As the music world continues to evolve, you can either adapt to the changing times or cling onto tradition. With his latest album, Lord of the Sleaze, rapper Jizzy Blanco is determined not to fall behind. Seven years on from his last album, the MC has his eyes set on success, prepared to adapt to the ever-changing industry.
After a long hiatus from releasing music, Lord of the Sleaze marks the beginning of a new era in Blanco’s career. “It’s my grandiose way of announcing my re-entry to the whole game,” he said.
Born in Memphis, Blanco grew up surrounded by hip hop. From his siblings blasting Biggie and 2Pac hits to the cultural icons like Three 6 Mafia who hailed from the Southern city, rap music has always inhabited the artist’s life.
In many ways, Blanco’s origin in Memphis has kept the rapper ahead of the curve. “The music that’s cool today wasn’t always cool,” he said. “We got it a taste of it early. We were consumers of that type of music before it was popular or a wave or a trend.”
For most of his life, the rapper has thought about the music first and the release second. Having casually handed out new mixtapes in the same vein as E-40 or Gucci Mane, the art of the album rollout was never concern of Blanco’s until Lord of the Sleaze.
“I wish it was that easy, putting out mixtapes and growing your fanbase that way,” he said. “I grew up in the blog era, around that time … As long as you was putting out consistent, quality work, you was sure to blow. I tried to follow that same formula early on in my career, but that’s not it no more. It’s a whole new ball game.”
Determined to broaden his audience, Blanco did all he could to give Lord of the Sleaze the smoothest rollout possible. He kicked off the album cycle with the single ‘Backwoods To Tha Dome’, accompanied by a slick music video and followed by the singles ‘Jimmy’ and ‘Middle Finger Music’.
“I was ready to get that album out probably a year before it was actually released,” he said. “[It was a challenge] just being patient and learning the whole process of a rollout. Actually being professional, not just putting music out and posting a link.”
Before Lord of the Sleaze, Blanco had been sparing with his releases, dropping only the odd single or EP after 2017’s O*G*O*E. “Seven years is a long time,” he remarked. “Naturally, you grow up as a person. I feel like my music is a little more seasoned. I’m a little more to the point; not as loopy as I used to be.”
Listening to O*G*O*E then Lord of the Sleaze, the contrast is stark. With varied production, an arsenal of flows, and a witty writing style, Blanco’s new album is a culmination of his artistic strengths. Compared to his previous projects, he called it “much more refined and raw. I’d probably say it’s my most professional work to date. Everything is just first class on the production to the mix and the master. We went all in on trying to make it all first class. Every project going forward, presentation is everything.”
On Lord of the Sleaze, Blanco unleashes his versatility as a rapper. From the soulful grooves of ‘Type Shit’ to the Memphis rap throwback ‘Sleaze, Bless You’, the project is a testament to his flexibility as an MC. “I consider myself a lyricist first and foremost, but I do have range as an artist, and I feel it’s kind of necessary in this stage of the game. You’ve got to have a little range if you want that success. There’s certain songs on there that might not be my usual weapon of choice, and there’s certain songs on there that are like my go-to.”
Despite his efforts to develop as an artist, there are some things that never change. “I can never change my creative process,” he said. “It’s the one constant in my life … I learned, earlier in my career, that I can’t force the music. I have to live, and the music will come to me, then I just have to record it. When I hear something and it catches my ear, I literally start rapping in my head and jot it down, then I go from there.”
Blanco was not alone in the album-making process. Guided by Coach Bombay 3000, and with production help from beatmakers like Memphis’s Burnie Amsterdam and Cleveland’s Trazzhnef Complications, Blanco brought together a range of talents to concoct the album’s eclectic soundscape. “All the bridges I crossed in the music world, and the paths I crossed, all meeting up in the middle.”
Although the album clocks in at 29 minutes and just 10 tracks, that is hardly scratching the surface compared to everything Blanco made for Lord of the Sleaze. “I was intentionally trying to make it brief because, in the stage we’re in right now, everyone’s got short attention spans. Nobody wants to sit and listen to a 30 track project no more, at least not at one time. I feel like 10 tracks is just enough for me to get everything I need to say out, and short enough for the consumer to consume it then get back to their day.”
There was not a modicum of bitterness in Blanco’s voice. Being pushed into new territory, crafting shorter albums for a generation hooked on social media, the rapper was grateful for the means to share his music at all. Unlike the stubborn old-heads who would rather embrace their traditions and fall behind the times, Jizzy Blanco refuses to stagnate.
“Music changes,” he said. “They were saying the same shit back in the ‘90s when that rap came out, when it was getting prevalent. ‘Ooh, these kids have fucked the game up! The music is no good anymore!’ Then you look 40 years later, and those same people are saying the same thing about the music today. I feel like it’s just the cycle of life.”
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