Bladee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bladee
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Bladee in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Reichwald |
| Born | 9 April 1994 Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
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Benjamin Reichwald (born on April 9, 1994), known as Bladee, is a Swedish artist. He is a rapper, singer, and designer. In 2013, he helped start the music group Drain Gang. His friends Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor were also part of it. Bladee began making music that same year. He became more well-known after working with Yung Lean.
Bladee released his first mixtape, Gluee, in 2014. His first album, Eversince, came out in 2016. In 2017, he became the art director for Yung Lean's clothing line, Sadboys Gear. He also released Working on Dying, a mixtape with the production team of the same name. Bladee released two more projects in 2018: Red Light and Icedancer.
In 2020, Bladee released three projects: Exeter, 333, and Good Luck. Good Luck was a team-up album with producer Mechatok. Bladee's fifth studio album, The Fool, came out in 2021. Critics really liked this album. Later that year, he showed his first art collection of paintings, called Real Sprin9. He also released a clothing collection with the brand GANT. In 2022, he released Crest, an album with Ecco2K. He also put out Spiderr, his sixth solo album.
In 2023, Bladee released several songs with Skrillex and Yung Lean. In 2024, he released Psykos, a collaborative album with Yung Lean. He also released Cold Visions. That same year, he was featured on a remix of Charli XCX's song "Rewind". He also announced he was leaving his longtime music label, Year0001.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Benjamin Reichwald was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 9, 1994. He grew up mostly in the Skanstull area. In 2004, he met Zak Arogundade, also known as Ecco2K, there. They were classmates. When Benjamin was 13, they formed a punk band called Krossad. This band sparked Benjamin's interest in music.
After finishing school, Benjamin started making music. He also worked at a daycare center.
Building His Music Career
Drain Gang and First Projects
Benjamin Reichwald started releasing music as Bladee in 2013. He formed the Drain Gang music group with Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor. At first, they called themselves Gravity Boys. Bladee became friends with another Stockholm rapper, Yung Lean. This led to them working together. Bladee was featured on a song called "Heal You // Bladerunner" from Yung Lean's mixtape Unknown Death 2002. This helped Bladee get noticed by Yung Lean's fans.
In 2014, Bladee released his first mixtape, Gluee. People described it as a "summertime anthem." Bladee's first album, Eversince, was released on May 25, 2016. Whitearmor produced all the songs on this album.
New Mixtapes and Albums
In 2017, Bladee became the art director for Yung Lean's clothing line, Sadboys Gear. Later that year, Bladee worked with the production group Working on Dying. They released a mixtape named after the group. Yung Lean and Ecco2K were featured on this mixtape. A music video for the song "Lordship" was also released.
Bladee released his second album, Red Light, on May 11, 2018. Whitearmor was the main producer for this album. Producers Gud and Yung Sherman also helped. In July 2018, Bladee walked in a fashion show in Paris. He was modeling for Alyx's fall 2019 menswear collection. Bladee's third mixtape, Icedancer, came out on December 28, 2018. The production duo Ripsquadd produced the mixtape. Yung Lean and Thaiboy Digital were guest artists.
Busy Years: 2020 and Beyond
In April 2020, Bladee released EXETER. This album had nine songs. He recorded it in one week in Gotland, Sweden, with Gud. Ecco2K was featured on the album. A music video for "Every Moment Special" was later released. In July 2020, Bladee released 333, his second album of 2020. Whitearmor was the main producer. This album had no guest artists. A music video for "Reality Surf" was released.
Bladee released his third album of 2020, Good Luck. This was a collaboration with Berlin producer Mechatok. It was first shown on December 10 as an audiovisual livestream. A deluxe version of the album was later released. It included a remix of "Drama" with Charli XCX.
Art, Fashion, and More Music
In May 2021, Bladee released his fifth solo album, The Fool. Thaiboy Digital was featured on it. Ripsquadd producer Lusi mainly produced the album. The Fool was well-liked by critics. The Fader magazine placed it 11th on their 2021 year-end list. In July and August 2021, Bladee showed his first collection of paintings. It was called Real Sprin9 and was at the Residence Gallery in London. In September 2021, Bladee released a special Drain Gang clothing collection. He worked with the American-Swedish brand GANT.
In January 2022, Bladee released the song Amygdala. He worked on it with Ecco2K and Mechatok. A music video came out with the song. On March 18, he released Crest. This was a collaborative album with Ecco2K. Whitearmor produced all the songs. Crest received great reviews. In September 2022, Bladee released the song Drain Story. This announced his sixth album, Spiderr. A music video directed by Ecco2K was also released. On September 30, Bladee released Spiderr.
Recent Collaborations and New Directions
In January 2023, Bladee was featured on the Skrillex song "Real Spring." In February, Bladee appeared on Skrillex's song "Ceremony" with Yung Lean. Music videos were released for both songs. Bladee also worked with Swedish artist Jonas Rönnberg (Varg2™) for an art show. It was held in New York from May to June 2023. In August 2023, Yung Lean released two songs, "Victorious" and "Bullets," with Bladee. Whitearmor produced both songs.
On March 13, 2024, Bladee and Yung Lean released Psykos. This was a surprise album. Psykos was their first collaborative album after working together for over ten years. It showed a new sound for them. It included elements of rock and post-punk. This was different from their usual pop and hip hop sound. Bladee released Cold Visions, also a surprise album, on April 23, 2024. All 30 songs were produced by F1lthy. Bladee had worked with F1lthy before on the mixtape Working on Dying in 2017. Cold Visions featured Yung Lean, Yung Sherman, Thaiboy Digital, and Black Kray. Music critics liked it a lot. Pitchfork called it Bladee's "most realized project to date."
On October 11, 2024, Bladee appeared on Charli XCX's album Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat. He was featured on a remix of the song "Rewind". In November 2024, Bladee and other Drain Gang members announced they were no longer working with their label, Year0001. Bladee told The Guardian that he doesn't care about being a "bigger artist" anymore. He said the most important thing is to do what feels true to him.
Bladee's Unique Sound
In a 2019 interview, Bladee said his music cannot be fully described by one genre. Jack Angell, a music writer, called Bladee's sound "frostbitten futurism." He said Bladee's music brings out "a wide spectrum of emotion." Nadine Smith, writing for Pitchfork, said Bladee's work "introduces recognizable elements of American rap music to a new environment." Drain Gang members have said they create music without planning too much. Bladee mentioned he doesn't write lyrics beforehand. Bladee has named artists like Hilma af Klint, Chief Keef, Lil B, The Beach Boys, Basshunter, and James Ferraro as inspirations.
Bladee is a private person. He has said, "I really don't like to talk about myself. I find it weird." In interviews, Bladee has mentioned being struck by lightning during a trip to Thailand in 2019. He described it as an experience that changed him.
Discography
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
Mixtapes
Compilation albums
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Extended plays
Stand-alone singles
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