By T- Millzz
If you have ever heard of Blackbear, you know what I mean when I call him the “hidden gem,” of the music industry. When I first heard Blackbear, it was on a leaked Mike Posner song called, “OshFest.” Immediately, I was blown away by his vocal ability and his approach to a song. I found his voice to be a different sound than what we’re used to hearing from singers in today’s music industry and my ears were hooked.
Blackbear, in my opinion is pushing the boundaries of a cross-genre artist such as himself. He can sing, he can rap, and he has a broad following that is not really talked about on a grand scale. He can hit high notes, keep a monotone sound, as well as give a flow that deviates from a typical sound we normally hear.
Blackbear has been active on the mainstream scale for approximately 5 years now. He has produced and co-written songs with artists like Justin Bieber and G-Eazy, yet his own music does not get a major following as much as the aforementioned Bieber and G-Eazy. It happens, no doubt, but Blackbear is carving out his own lane in the industry while staying on track with mainstream trends. In an industry where trends sell heavily, Blackbear has done a great job staying true to his style and also successfully creating a sound that is just now getting heard because of his work with artists like Eazy and Bieber.
He recently released his second album “Help,” on February 17, 2016. Right off the bat in that album, you can hear the Drake-esque tone, with his own spin and vocal range on it. Naturally, Blackbear can hit high notes, without much of an effort. I do have to hand it to his production team for giving him such a broad, large sound on almost every track that he is on, including his features. Specifically, on G-Eazy’s song “Remember You,” even just as a feature, his presence is beyond what a singer’s feature normally is.
If you haven’t Googled, YouTubed or ITunes Blackbear yet, I highly recommend you at least look these songs up:
If you have ever heard of Blackbear, you know what I mean when I call him the “hidden gem,” of the music industry. When I first heard Blackbear, it was on a leaked Mike Posner song called, “OshFest.” Immediately, I was blown away by his vocal ability and his approach to a song. I found his voice to be a different sound than what we’re used to hearing from singers in today’s music industry and my ears were hooked.
Blackbear, in my opinion is pushing the boundaries of a cross-genre artist such as himself. He can sing, he can rap, and he has a broad following that is not really talked about on a grand scale. He can hit high notes, keep a monotone sound, as well as give a flow that deviates from a typical sound we normally hear.
Blackbear has been active on the mainstream scale for approximately 5 years now. He has produced and co-written songs with artists like Justin Bieber and G-Eazy, yet his own music does not get a major following as much as the aforementioned Bieber and G-Eazy. It happens, no doubt, but Blackbear is carving out his own lane in the industry while staying on track with mainstream trends. In an industry where trends sell heavily, Blackbear has done a great job staying true to his style and also successfully creating a sound that is just now getting heard because of his work with artists like Eazy and Bieber.
He recently released his second album “Help,” on February 17, 2016. Right off the bat in that album, you can hear the Drake-esque tone, with his own spin and vocal range on it. Naturally, Blackbear can hit high notes, without much of an effort. I do have to hand it to his production team for giving him such a broad, large sound on almost every track that he is on, including his features. Specifically, on G-Eazy’s song “Remember You,” even just as a feature, his presence is beyond what a singer’s feature normally is.
If you haven’t Googled, YouTubed or ITunes Blackbear yet, I highly recommend you at least look these songs up:
- “NY LA” – the first song by Blackbear I heard that made me say “I need to hear much more from this guy.”
- “Idfc” – great song that definitely gets you thinking about situations you’re placed in. Plus that production on the harmony is something I haven’t heard in an artist of his caliber.
- “4U” – listen and you’ll think exactly what I could type here.
- “Different Hos” – great change up to a sing/rap style, especially for him. The creaking in the background adds to the lyrics where you can get his intentions.
- “Ain’t Love” – the cornerstone for his differentiation in music
- “Where Was U?” – very nice change up from what we normally hear from singer’s and rappers as he EFFECTIVELY uses a rock/rap approach along with a production that hits hard.