Combining street vignettes with the soul of a world-weary blues singer, Kodak Black is rap’s most indelible innovator. Since releasing “No Flockin” in 2014, the 26-year-old has turned pain, and mortal danger into block boy scripture. He’s earned 42 Billboard Hot 100 chart placements, billions of streams, over 30 platinum and gold RIAA-certified records, and status as one of his generation’s most gifted songwriters. He reinforces his reputation with When I Was Dead, a cathartic new album for Capitol Records. After building momentum with popular freestyles, Kodak consummated his level-up with Project Baby, a 2013 mixtape that crystallized his penchant for immediate, first-person narratives and anthemic hooks that invoked the spirit of his neighborhood. By 2016, he’d become XXL Freshman. The following year, his debut album Painting Pictures debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album. In 2018, his Travis Scott and Offset-featured single, “ZEZE,” peaked at No. 2. Despite several stints in prison, his winning streak has only continued. At the end of 2021, Kodak’s searing “Super Gremlin” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. His appearances on Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers only reaffirmed his status as a young legend. On the way to superstardom, he’s also become an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. He’s launched two labels—Sniper Gang and the newer Vulture Love—which he hopes will reinforce the reality raps he’s let loose since before he was old enough to drive.
KODAK BLACK IS “STRESSED OUT” — NEW SONG/VIDEO
