Chris Blake
Memphis, Tennessee, United States | SELF
Music
Press
60 Seconds alumnus and Memphis native Chris Blake has been building a buzz for the past year in the Memphis area.
He released the single “iDon’t Care” a few months ago and received a positive reaction. Now, Chris Blake is releasing the full-length mixtape Everybody Loves Chris Season One. On this mixtape, Blake speaks on a variety of topics and takes the listeners on a trip to his world. - Live From Memphis
Video footage of Chris Blake freestyling for Live From Memphis! Story included giving a peek into the emcee's favorite Memphis spots too! - Live From Memphis
Chris Blake was first introduced to the Memphis hip-hop scene in 2009 with his mixtape Check the Campaign. Blake also released the mixtape sampler for Everybody Loves Chris Season One, which was reviewed in this column. Recently, the artist has rerecorded and reworked several tracks from Everybody Loves Chris in anticipation of its new release date of March 2011. On reworked track that stands out is “iDon’t Care”.
On the track “iDon’t Care”, Blake talks about his life experiences and what led him to pick up the mic: “Broke way back when, never, ever wanna go back to those days/Some say crime pays, not back to those ways/Big bro did twenty years sitting in that cage”. Blake talks candidly about his family history and does not glorifying “doing time”, which seems to be the new way for rappers to gain “street cred”. Blake is honest, humorous, and very transparent on this song. It is always refreshing to see artists comfortable in their own skin and not afraid to be themselves. Rich Bum’s vocals on the hook further add to the infectious nature of the song. Makeshift Music artist Nashon Benford’s horns at the end also give the track a vibrancy that is rarely seen in today’s hip-hop radio playlists. “iDon’t Care” combines a catchy hook, great production, and Chris Blake’s heartfelt lyrics into a musical treat that should definitely get listeners ready for Everybody Loves Chris Season One. For more info on Chris Blake, check out his website. - Chris McCoy
New Music From Chris Blake “iDon’t Care” (Song Stream + Download) (@ChrisBlakeWorld) - DIPT NYC
The first mix tape from Chris Blake, entitled “Check The Campaign”, quickly caught my ear from the first track. Chris Blake’s lulling voice over the hype southern tracks at first sounds like an oxymoron, but after the first few bars, Blake blends right in while standing out at the same time. From beginning to end, I didn’t want to even point my finger in the direction of the “next” button on my car radio. - Leon Richardson
Now Chris is preparing to release his second mixtape, Everybody Loves Chris Blake: Season One. The title and cover art are a brilliant homage to the cancelled, criminally underrated show Everybody Hates Chris. Unlike that show, however, Chris Blake has a style that should help him gain critical and commercial acclaim. - Markus Seaberry
What Projects have you been working on recently? - Zena Rose
This mixtape was given to me with such excitement…like…”Have you heard that Chris Blake!?” He’s not a typical Memphis rapper. Sure it’s called a mixtape but it’s really more like an independent album release!.. - Daria Greene
"Did anyone tell you that you remind them of Slick Rick?" - Shariee Jones
Discography
2009- Check The Campaign
2011- Everybody Loves Chris Blake: Season 1
Photos
Bio
Hip-hop artist, writer, and producer, Chris Blake is a musical visionary. His confident flow and witty lyrics are reflections of his humorous personality, outlandish demeanor, and symbolisms of life in his world.
Born and raised in Memphis, TN, a city known for its rich musical history, it was shown early in Chris Blake’s life that music would be of high relevance to him. Spitting his first rhymes at the age of five, Chris Blake would be frequently commissioned to freestyle in front of his older siblings and their friends who were twice his age. Life, as well as his subject matter, was “normal” back then until his father became absent, leaving his mom to take care of him and his three brothers.
With his mom working most of the time and the family consumed by an environment that led to jail bids and hospital visits, among other things, Chris Blake spent most of his young life alone. Raised by television, his imagination became bigger than his reality taking him out of the less than perfect world he knew.
Music television in the early 90s was dominated by East Coast rap, which influenced Chris Blake’s own rap style. However, the first rap album Chris Blake ever purchased was Outkast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik It was then in 1994, he saw what the South had to offer. Other rappers such as Spice 1, Eightball & MJG, and Goodie Mob also became great influences in his own music.
Through his contagiously unique vocals and subject matter based on his life experiences, some good and some bad, Chris Blake’s music blends tragedy with comedy to ease the ups and downs of life. As an independent artist, Chris Blake’s authentic lyrics, various mixtapes, and internet presence has defined him in a crowded industry and has gained him fans from East Memphis to Ethiopia.
Being inspired by his daily life occurrences and driven by success, Chris Blake is passionate about going all out for what he believes in, his music.
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