Get someone to start running their mouths about Jersey-concocted hip-hop and Bleszt will probably be the first and foremost name out of their mouths. The masterful songwriter and hip-hop artist is the MC behind the Goal Digger mixtapes hip-hop pundits—looking for the next big thing—have on continuous play. Maybe it’s because they recognize real.
Bleszt raps about what he knows: hard life on the streets of Newark, situations that should have killed him, but instead have made the supreme brick bandit stronger than steel laced with factory cement, and more firm than the second layer of a mountain range.
On the song “Know Yourself,” he spits out this prophecy, “Swear I’m only gettin’ better man…/I want out of the hood/So I grind/…Your conversations…/Yo, I ain’t got no time for that/My city’s needs the crown/Ooh, I swear I’m gonna grind for that.” He continues: “My city’s too great/I’mma prove it.”
When he raps about his soul getting cold, you wonder if it’s due to personal loss—he lost his older brother and mentor this year—or the fake Jersey producers he blasts. In any case, Bleszt defines and redefines the Jersey sound, the Jersey sound that’s slowly becoming the hip-hop sound. Jersey, one time.
Kreyolicious: Having a name like Bleszt…what are you most grateful for?
Life, and the opportunity to live life to the fullest. Where I’m from lives get snatched on the regular, so I’m sincerely happy to be alive… expanding while I grow as a person and company.
Kreyolicious: You were born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. What are some of your musical memories of growing up there?
One of my first and most memorable moments would have to be My freshman year before I even thought about taking rap serious. I would write bars here and there in my notebook as a hobby. Around this time, 8 Mile was in the movies and the “battle rap trend” was heavy at my school. One of the champions challenged me, and I crushed him in front of more than half the school—including the principal. That moment gave me confidence to believe in my ability to rap.
Kreyolicious: I’d love to hear the story of how your mixtape Goal Digger came about. Do tell.
To be honest, I forgot, I must’ve been high, but I can remember this one night I was talking to Louie Styles on the phone and we were saying that we needed to launch a mixtape, but something different. Different name, different feel, different everything. So, I decided to create a series, and name it Goal Digger, we were going to end it at 5, but because the fans enjoy it so much we decided to extend it to 10 volumes, and dropping them all before 2016. Then I can begin working on my first ever debut EP.
Kreyolicious: Most people see Bleszt the rapper, ignoring the fact that behind the hip-hop artist is a serious lyricist. How did that part of you develop? Did you start by writing poetry?
I’ve always been in love with the format of rap, connecting words, and making them flow in the most diverse ways possible. I grew up heavy on Eminem, Wayne, and Pac. So in my beginner days, I would always tell myself “If you can’t hear this verse on a Eminem album, or a DMX album, fix it. What’s funny is, I had a passion for Poetry since the Fourth grade, so that may be the reason. I honestly don’t mind spectators sleeping on my lyricism. They’ll wake up soon enough.
Kreyolicious: What made you record that song Port-au-Prince?
Mary Jane. [Laughter] I’m serious though. I jacked a beat online, free-styled over it, mixed it and mastered it, and actually liked the way it sounded. I didn’t plan on releasing it at first, but everyone around me that heard it…loved it. So, I decided to release it, but I needed a name. And at the moment, I was tearing up some Haitian food, and I’m like…Port Au Prince.
Kreyolicious: Port-au-Prince…I notice that you work with the director Blaze The Rebel quite a lot. Being two different creative minds, how does your collaboration process work?
Honestly, it works perfectly. Our chemistry is dope. Blaze doesn’t like low quality. I don’t like low quality. If there’s something even slightly wrong, we’ll both be like “Ughhh, we gotta do it over.” He has a great outlook that meets with my expectations, and that’s why I chose him to shoot my first four visuals. The funny thing is, we’ve been shooting with no treatments—or solid—vision so we shoot for about an hour or two, we’ve been practically free-styling our shoots. We tell each other after each shoot, “Wait Until we really start shooting for six hours.”
Kreyolicious: Jersey is making rap stars as prolifically as Queen and Brooklyn. Why do you think that is?
There’s a lot, and I mean a lot of unknown talent out this way. When I say “unknown”, I mean our sounds differ from so many other artists because everyone has different outlooks here. Look at Fetty. His sound differs from everyone, as well as Lauryn, and Whitney.
Kreyolicious: Have you been to Haiti?
Yeah, when I was young. Last time I visited, I was about five years old…which was years ago. So, that visit is definitely on my bucket list.
Kreyolicious: You’re also running with a label…Brick Bandits. How do you manage to give that venture your attention, while managing your career?
Simple…Brick Bandits revolves around music and entertainment. My life revolves around music and entertainment. Makes things so much easier having all your tools in one basket.
Kreyolicious: What would you like to say to an up-and-coming rapper?
Honestly? Keep up.
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