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Dean Blunt

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Dean Blunt
Birth nameRoy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi[1]
OriginHackney, London[2]
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
  • contemporary artist
Labels

Roy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi, better known by his pseudonym Dean Blunt, is a British singer-songwriter, musician, producer and contemporary artist. He is best known for his current solo work as well as his previous work as part of avant-garde duo Hype Williams (with Inga Copeland), and more recently, the hip hop group Babyfather. Blunt was also the founder of London rock band Graffiti Island.[2][7] He has been described as "a prolific, category-rejecting artist"[2] and "an art-pop provocateur."[3]

Life and career

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Although little is known about his personal life, Blunt has said he comes from a London family that he describes as "Sun readers, working class, kind of ignorant in ways".[8]

Blunt performed music with Russian-born artist Inga Copeland (also known as Lolina) as the electronic duo Hype Williams from 2007 until 2012. Supposedly founded in 2005 as a "relay" project passed between artists every five years, the group has given few interviews, leaving music journalists and the media in doubt as to the exact nature of the project.[9][10] The group's lineup has remained obscure, although Blunt's artistic style has been heard within newer releases, and a variety of other names have also been invoked as members. A mysterious representative named Denna Frances Glass has alternately been posited as either the manager of the project or a fake identity created by Blunt and Copeland.[9][10] In 2016, Glass announced that Blunt and Copeland were no longer part of the project, which would be continuing with other members.[11]

Blunt embarked his solo career in 2011, releasing a set of albums as well as several EPs and singles. His first few full-length studio albums, The Narcissist II (2012), The Redeemer (2013), and Black Metal (2014), received attention and praise from various music publications.[2][12][13] BBF Hosted By DJ Escrow, his first album as Babyfather, was named the best album of 2016 by Tiny Mix Tapes and Resident Advisor.

In 2018, Blunt contributed heavily to ASAP Rocky's album Testing, with production and writing credits on "Purity" and "Gunz N Butter" and additional vocals on "Calldrops". Blunt's work on the album followed collaborative singles between the two artists prior, such as the Babyfather track "Benzo Amore".[14] The pair have since collaborated on multiple recordings.[15][16][17]

Blunt is also known for his playfulness and obfuscation. In 2015, he sent his bodyguard to accept his Philip Hall Radar Award at the NME Awards.[18] In 2016, he listed a toy Foxtons estate agents Mini Cooper with a splatter of pink paint filled with marijuana on eBay for £250.[19] At a New York concert, in March 2016, media guests were asked to check in under aliases that they had received with their ticket confirmations.[20]

Blunt has directed music videos for Actress and Panda Bear.[21][22]

Blunt has produced theatre works including The Narcissist at HAU1 in Berlin in 2012; Lord Knows at Le Romandie in Lausanne in 2013; and I’m Just Passin Thru To Show Some Love in 2013 and Urban in 2014, both at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.[23] In October 2017, Blunt also debuted Inna, an opera directed by himself with music from Mica Levi, at the same institute.[24]

Blunt has put on a number of art exhibitions, including New Paintings at the Triangle and W44VY at Arcadia Missa.[25][26] He has also published a book compiling "excessive expenses made in the most popular VIP clubs in the hip hop scene", entitled Cîroc Boyz: Vol 1.

Blunt practices Transcendental Meditation and is a vocal proponent of it.[27] In a 2016 interview with i-D, he said: "Transcendental Meditation is an effortless practice that brings a lot. Pareto. The hardest thing to remember is how simple it is. Focusing too much on the mantra defeats the objective."[28]

In 2024, the collaborative album Backstage Raver was released with longtime collaborator Joanne Robertson. [29]

Discography

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Solo

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  • Jill Scott Herring OST (2011)
  • The Narcissist (mixtape) (2011)
  • The Narcissist II (mixtape) (2012)
  • The Redeemer (2013)
  • Каменный Остров (Stone Island) (mixtape; released as Дин Блант) (2013)
  • Skin Fade (mixtape) (2014)
  • Black Metal (2014)
  • Babyfather (mixtape) (2015)
  • Soul on Fire (mixtape) (2018)
  • ZUSHI (mixtape) (2019)
  • Roaches 2012–2019 (compilation) (2020)
  • Black Metal 2 (2021)
  • give me a moment (EP) (2023)
  • Hackney Commercial Waste (2024)

As part of Babyfather

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  • UK2UK (mixtape) (2015)
  • Platinum Tears (mixtape) (2016)
  • BBF Hosted By DJ Escrow (2016)
  • 419 (mixtape) (2016)
  • Cypher (mixtape) (2017)
  • AUG Freestyle / MANNA (single) (2020)
  • 1471 (single) (2022)
  • Sleep It Off (single) (2023)
  • bluey vuitton (single) (2024)
  • teddy boi freestyle (single) (2024)

Other

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  • The Attitude Era (compilation album of unreleased tracks with Inga Copeland) (2012)
  • Black Is Beautiful (with Inga Copeland) (2012)
  • Wahalla (with Joanne Robertson) (2017)
  • Hotep (as part of Blue Iverson) (2017)
  • Muggy Vol.1 (producer of a compilation on Dean Blunt's World Music imprint) (2018)
  • Desert Sessions (with Delroy Edwards) (2018)
  • Backstage Raver (with Joanne Robertson) (2024)

As part of Hype Williams

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Main article: Hype Williams (band)

Awards and nominations

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Year Organisation Award Result
2015 NME Award Philip Hall Radar Award [Best New Act][18] Winner

References

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  1. ^ "AMIR (VOC MIX)". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Kellman, Andy. "Dean Blunt". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b Joyce, Colin (20 October 2015). "Dean Blunt Goes on a Trip for 'On Wine, Hashish & Molly' Version of Archangel's 'Julia'". Spin. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  4. ^ Scott Barron, Michael (18 February 2016). "Dean Blunt's Babyfather Project Announced an Album with the Most Incredible Art – Thump". Vice. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  5. ^ David Laderman, Laurel Westrup (2014). Sampling Media. OPU USA. p. 109.
  6. ^ "Dean Blunt Goes Hip-Hop with Arca on Babyfather LP". 31 March 2016.
  7. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (5 April 2012). "Hype Williams: do they ever speak the truth?". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  8. ^ Blanning, Lisa. "Hype Williams transcript – The Wire". The Wire Magazine – Adventures In Modern Music.
  9. ^ a b "FACT mix 216: Hype Williams". Fact. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  10. ^ a b Gibb, Rory. "In Search of Hype Williams". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  11. ^ Brito, Kristian (11 August 2016). "Hype Williams' new album out now; Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland touring separately". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  12. ^ Milton, Jamie (6 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". DIY. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. ^ Joyce, Colin (17 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Dean Blunt appears on three tracks from A$AP Rocky's new album, Testing · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor.
  15. ^ "Dean Blunt and A$AP Rocky Collaboration "Stoozy" Surfaces Online". FLOOD.
  16. ^ "A$AP Rocky and Yung Lean appear on Dean Blunt's new album". The FADER.
  17. ^ "Dean Blunt Drops New EP Featuring ASAP Rocky and Mica Levi: Listen". Pitchfork. 19 September 2018.
  18. ^ a b Zadeh, Joe (19 February 2015). "Dean Blunt Pranked the NME Awards Last Night – Noisey". Vice. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  19. ^ Monroe, Jazz (14 January 2016). "Dean Blunt Is Selling a Toy Car Stuffed With Weed on eBay". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  20. ^ Trammell, Matthew (19 September 2016). "Dean Blunt's Agit Rap". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Panda Bear Shares Dean Blunt-Directed Video for "Token" | Exclaim!".
  22. ^ "Watch Actress's Video For "Falling Rizlas," Directed By Dean Blunt". The FADER.
  23. ^ "Dean Blunt & Mica Levi — 'INNA'". www.vooruit.be.
  24. ^ "Inna". www.ica.art. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  25. ^ "BLUNTLY SPEAKING Harry Burke on Dean Blunt at Arcadia Missa, London". textezurkunst.de.
  26. ^ "Dean Blunt: New Paintings – [ SPACE ]". spacestudios.org.uk.
  27. ^ "Dean Blunt". caribiccare.com.
  28. ^ "Dean blunt talks art, transcendental meditation, and how atlanta could be a paradise". I-D. 22 February 2016.
  29. ^ "BACKSTAGE RAVER by Joanne Robertson & Dean Blunt". Genius. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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