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", taken from his debut album, '' Free 6lack'', which was released in November 2016. He released his second album, '' East Atlanta Love Letter'' in September 2018, which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Later that year, he released the single " OTW" (with Khalid 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 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" (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 Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (character), 2-D (Singing, vocals, Musical keyboard, keyboards), Murd ...

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, Sea ...

", 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" (with Lil Tjay), 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 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 Mu ...

. He is also a member of the Atlanta-Baltimore music collective Spillage Village, 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, H ...

and JID. 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 pre ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), 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 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 498,71 ...

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 t ...

, with his parents in 1997. He attended Stone Mountain High School and Newton High School. He is the oldest of three siblings. Valentine's first recording experience was when he was 4 years of age, at his father's studio. He began rapping in middle school as a battle rapper 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 down ...

'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 s ...

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 coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

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, a ...

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 Spillage Village 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 Love Renaissance 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' included 6lack in their list of "10 New Artists You Need to Know". He then went on to release his debut studio album, '' Free 6lack'', which peaked at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album's single " Prblms" 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 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 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, '' East Atlanta Love Letter'', 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 ...

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 currentl ...

, 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, Boogie, Deante' Hitchcock, Summer Walker, and

Ari Lennox Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American 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 began gaining reco ...

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

" by Normani. 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, " Know My Rights". He also launched his own hot sauce brand 600 Degrees Original. 6lack appeared on two tracks from Spillage Village's '' Spilligion'' album, released in September 2020. During 2020, he collaborated with British virtual band

and singer-songwriter

on the track "

", for the band's seventh studio album, '' Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez''. In 2021, he released " Calling My Phone" with Bronx rapper Lil Tjay.

Artistry

6lack's music focuses or is based on personal and business relationships frequently, especially the topic of

heartbreak Heartbreak often refers to the state of having a broken heart, a metaphor for a feeling of rejection by a loved one or of emotional devastation (as in mourning). Heartbreak or heart break may also refer to: Film & television * ''Heartbreak'' (19 ...

. 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 advertis ...

'' 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, 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, " Ri ...

, and

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

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

*'' Free 6lack'' (2016) *'' East Atlanta Love Letter'' (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