Blaqstarr facts for kids

Blaqstarr, whose real name is Charles Smith, is an American musician. He was born on September 30, 1985. He is a talented rapper, singer, music producer, and DJ. Blaqstarr is especially known for working with the famous artist M.I.A..

Blaqstarr's Musical Journey

Blaqstarr started gaining local fame in the early 2000s. He released popular songs like "Get My Gun" and "Ryda Girl." These songs came out through his own company, Starr Productions. In 2005, he also added his music to other albums. He contributed "Tote It" to Operation Playtime. He also had "Supastarr" and "So Horney" on Baltimore Club 9.

Working with M.I.A. and Rye Rye

In December 2005, the artist M.I.A. came to America. She wanted to work with Blaqstarr on her second album. Their collaboration led to exciting new music.

One of their big hits was "Shake It to The Ground." This song featured Rye Rye, another artist from Baltimore. It became a popular club song in 2006. Blaqstarr introduced Rye Rye to M.I.A. This led to both Blaqstarr and Rye Rye touring with M.I.A. They also worked together on M.I.A.'s album Kala. This helped them all become more widely known.

In 2007, Blaqstarr released his EP called Supastarr. The first song from it was a new version of "Shake It To the Ground." A music video was also made for this song. Another EP, also titled Shake It To the Ground, came out that same year.

Later Projects and Tours

In January 2008, Blaqstarr released a full album called King of Roq. He then went on tour with other famous artists. These included Diplo, M.I.A., and Rye Rye. He also took part in the Rock the Bells tour. During this time, he produced and recorded songs with M.I.A., Mos Def, and Switch. In June 2008, he added a song to the album Hollertronix 8. He worked on this track with DJ Sega.

In early 2009, Blaqstarr released a song with DJ Diplo called "Get Off." M.I.A. and Blaqstarr also released a song and video together. It was called "Way Down in the Hole." This happened after he joined the N.E.E.T. Recordings record label. He also helped produce songs for the 2009 K-Swift album Greatest Hits.

Performing at Special Events

In 2009, Blaqstarr was chosen to perform at the People's Inaugural Ball. This event took place in Washington D.C. It was one of the unofficial parties before Barack Obama became president.

Blaqstarr also performed at the SXSW Festival. This big music festival happened in Austin, Texas, in March 2009.

He released an EP called "The Divine" on January 25, 2011. It had six songs. These included "All The World," "Rider Girl," and "Oh My Darlin'."

Blaqstarr's Music Releases

Blaqstarr has released several EPs and mixtapes.

Extended Plays (EPs)

• Supastarr (2007)
• Shake It to the Ground (feat. Rye Rye) (Mad Decent, 2007)
• Hollertronix #8 (2008)
• The Divine EP (2011)
• The Blaq Files (2014)
• Trinity EP, vol 1 (2014)
• Trinity EP, vol 1.5 (2014)
• Moan Her Lease Her (2016)
• M.I.A Aim. (2017)

Mixtapes

• Blaqstarr The Mixtape (2011)

Blaqstarr's Music Videos

Blaqstarr has created several music videos for his songs.

• 2007: "Shake It To The Ground"
• 2009: "S.U.S. (Save Ur Souls)/Way Down In The Hole" w/ M.I.A.
• 2010: "Oh My Darlin'"
• 2011: "Rider Gyrl"
• 2011: "Never Hesitant"
• 2014: "Dear Diamond" ft Common