Charles Smith (born September 30, 1985), better known as Blaqstarr or DJ Blaqstarr, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

, singer, producer and DJ. He is best known for his work with M.I.A.

Biography

Blaqstarr had local success in the early 2000s with the songs "Get My Gun," "Ryda Girl," "Jiggle It," "Hands Up Thumbs Down" and "Feel It In the Air," released via Starr Productions. DJ Blaqstarrat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

In 2005, he contributed songs such as "Tote It" to the album ''Operation Playtime'' and the songs "Supastarr" and "So Horney" to the album ''Baltimore Club 9''. In December 2005, M.I.A. travelled to America to work with Blaqstarr on her second album, telling ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', "I arrived at 9 am and he'd been arrested at seven; he was still up from the night before. That's his studio, and it's got a washer-dryer in the back and a sofa bed, that's his whole set-up; that's why he doesn't make it out of Baltimore." "Shake It to The Ground" featured

Rye Rye Ryeisha Rochelle Berrain (born November 25, 1990), known by her stage name Rye Rye, is an American rapper, singer, dancer and actress. Signed to N.E.E.T. Recordings, she released her first mixtape RYEot PowRR in 2011 and her anticipated debut albu ...

, an affiliate of Blaqstarr's in Baltimore, and became a club hit in 2006. Blaqstarr introduced Rye Rye to M.I.A. after the singer asked for a meeting, leading to touring with the artist and collaborations on her album '' Kala'' which led to wide recognition. His EP, ''Supastarr'', was released, its first single being the rereleased "Shake It To the Ground" for which a music video was made, and another EP, titled ''Shake It To the Ground'' was also released in 2007. In January 2008, Blaqstarr released the album ''King of Roq''. He toured with Diplo, M.I.A., and Rye Rye, and participated in the Rock the Bells tour. He also produced and recorded tracks with M.I.A.,

Mos Def Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...

, and Rye Rye. In June 2008, he contributed a track to the album ''Hollertronix 8'', along with DJ Sega. In early 2009, Blaqstarr released a single in collaboration with the DJ

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...

titled "Get Off". M.I.A. and Blaqstarr released a song and video "Way Down in the Hole" following his signing to the N.E.E.T. Recordings record label. He also produced some tracks for the 2009 K-Swift album ''Greatest Hits''. In 2009, Blaqstarr was chosen to perform at the People's Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C., one of the unofficial pre-inaugural events in the days leading up to the inauguration of Barack Obama. Blaqstarr was on the lineup for the

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Festival, which took place in Austin, Texas, from March 13 to 22, 2009. He released an EP entitled "The Divine" on January 25, 2011. It includes six songs: "All The World," "Rider Girl," "Oh My Darlin," "Divine," "Wonder Women" and "Turning Out".

Critical reception

Music critic Chris Richards of ''

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'', in reviewing the 2008 recording ''I'm Bangin' 2'', wrote, "If Blaqstarr's hallucinogenic odes to sex, drugs, and Baltimore don't make him a legend in his day, they should certainly cement his cult status in some dystopian future." ''

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 ...

'' wrote, regarding ''King of Roq'', "Much of the music sounds like standard hip-hop fare but sped up to Alvin & the Chipmunks speed; it's fast, furious and dirty."

Discography

EPs

* ''Supastarr'' (2007) * ''Shake It to the Ground (feat.

)'' (Mad Decent, 2007) * ''Hollertronix #8'' (2008) * '' The Divine EP'' (2011) * The Blaq Files (2014) * Trinity EP, vol 1 (2014) * Trinity EP, vol 1.5 (2014) * Moan Her Lease Her (2016) * M.I.A Aim. (2017)

Mixtapes

* ''Blaqstarr The Mixtape'' (2011)

Videography

* 2007: "Shake It To The Ground" * 2009: "S.U.S. (Save Ur Souls)/Way Down In The Hole" w/ M.I.A. * 2010: "Oh My Darlin" * 2011: "Rider Gyrl" * 2011: "Never Hesitant" * 2014: "Dear Diamond" ft Common

References

External links

* Blaqstarr at AllMusic*
Interview, HitQuarters July 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaqstarr American male singers American hip-hop record producers American DJs Rappers from Baltimore American hip-hop singers Living people 1985 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians Mad Decent artists