Blackstarkids

Blackstarkids, sometimes stylised as BLACKSTARKIDS, was an American hip-hop/indie rock/pop band from Kansas City, Missouri. The band consists of The Babe Gabe, TyFaizon, and Deiondre. Blackstarkids blend the music styles of hip-hop, indie rock and pop and have been described as "1990s nostalgia reinterpreted for a new generation."

History

The Blackstarkids members met at the age of fifteen or sixteen in Raytown, a suburb just outside Kansas City, where they grew up and attended high school. TyFaizon had been working separately with The Babe Gabe and Deiondre on different projects, subsequently bringing the three together to form the Blackstarkids in January 2019.

The members do not have a specific role, but TyFaizon and The Babe Gabe are often credited as the main songwriters with Deiondre acting as the main producer. They create their works by deciding on an album name and tracklist using a "visual concept", then write songs to fit the concept. The group often uses existing songs as references or inspiration, such as the riff to Green Day's " Basket Case" leading to their riff-based song "Frankie Muniz".

They formed their own label, Bedroom Records, releasing their debut mixtape ''Let's Play Sports'' in 2019 and their follow-up ''SURF'' in 2020. They signed to Matty Healy of The 1975's label Dirty Hit in April 2020, shortly after he highlighted their track "Sounds Like Fun" as one of his new discoveries on Instagram. Their first mix-tape for Dirty Hit titled ''Whatever, Man'' was released in late 2020 and featured a cameo from Matty Healy and label mates beabadoobee on the track "Friendship". The album featured the track "Frankie Muniz" which gained praise on Twitter from the actor with the same name. They released their album ''Puppies Forever'' in October 2021. Although it is their fourth release, the group considers it their proper debut album. The album was preceded by three singles, "Juno", "Fight Club," and "All Cops Are Bastards", which demonstrated anger at systemic racism and police brutality.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, live performances were limited to a handful of shows, including appearing at Chicago's Riot Fest alongside Devo, Ice-T and The Flaming Lips in September 2021, touring with label mates Glass Animals and beabadoobee in fall 2021.

Influences

The group's influences are wide-ranging and include indie rock groups such as Weezer, Nirvana, and The Smashing Pumpkins; hip hop acts such as A Tribe Called Quest, Tyler the Creator, Odd Future; and other acts such as Prince, Mac DeMarco and Toro Y Moi. Blackstarkids also incorporate influences from 2000s pop culture such as '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid,'' and ''iCarly'' amongst others.

Discography

Studio Albums
*''Puppies Forever'' (Dirty Hit, 2021)
*''Saturn Dayz'' (Dirty Hit, 2024)

Mixtapes
*''Let's Play Sports'' (Bedroom Records, 2019)
*''SURF'' (Bedroom Records, 2020)
*''Whatever, Man'' (Dirty Hit, 2020)
*''CYBERKISS*'' (Dirty Hit, 2022)

Tours

As an Opening Band

* The 1975 - At Their Very Best (2022)

References

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African-American musical groups
Musical groups from Kansas City, Missouri
Musical groups established in 2019
Dirty Hit artists