Blxst is out with a new album, Labor of Love, the first he's ever produced entirely on his own. Speaking to Essence, he explains that he made the decision to take on production after feeling like he was losing touch with himself.
"So, when I first came into the game, a lot of people started knowing me for the Sixtape series and my first project, No Love Lost, which I produced heavily on. And people start getting familiar with my sound," he says, noting he later worked with different producers on his second project and then solely SoundWave on his album I'll Always Come Find You.
"So I pretty much felt like I was just going through the [wringer] of meeting different people and...got a little lost in the sauce, just working and being disconnected from me," he tells Essence. "So for this one, I wanted to dive into myself, and lock myself in a room."
Blxst describes Labor of Love as "a true piece of who I am."
"I think the biggest part of this album is no filters, it's no characters. It's strictly me and it's coming from a real place," he explains. "I represent real people, I come from a real city and I just want to put it out in the right way with integrity and do something that makes my kids proud when they come of age too."
His idea of success is "actually making an impact within my community."
"A lot of times we get distracted from social media until you go on tour and then people tell you certain stories that connect to your album. And it could be like, 'Yo, your music got me through college,'" he says in the Essence article. "Little moments like that mean more than any number or any comment or any like could ever mean."