THE AIR JORDAN 11 “GRATITUDE”: Forging Your Own Path with Blanco

His combination of witty, introspective lyricism and textured production — where everything from baile funk to jungle is referenced — places Blanco in a unique space in the landscape of UK rap, a space undeniably forged through his feverish curiosity for the creative world. From his love of anime to his passion for the world of cinema, Blanco’s musical output represents an extension of his interests: an interwoven tapestry that’s intricate, multifaceted and continuously growing.  

It's a position that Blanco doesn’t take for granted, regularly citing his formative years growing up in Kennington and visiting his local youth club, Alford House, as the necessary building blocks for his rap career and pursuit of self-expression. It was this very space where Blanco would experiment and refine his sound, giving him the self-belief needed to go against the grain and pursue his dreams as a full-time artist. In light of that, and to mark the launch of the Air Jordan 11 “Gratitude”, END. spent the day with Blanco in his home suburb of Kennington, taking things back to where it all started and shining a light on the importance of forging your own path.

In your documentary “The Untold Story”, you say you would have never been a rapper if it wasn’t for Alford House. How important was it for you as a youth to have this space where you could freely explore your musical interests?  

At the time, I didn’t think it was that important – obviously because you’re a kid and that, you don’t really know what’s good for you at the time. I realise now that I didn’t really have any ambitions, really, I was just following guys on the estate, so I don’t know what I would have been without Alford House. It was so essential, man. Life changing.

At what point in your earlier years did you realise that music could be your future?

I think it was when we started getting proper views and getting recognised – people were actually listening to us because they liked our music. So, I thought, “yeah, let’s keep going with this”. But, at that time, I was in a group, so I didn’t think I could do it solo. The point where I realised I would do it myself was 2018. I realised I have to do it myself, because not everyone I was with was around.  

Your musical trajectory has been defined by an exploratory nature for new sounds and genres, something epitomised by your album “ReBourne” which released earlier this year. What kickstarted this passion for you?

Obviously, I’m Angolan, so we used to listen to Portuguese music a lot when I was growing up, so it could be Brazilian music or Angolan music. That made me curious, because I was bored of drill, I was bored of just doing the same thing. I was looking for new sounds and what sounded cool. One day, I was on a Brazilian beat, and that sound just fit perfectly with my lyrics and everything.

Your approach to writing lyrics is best described as nuanced and introspective, weaving together personal experiences with your interests like films, anime and football. What is it about writing in this way that particularly inspires you?

It keeps the interest alive. I’m really into TV shows, movies, art — anything that requires you to think of things yourself and come up with concepts and ideas. I admire that and have huge respect for any creatives. Music, TV and art all go hand in hand, there’s a level of similarity between all of them. It just inspires me, it keeps me going with ideas. When I’m bored, I’ll look to things like movie synopsises and write a story based off that — I find that approach fascinating. You can write a song about the whole concept of the movie, it’s sick.   

What lessons would you say you’ve learned in your musical journey that you would like to share with the younger aspiring artists?

Obviously, I know a lot of people say this, but talent without hard work isn’t anything, to be honest. I learnt that the hard way. Also, don’t get complacent. Blessings will come, but don’t get complacent — just view it as you need to work harder. Also, avoid any trouble. Obviously with rapping, it comes with this sort of image, with the notion of you have to be this or you have to do this — just avoid all of that.

Throughout your career, you’ve always been at the forefront of emerging movements, shaping your own sound that’s unapologetically your own. What advice would you give to aspiring artists in not being afraid to carve your own creative path?

The more you express yourself, the better. I know you look at TikTok or Instagram and a lot of the generic stuff works, but when people that are themselves, have their own ideas or experiment with their own ideas, trust me, it works. People will associate you with your own music a lot more. It can get boring just doing the same thing. You’ve got to stay consistent and level headed, but also mix it up a bit.

What do you think the UK needs more of to help foster and promote young talent in the UK rap scene?

I think more originality. There was a point in 2017 where there was a lot of versatility, and I feel like we need more of that. More talented, original artists need to be at the forefront, as a lot of this I feel is fading. A lot of the generic American music is taking its place. There’s a lot of talented people that don’t really get recognised, it happens all the time. But I also understand a lot of it is about image and the story you want to tell, and that’s what resonate with audiences. It’s a difficult one.

Looking to the future, what’s next on the horizon for Blanco?

As an artist, I’m always working towards something. I love the new stuff I’m working on, I can’t wait for people to hear it. I’ll probably release a tape next year, but I’m really working on it to ensure it’s as best as it can be, and I feel like it’s going to be amazing. So that’s what I’m working towards.