Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr.[1] (born: June 24, 1992), better known professionally as 6lack (pronounced "black"), is an American rapper and singer known for his music.
Life[]
Valentine was born on June 24, 1992, in Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with his parents in 1997.[2] His first recording experience was when he was 4 years old, at his father's studio. He began rapping in middle school as a battle rapper and was involved in many battles in his youth, including against Young Thug.
Career[]
Valentine signed a record deal with Flo Rida's International Music Group and Strong Arm Records in 2011. He spent five years with the label, putting music out on his SoundCloud account. He had little financial security and spent most of his time sleeping in the studio or outside on the street after moving to Miami, Florida to work on music with the record label. He eventually left his label due to issues over artistic and creative license and management. In 2015, Valentine announced that he had joined the musical collective Spillage Village after living with the members of EarthGang, and appeared on four tracks of the Spillage Village EP called Bears Like This Too in 2015.
Once he left the label, he signed with labels Love Renaissance and Interscope Records. He then went on to release his debut studio album, Free 6lack,[3] which peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album's third single, "Prblms" peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[4] and became his first platinum record.
In 2018, he released the single "OTW" with Khalid and Ty Dolla $ign, which has reached at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. The first single for his sophomore album, Switch, was released on June 22, with a music video released on July 16. On September 14, he released his second studio album, East Atlanta Love Letter. The album's release was preceded by the singles "Switch" and "Nonchalant." In October, he started a tour for the promotion of the album.
Channel[]
Valentine created his channel on May 30, 2008, and he uploaded his first video on July 20, 2008.[5] He uploads music videos and audio, and formerly uploaded rap battle videos during his early years on YouTube.[6]
Trivia[]
- He went on tour starting in 2023.[7]
References[]
- ↑ Sola Obasa (March 16, 2019). 6LACK’s Inspiring Story. Apprentice Nation. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023.
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6lack
- ↑ https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.41328/title.6lack-drops-debut-album-free-6lack
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2017-05-20/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/d5hF0LCh0A8?si=10wospn3YZjbPg7G
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5hF0LCh0A8
- ↑ https://x.com/THEQUINCAT/status/1668341877098319872
