Blade Brown
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Blade Brown | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jonathan James Wrate[1] |
| Born | 12 February 1985 Streatham, London, England |
| Origin | Battersea, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website | bxbldn |
Jonathan James Wrate (born 12 February 1985), known professionally as Blade Brown[2] is a British rapper and songwriter from Battersea, London. He released the mixtape series Bags and Boxes, and the Financial Times mixtapes.[3][4][5][6][7] XXL has compared his style to that of early Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane.[8]
Biography[edit]
Early life and career beginnings (1985–2006)[edit]
Wrate was born on 12 February 1985 in Streatham, later moving to Battersea. He is a supporter of Manchester United F.C.[9] He was first exposed to hip hop through his father who would listen to 80s and 90s hip hop as well as reggae at home, all of which influenced Wrate to take an interest in music and start rapping more seriously around the age of 17. He released his debut mixtape entitled Nothing Long Volume 1 under Defenders Entertainment in 2004, but he took a break from music following a spell of both underground and commercial success through the mixtape which was played on mainstream radio stations such as Choice FM, BBC Radio 1Xtra and Kiss FM, as well as street DVDs in circulation at the time such as Streetz Incarcerated, Streetz Is Raw and Welcome to the city.[10] Between 2005 and 2006 he recorded material for a second mixtape, which was initially entitled Nothing Long Volume 2, but it was never released due to the legal troubles Wrate was experiencing at the time, as well as a change in his own preferences as he has stated that he did not want to release many of the songs he had recorded.
Hollow Meets Blade with Giggs (2007)[edit]
Wrate released his second mixtape entitled Hollow Meetz Blade which was a collaboration with fellow South London rapper Giggs. The mixtape received general acclaim from both underground and mainstream rap fans in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] However, Wrate failed to capitalise on the hype from the mixtape and took a break from music shortly after its release.
Discography[edit]
Collaborative mixtapes[edit]
| Title | Released | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] |
UK R&B [12] | ||||
| Joints (with K-Trap) |
Released: 25 March 2022[13] |
|
18 | 2 | |
Mixtapes[edit]
| Title | Released | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nothing Long Volume 1 | 2004 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Hollowman Meets Blade (with Giggs) | 2007 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Best of Blade | 2009 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Bags and Boxes | Released: 31 March 2010 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Financial Times | Released: 31 March 2011 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Best of Blade 2 | Released: 9 February 2012 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Bags and Boxes 2 | Released: 30 November 2012 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Best of Blade 3 | Released: 14 October 2014 |
|
— | ||||||||||||||||
| Bags and Boxes 3 | Released: 31 November 2014 |
|
42[14] | ||||||||||||||||
| Bags and Boxes 4 | Released: 16 August 2019 |
|
12 | ||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
Other charted songs[edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] | |||
| "Joints" (featuring K-Trap) |
2019 | 70 | Bags and Boxes 4 |
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Event | Prize | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Official Mixtape Awards | Best Hip Hop Mixtape | Bags and Boxes | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Official Mixtape Awards | Mixtape of the Year | Financial Times | Won | |
| Best Hip Hop Mixtape | Financial Times | Won | |||
| Best Male Artist | Nominated | [15] | |||
| 2013 | Official Mixtape Awards | Best Overall Mixtape | Bags and Boxes 2 | Nominated | [16] |
| 2015 | Rated Awards | Best Video | Drug Dealer (featuring Tiggs Da Author) | Nominated | [17] |
References[edit]
- ^ "BLOCKS HOT". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ One To Watch... Blade Brown
- ^ ""My Music Is Wrapped Around Real Life Experiences": An Interview With South London's Trap-Rap Ringleader, Blade Brown". Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ “I hear other rappers but I’m better than them”- Blade Brown
- ^ Blade Brown: the interview!
- ^ Krept & Konan Crowned MTV's Best Of The Best UK MCs Of 2013!
- ^ G4 Boyz – Alexander Wang (Remix) Feat. Blade Brown
- ^ 15 New European Rappers
- ^ "Blade Brown Talks Music, Football Upbringing & Manchester United". SoccerBible. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Oke, Tobi (25 May 2011). "Blade Brown: the interview!". MTV UK. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ a b c "Blade Brown | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Blade Brown & K-Trap's 'Joints' Project Has Finally Arrived". Complex. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ UK Official Album Charts: Bags and Boxes 3
- ^ The Official Mixtape Awards (OMA’s) Nominations Are In
- ^ OMS Awards Nominations 2013 Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ RATED AWARDS ANNOUNCE CATEGORIES & NOMINEES
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
