Ricardo Archibald Valentine Jr. (born June 24, 1992), known professionally as 6lack (stylized as 6LACK, pronounced "black"), is an American singer and rapper. He initially gained notable recognition following the release of his single, "

Prblms "Prblms" (a disemvoweling of "problems" and stylized in all caps) is a single by American singer 6lack. It was released on September 23, 2016, by LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records. The track was produced by NOVA. The song was certified 3× ...

", taken from his debut album, ''

Free 6lack ''Free 6lack'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American singer 6lack. It was released on November 18, 2016, by Love Renaissance, LVRN and Interscope Records. The album was supported by two Single (music), singles: "Ex Calling" a ...

'', which was released in November 2016. He released his second album, ''

East Atlanta Love Letter ''East Atlanta Love Letter'' is the second studio album by American singer 6lack. It was released on September 14, 2018 by Love Renaissance, LVRN and Interscope Records. This is the follow up to his 2016 release, "Free 6lack". The production on th ...

'' in September 2018, which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Later that year, he released the single " OTW" (with

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

and

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

). 6lack was featured on the

Normani Normani Kordei Hamilton ( ; born May 31, 1996) is an American singer and dancer. She auditioned as a solo act for the American television series ''The X Factor'' in 2012, after which she became a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which wen ...

single "

Waves Waves most often refers to: *Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. *Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music *Waves (band) ...

", which earned him a

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

. In June 2020, he released the EP '' 6pc Hot'', which included the single, "

Know My Rights "Know My Rights" is a song by American singer 6lack, featuring American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on June 26, 2020, as the third single off 6lack's ''6pc Hot EP'', released the same day. The track was produced by London Cyr and Fwdslxsh, ...

" (featuring

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

). Later that year he was featured on the Gorillaz track "

The Pink Phantom "The Pink Phantom" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring British singer Elton John and American singer 6lack. The track was released on 1 October 2020 as the eighth single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, '' Song Machine, Se ...

", with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. In 2021, his single "

Calling My Phone "Calling My Phone" is a song by American recording artists Lil Tjay and 6lack from the former's second studio '' Destined 2 Win'' (2021). It was released on February 10, 2021, through Columbia and Sony. Background The song was steadily teased by ...

" (with

Lil Tjay Tione Jayden Merritt (born April 30, 2001), known professionally as Lil Tjay, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2017 with his song "Resume", and then the release of his breakthrough song "Brothers" which led h ...

), topped the charts in Canada, and peaked at number three in the US, becoming both artists' highest charting song on both charts. 6lack is currently signed to

Love Renaissance Love Renaissance (LVRN) is an American record label and management company founded by Carlon Ramong, Justice Baiden, Junia Abaidoo, Sean Famoso McNichol and Tunde Balogun, and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The label is currently distributed through ...

and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

. He is also a member of the Atlanta-Baltimore music collective

Spillage Village Spillage Village is an American musical collective from Atlanta, Georgia. The group is composed of rappers, singers and producers, and was founded by the members of EarthGang. Spillage Village was primarily made up of five initial members with ...

, founded by

EarthGang EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu (aka Johnny Venus) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot – born Eian Parker). They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Ho ...

and

JID Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper. He is a part of the musical collective Spillage Village, founded by EarthGang in 2010, with Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant ...

. 6lack has received three

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations and has won an MTV Video Music Award.

Early life

Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr. was born on June 24, 1992, in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and moved to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, with his parents in 1997. He attended

Stone Mountain High School Stone Mountain High School is a college preparatory and public high school located in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. History It is one of the oldest high schools in ...

and Newton High School. He is the oldest of three siblings. Valentine's first

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

experience was when he was 4 years of age, at his father's studio. He began rapping in middle school as a

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

per and was involved in many battles in his youth including against rapper

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

Career

2011–2017: Beginnings and ''Free 6lack''

6lack signed a record deal with

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

's International Music Group and Strong Arm Records in July 2011. He left

Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU ...

once he signed, and spent the next few years learning about the industry. 6lack spent five years with the label, putting music out on his

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

account. 6lack had little financial security and spent most of his time sleeping in the studio or outside on the street after moving to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

to work on music with the record label. 6lack eventually left his label due to issues over artistic and creative license and management. In 2015, 6lack announced that he had joined the musical collective

after living with the members of

, and appeared on four tracks of Spillage Village EP called ''Bears Like This Too'' in 2015. Once he left the label, he signed with

and

. In November 2016, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' included 6lack in their list of "10 New Artists You Need to Know". He then went on to release his debut studio album, ''

'', which peaked at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album's single "

" peaked at number 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and became his first platinum record. In April 2017, he joined Canadian singer

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

as opening act for his Legend of the Fall tour in North America.

2018–present: ''East Atlanta Love Letter'' and ''6pc Hot''

In April 2018, he released the single " OTW" with

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

and

, which has reached at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "OTW" became 6lack's highest peaking song on the Hot 100. The first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

for his sophomore album, "Switch", was released on June 22, 2018, with a music video released on July 16. "Nonchalant" was released as the album's second single on August 17, with its accompanying music video. On September 14, 2018, 6lack released his second studio album, ''

'', featuring

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

, J. Cole, Offset, and Khalid. The album's release was preceded by the singles "Switch" and "Nonchalant." In October 2018, 6lack started a tour for the promotion of the album, with opening acts THEY.,

Tierra Whack Tierra Helena Whack (born August 11, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She originally performed as "Dizzle Dizz" as a teenager, but later on reverted to her birth name in 2017. Her debut studio album, ''Whack World'', was releas ...

Boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

Deante' Hitchcock Deante' Van Hitchcock (born March 10, 1993), is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He initially gained recognition as a rapper following the releases of three mixtapes: ''19 Summers'' (2012), ''Wishful Thinking'' (2015) and ''Good'' (2016 ...

, Summer Walker, and

Ari Lennox Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She b ...

. 6lack later featured on several other songs, such as "

" by

. and "Crowded Room" by

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

, in 2019 and early 2020, respectively. In May 2020, 6lack released the track "ATL Freestyle". A few weeks later, on June 24, 2020, 6lack celebrated his birthday with the release of the single "Float". He also announced his EP '' 6pc Hot'', which was released on June 26 and included the

-assisted single, "

". He also launched his own hot sauce brand 600 Degrees Original. 6lack appeared on two tracks from

's ''

Spilligion ''Spilligion'' is the major label debut album by American hip hop collective Spillage Village, headed by JID and EarthGang, released on September 25, 2020 by Dreamville, Interscope, and SinceThe80s. The collective consists of EarthGang, JID, Ho ...

'' album, released in September 2020. During 2020, he collaborated with British virtual band Gorillaz and singer-songwriter

on the track "

", for the band's seventh studio album, '' Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez''. In 2021, he released "

" with Bronx rapper

Artistry

6lack's music focuses or is based on personal and business relationships frequently, especially the topic of heartbreak. 6lack has said that his songwriting is influenced mainly by his personal experiences and failed relationships. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine has described 6lack's music as "moody hip hop" that "spotlights vulnerability and honesty in a way the emoji generation can understand." 6lack has cited

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

, T-Pain,

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...

, and Usher as his influences.

Personal life

In February 2017, 6lack announced the birth of his daughter, Syx Rose Valentine. He is currently dating soul singer Bianca Quiñones, known by her stage name Quiñ.

Discography

*''

'' (2016) *''

'' (2018)

Tours

Headlining * Free 6lack Tour (2017) *From East Atlanta with Love Tour (2018) Supporting * Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour (2017) *Heartbreak on a Full Moon Tour (2018) *Dreamville Festival (2019)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:6LACK 1992 births Living people 21st-century African-American male singers African-American male songwriters Songwriters from Maryland Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) African-American male rappers Interscope Records artists Rappers from Atlanta Pop rappers 21st-century American rappers American contemporary R&B singers