a happy birthday".
- ^ Centeno, Tony M.; 2018, November. "Blueface Signs to Cash Money West - XXL". XXL Mag.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help) - ^ "Respect My Crypn by Blueface on Spotify".
- ^ a b No Jumper, Blueface Exposed!, retrieved 2019-01-26
- ^ "Jonathan Porter Announces Commitment to Play Football at Fayetteville State University". fieldlevel.com. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ Holmes, Charles; Holmes, Charles (2019-01-25). "Blueface's 'Thotiana' Remix, Featuring YG, Takes the Meat Show National". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Trent. "Blueface Appears in Old Videos Playing High School Football - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ III, Robby Seabrook. "The Break Presents: Blueface - XXL". XXL. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "Blueface Is One Of 2019's Most Promising Stars â€" His Producer Tells Us How He Got Here". MTV News. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "deadlocs produced by scum_beats IG @bluefacebleedem" – via soundcloud.com.
- ^ "Famous Cryp" – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Two Coccy" – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ a b c Genius. "How Blueface Became A Viral Star - Genius News" – via YouTube.
- ^ WorldStarHipHop. "Blueface "Respect My Crypn" (WSHH Exclusive - Official Music Video)" – via YouTube.
- ^ Nick 🎅🏿 🎄, 12/11 Saint (10 October 2018). "Nigga flow like courage the cowardly dog".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Ace (9 October 2018). "You favorite rapper can never crank like thispic.twitter.com/agtsSg0KLk".
- ^ OrcuttDecember 7, K. C.; 2018. "Blueface Confirms New Songs With Drake and Quavo - XXL". XXL Mag.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Drake Co-Signs L.A. Rapper Blueface". HipHopDX.
- ^ "Blueface Reveals He Has a Verse from Drake After Co-Sign". vladtv.com.
- ^ Squid, Mike. "Blueface And Cole Bennett Connect for Bloody New Visuals - Elevator Mag". Elevator Mag.
- ^ "Blueface Scores First Billboard Hot 100 Entry With 'Thotiana'". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "Blueface Is Joined by YG for Cole Bennett-Directed "Thotiana (Remix)" Video". Hypebeast. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ Lunetta, Caleb (17 November 2018). "One suspect arrested after 14 Freeway shooting, second suspect at large".
- ^ "Chart Search: Blueface". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ Peaks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart:
- "Thotiana": "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: March 2, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- "Bleed It": "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: February 9, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Blueface Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ "French Chart". SNEP. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "Blueface | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ Trust, Gary (March 4, 2019). "Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'Shallow' Surges to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Fueled by Oscars Gains". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.