A key figure in the development of Swedish hip-hop,
Bladee made his name alongside
Yung Lean and the Sad Boys as part of Stockholm's burgeoning cloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, quickly establishing an internet-based following in rap's underground. Combining futuristic production, Auto-Tuned crooning, and themes of decay and depression, his unique take on the genre was consolidated in his 2016 debut
Eversince.
Born Benjamin Reichwald,
Bladee's career was kickstarted by his invitation to Hasch Boys, a collective formed by fellow Stockholm artists
Yung Lean, Yung Gud, and Yung Sherman in 2012. Blending drowsy rap-crooning with Auto-Tuned vocals and hazy, texture-driven production, the group quickly manifested their own take on the rapidly emerging cloud rap subgenre. When
Lean's original trio broke away to form their own group, Sad Boys,
Bladee followed suit, forming rap group GTB Shield Gang alongside frequent collaborators Whitearmor,
Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Yung Sherman. From there, the two groups worked in tandem:
Bladee debuted with
Ecco2K on the 2013 single "Bleach," which was shortly followed by two appearances on
Lean’s debut mixtape, Unknown Death 2002.
Matching
Lean's work ethic,
Bladee quickly released his own debut mixtape, Gluee, alongside being featured on Thaiboy Digital's 2014 debut, Tiger. After renaming themselves Drain Gang, the collective leaned further away from the Sad Boys, opting to experiment with sci-fi influences and robotic vocal effects. This new direction was embodied in
Bladee's 2016 releases, with both debut album
Eversince and collaborative mixtape AvP (with Thaiboy Digital) merging
Bladee's vocal experimentation with producer Whitearmor's futuristic influence. As the self-proclaimed "Drain Gang CEO,"
Bladee continued to push the group's unique aesthetic, creating the artwork for their albums alongside designing the collective's first clothing line. This combined focus culminated in the 2017 release of D&G, Drain Gang's debut project as a collective.
Having developed the group's collective identity,
Bladee returned to his solo efforts. After ending 2017 with a tape produced by Working on Dying,
Bladee ensured that 2018 would be his most prolific year yet, releasing his sophomore album
Red Light alongside mixtape
Icedancer and two EPs. These projects, for the most part, saw the natural evolution of
Bladee's sound, retaining his lyrical and sonic direction while incorporating greater use of textures and vocal manipulation. Closing out the year with a headline performance at
Yung Lean's Wings of Desire event, the rapper returned in early 2019 with a flurry of singles including the eclectic "Apple." ~ David Crone