As the ever-growing sound of Drill continues to rise, so do the hard-hitting artists that come with the genre. Next up is New York’s very own B-Lovee. The Bronx are no strangers to introducing the world to the hottest rappers surfacing out of the concrete jungle. B-Lovee is the latest off the roster which has seen icons such as Fat Joe, Cardi B and Lil Tjay flourish from the talented town.
Influencing the next generation with his jumpy Drill anthems and ability to bring new life into classic throwback samples, B-Lovee is ready to connect the dots overseas and broaden his fanbase as his stock rises. Digga D is already familiar with the wave, calling upon the Bronx native whilst stateside to release “What You Reckon” – A fan favourite off of Digga’s successful Noughty By Nature mixtape.
As B-Lovee touches down on U.K. soil to tackle London, Birmingham and Manchester, he can see the power Drill holds and the potential it has to become a mainstay in the music scene. We caught up with rising star after to speak on his U.K. experience, collaborating with Digga D, getting sturdy and much more!
This is your first time performing in the UK – How your experience been so far?
“It’s been good out here! They’ve been showing me a lot of love and it’s been a great experience.”
What do you look forward to most when touring?
“I just try to focus on expanding my audience. Meeting new people, my fans and connecting with new artists.”
You recently attended Wireless Festival. What was the vibe like and did you connect with any artists?
“I met a couple artists at Wireless. The crowd was going crazy, they was showing love! That was the goal for me.”
You collaborated with Digga D for “What You Reckon”. How did you build this connection?
“Someone reacted to my video and Digga D knew him and reached out to me. We were chopping it up and then he sent me a record (“What You Reckon”). A couple weeks later we linked up in Miami and the video shoot was active, it was fire!”
You released your eight-track EP Misunderstood earlier in the year – What was the process for the project?
“That project was more going through songs I already had done and putting out new songs for my fans. It was like a giveaway project for them.”
What was your favourite track to record from the EP?
“Need You” was my best one on there!”
“IYKYK” went viral globally – 15 million views – When did you know this single was going to be an anthem?
“I didn’t know how successful it would be, but I knew it would eventually be big! When I first heard the beat, I had a reaction to it, I was like woah, this beat is crazy hard!”
The single is a sample from the legendary dancehall track “No Letting Go” by Wayne Wonder – Why do you think there has been such a rise in sampling classic throwbacks this year?
“I used to listen to these songs back in the day. Growing up with my Mum, she was listening to these. These are already anthems, so to hear them again on a different beat was crazy. I already love them so of course I’m going to love it on a Drill beat!”
Cash Cobain is responsible for many Drill productions and is known for sampling R&B singles, “My Everything” is a fitting example of this – What is your relationship like with Cash?
“Me and Cash Cobain locked in! When I went to the studio session, he’s always cooking up beats and having beats ready. I have a whole load of Cash Cobain beats. Same with “My Everything”, that was already an anthem growing up with my Mum. As soon as he played it, I was like ite’ bet! That song originally got leaked. I didn’t think it would lift off as much as it did.”
Do you try to build connections with specific producers or are you open to working with anyone who sends through new beats?
“I like to listen to all beats, but I try to reach out to specific producers to grow and make certain songs. Every producer got a different sound. Producers are like artists, you want to link up with the big producers.”
The Bronx has seen many artists from yourself to Kay Flock – What makes Drill music so popular in this side of New York?
“You know, it’s just the movement! It was just around the right time, the music is just open. We have a good sound and created a new wave which everyone happened to like!”
There are many U.K. artist currently pushing the Drill sound, do you see any similarities with UK and U.S when it comes to the sound?
“It’s the same, but it’s different! I see similar parts where they do something we do, and we do something they do. Everybody sturdy now!”
We have also seen the Sturdy wave become increasingly popular over here – How did it start?
“The dance started with K-Flock! He was doing some other dance where you go to the floor and creep your foot. Everybody then started and now you got to be extra sturdy to do your thing. Tax3 did their thing over here too!”
Aside from yourself, who are you currently listening to?
“I’ve be listening to a lot of people right now. Lil’ Durk, Tems! I like her music.”
If you were not in the music scene, what would be your dream career?
“I would probably be a fitness member! I used to play American football too, not soccer!”
Keep it locked on GRM Daily for any B-Lovee Developments and much more.