Sihle Sithole (born 24 November 1999), known professionally as Blxckie, is a South African rapper, songwriter and record producer from Sydenham Heights, Durban. His debut studio album ''

B4Now ''B4Now'' (pronounced Before Now) is the debut studio album by South African rapper Blxckie Sihle Sithole (born 24 November 1999), known professionally as Blxckie, is a South African rapper, songwriter and record producer from Sydenham Heights, ...

'' (2021) was certified gold in South Africa.

Biography and career

Sihle Sithole was born on 24 November 1999 in Sydenham Heights,

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa. His musical interest started at the age of 8 when he recorded music with his friends. Sithole enrolled at the

University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville. ...

with a degree in Social Sciences, but failed to graduate due to the lockdown during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In an interview with Jade Kelly, he commented that he felt there was a disconnect between South African artists and their fans, saying "It's almost like when an artist blows up or gets a little bit of fame, that goes straight to their head. But what they forget is that the fans will always be the thing that stands between you and greatness. As much as they love the music, we need them to keep listening if we want to stick around, and that's what I'm all about." In March 2020, Sithole visited

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and the country went on a 21-day lockdown while he was still there. Early that same month, he was named '' Up Next'' artist by

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

. On 30 April 2021, his single "David" was released. The song was certified gold in South Africa. On 10 May 2021, he announced a single "Ye ×4" featuring Nasty C and the release date via his Instagram account. The song was released 14 May 2021. "Ye ×4" was certified double platinum with sales of over 40,000 units. His debut studio album ''

'' was released on 21 May 2021. It features appearances from artists such as

Nasty C Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo (born 11 February 1997), known professionally as Nasty C, is a South African rapper, songwriter, and record producer. After releasing three mixtapes, one being "Undisputed" and two EPs, Ngcobo released his debu ...

, LucasRaps, FLVME, Rowlene, and LeoDaleo. The album was certified gold in South Africa with sales of over 10,000 units. Blxckie embarked on B4Now Tour on 26 November in

, The Warehouse; that included 10 dates that ran through to December 2021. He won Freshman of the Year and was nominated for Album of the Year (''B4Now''), Song of the Year ("Ye ×4") and Best Collaboration at the

South African Hip Hop Awards 2021 The 2021 South African Hip Hop Awards took place on 10 December 2021 and were the 10th edition of the South African Hip Hop Awards. The ceremony celebrates achievements in entertainment and music. The nominees were announced on 2 November 2021 ...

. In December 2021, he ranked number 1 on MTV Base: SA's Hottest MCs. "Cold" was released as his new EP's lead single on 3 February 2022, at the time of release he also announced the release date of his EP via his Instagram account. On 18 February 2022, his EP ''4LUV'' was released. He later collaborated with fellow South African rapper A-Reece on the song "Sneaky". He would then be nominated as the Best International Flow at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2022.

Endorsement

In May 2022, he was announced as the ambassador of clothing brand Redbat/Sportscenes.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

BET UK Hip Hop Awards

! , - , 2022 , Himself , Best International Flow , ,

Clout Africa Awards

! , - , 2022 , Himself , Songwriter of the Year , ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blxckie Living people 1999 births South African rappers South African hip hop musicians South African record producers South African songwriters People from Durban Musicians from Durban 21st-century South African musicians