Matthew Dean Burdette (born September 17, 1992), known professionally as Blxst (pronounced “Blast”), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. Blxst seamlessly blends Rap and R&B, switching between harder rhyming and more melodic singing over smooth, intricate backing tracks. He became known for his emotive, relationship-themed songs such as 2019’s “Hurt,” as well as collaborations with artists such as Bino Readaux and Mozzy. A deal with Red Bull Records in 2020 yielded the popular EP ‘No Love Lost’, and the Def Jam-issued ‘Sixtape 2’ (with Readaux) landing in the Billboard 200. He has additionally released songs with Snoop Dogg, Fireboy DML, and Zacari.
The artist began rapping and producing shortly after he finished high school, heavily influenced by Ryan Leslie as well as Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. His first song as Blxst, “Who Would’ve Thought,” appeared in 2016, and he became more productive in 2018, with six singles appearing on his own Evgle label that year, including “Can I”, a collaboration with Eric Bellinger. In 2019, he released the single “Hurt,” which became his breakout solo hit, racking up millions of streams. After numerous successful productions, Blxst caught the attention of Bino Readaux. The two got in touch, and Blxst sent Readaux several beats, which he used on his mixtape “Sorry for tha Wait”. The duo then collaborated on the EP ‘Sixtape’ and performed several sold-out shows throughout the West Coast.
After signing with Red Bull Records, Blxst released the EP ‘No Love Lost’ in 2020, as well as singles such as “My Emotions” and “Slip & Slide” (featuring 1TakeJay), in addition to tracks with Mozzy and MBNel. The next year brought the two-track single “Just for Clarity”, which featured collaborations with Drakeo the Ruler and Russ, and another album with Bino Readaux entitled ‘Sixtape 2’, which was distributed by Def Jam and reached number 117 on the Billboard album chart. On December 3, 2021, Blxst released the single “About You”, with the music video being released on January 26, 2022. He released another single on March 3 titled “Sometimes” featuring Zacari. On April 22, 2022, Blxst released his debut album, ‘Before You Go’.
