Wilbur Bass (born May 31, 1969), better known as Blaq Poet, is an American rapper from Queensbridge, New York City.

Biography

Blaq Poet was first heard on the track "Beat You Down" from the Bridge Wars during 1987, a diss song towards

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

and

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, ''Criminal Minded ...

. At that time, Poet was at least 17 years old, as stated in a 2009 radio interview. During 1991, Poet and DJ Hot Day made a duo called PHD (Poet & Hot Day) and released their debut album, ''Without Warning'', on

Tuff City Records Tuff City Records is a New York-based record label founded by journalist Aaron Fuchs in 1981.Verna, Paul (1994)Tuff City Records Moves Forward and Looks Back" ''Billboard'', July 16, 1994, retrieved 2010-08-29 Initially concentrating on hip hop m ...

. They released after that album several 12-inch singles and an EP until 1996 when they parted ways due to being unable to find another record label. Poet went on to team up with KL, Hostyle and Solo, creating the group

Screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known a ...

. They released two albums and a compilation together before Poet went solo with the street album ''Rewind: Deja Screw'', released 2006. The album featured production from

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo ...

amongst others. In 2007, Poet appeared on the track "Victory" on

and

Marley Marl Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...

's 2007 album ''

Hip Hop Lives ''Hip Hop Lives'' is the collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and record producer Marley Marl. It was released on May 22, 2007 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at House Of Hits in New York and at Westlake Recordi ...

'', which was released as proof that the Bridge Wars had ended. Poet later signed to DJ Premier's label Year Round Records, and he released his second album, ''

Tha Blaqprint ''Tha Blaqprint'' is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Blaq Poet, released June 30, 2009 on DJ Premier's record label ''Year Round Records'' via ''Fat Beats Records''. It features guest appearances by the also Year Rou ...

'', on that label in 2009. The majority of the production was by DJ Premier, and guest appearances were made by the likes of

Lil' Fame M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip hop duo composed of East Coast rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame. The song " Ante Up", was released on their ''Warriorz'' album in 2000. The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premi ...

and

Noreaga Victor James Santiago Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his stage names Noreaga and later N.O.R.E., is an American rapper. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of the East Coast hip hop d ...

, as well as Poet’s Year Round labelmates the NYGz and Nick Javas. On the remix version of “Ain't Nuttin' Changed”, a single from ''Tha Blaqprint'', Poet collaborated with

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

rappers

MC Eiht Aaron Tyler (born May 22, 1971), better known by his stage name MC Eiht (pronounced MC eight), is an American rapper and actor. Many of his songs are based on his life in Compton. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's na ...

and

Young Maylay Christopher Bellard (born June 17, 1979), also known by his stage name Young Maylay, is an American rapper, record producer and actor based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his portrayal of Carl "CJ" Johnson, the main character ...

. On November 3, 2020, Blaq Poet released an LP with Serious Truth entitled "''Cultural Revolution''" to critical acclaim. Inspired by current events, the album is also focused on returning hip hop back to its roots and original cultural standards. ''Cultural Revolution'' has become a cult classic among hardcore hip hop fans and DJs alike, accumulating 120,000 views, listens & streams across all platforms. Upon the album's release, it frequently found its way onto radio stations in the UK, Germany, Belgium and the USA, as well as

's radio show on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

. Blaq Poet is currently working on an album with producers Stu Bangas and Vanderslice which has not yet come to fruition.

Discography

*1991: ''Without Warning'' (collaboration with DJ Hot Day as PHD) *2006: '' Rewind: Deja Screw'' *2009: ''Blaq Out'' *2009: ''

'' (produced by DJ Premier) *2011: ''Blaq Poet Society'' (produced by Stu Bangas & Vanderslice) *2012: ''E.B.K. - EveryBody Killa'' *2013: ''Blaq Death'' (produced by Stu Bangas & Vanderslice) *2016: ''The Most Dangerous'' *2016: ''Mad Screws'' (collaboration with Comet) *2019: ''EST: Experience, Stories and Truths'' (EP) *2019: ''Smoke'' (EP, with Comet & Astro Vandalist) *2020: ''Scribes'' (EP) *2020: ''Simon Phoenix'' *2020: ''Cultural Revolution'' (collaboration with Serious Truth)

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poet, Blaq Living people Rappers from New York City African-American male rappers 1969 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians People from Long Island City, Queens 20th-century African-American people