Ricky Blaze
Ricky Blaze | |
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Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2008–Present |
Labels |
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Website | mynameisrickyblaze fmerecordings |
Ricardo Lloyd Johnson Jr. (born August 3, 1988), also known as Ricky Blaze,[1] is an American DJ, producer, singer, and songwriter.[2] He has done production work in the dancehall music space and the trancehall subgenre. He has produced and collaborated with
Early life
Johnson was born in the East
While DJing, Ricky's interest in music production and songwriting began to develop, pushing him to develop his skills in this area. At the age of 17, Ricky officially made the transition from DJing to music production, singing, and songwriting.[3]
He credits
for his early musical influence.Music career
2006-2010
Ricky achieved debut success as a music producer following his collaboration with Dancehall artist Ding Dong on the song "Bad Man Forward, Bad Man Pull Up".[4]
In 2008, Ricky Blaze began work on his solo debut project which would produce the single "Cut Dem Off". It would be on-air New York radio DJ personality and Hip Hop pioneer, Mister Cee, that would be the first to play the single, ultimately leading to the song's success and Ricky's status as a capable songwriter and producer and creator of the Trancehall genre.[5]
In 2009 Ricky worked with Chelley, producing and co-writing the dance-pop song "Took the Night".[6] During this year Ricky would also find success with Major Lazer on their album release Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do, co-producing, writing, and vocalizing on the song "Keep It Goin’ Louder" featuring twin sister Billboard R&B duo, Nina Sky.[7]
In 2010, Ricky Blaze collaborated with dancehall artist
2011-Present
In 2011, Ricky Blaze released a 6-song EP, My Name is Ricky Blaze. “Just You And I,” served as the project's lead single release. The project also included songs featuring
.In 2012, Ricky worked with Atlantic Records recording artist, singer, songwriter and producer, Santigold. The collaboration produced a song entitled, “Disparate Youth” and would serve as the lead single off of Santigold's 2012 album, Master of My Make-Believe. The song would peak at #9 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart.[9]
In 2013, Ricky worked with
In 2015 he would earn production credits on Kranium’s full length project, Rumors.
In January 2016, under his label/production company, FME Recordings, Ricky released a compilation album, Conquer The Moment.[12] The release provided 12 tracks that were rich with the Dancehall and Reggae sound and included features with Grammy Award winning reggae artist - Shaggy, Kranium, Gyptian, Black Ryno, Tifa, Mr. Easy, and a host of others. The lead single off the project, "Apart", featuring R&B/soul newcomer and FME artist, Alexus Rose,[13] gained popularity in London and France leading to a recording contract with historic Reggae record label, Island Records.[14]
The FME artist roster currently consists of Ricky Blaze, Chelley, Alexus Rose, Ding Dong, Kranium, Mr. Easy, and Cecile.
Ricky Blaze is currently at work on Conquer the Moment 2. The lead single off of the upcoming project is "Like This", and features Sean Paul. The song has been mentioned by music media outlets Mass Appeal[15] and Audiomack.[16]
Over the years, The Fader magazine[17] has covered Ricky Blaze's career in several editorials.
Discography
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Can be better presented in table format. (August 2020) |
Singles
- 2007
- "Cut Dem Off"
- 2008
- 18 Again[18]
- 2009
- "How Me Look"
- 2010
- "I Feel Free"
- 2011
- "Just You And I:
- "Aye Yah"
- "Love Right Now"
- "Feel The Vibes"
- "Feel Free"
- 2012
- "Call On Me"
- "Jump On 4"
- "The Bass"
- 2013
- "Kill Em"
- "Blowing Stacks"
- "Lightaz"
- "Free Keef"
- "Center Forward"
- "Top Shottas"
- 2014
- "Endless Summer (Feat. Kes The Band)
- "Take Ya Money"
- "All I Need"
- "Sell Off"
- 2016
- "Motive"
- "Dance"
- "Apart"
- "Like This (Feat. Sean Paul)
- "Overrated"
- 2018
- "Slam!"
- 2019
- "Explosions"
- 2020
- "Swerve"
Studio albums
- My Name is Ricky Blaze - EP (2010)
- The Maestro (2013)
- Conquer the Moment (2016)
- X-Rated (2018)
Single release collaborations
Year | Artist | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUT | BEL (FL) |
BEL (WA) | CAN | FRA | JPN | UK
|
US | US
Alt. |
US R&B | |||||
2010 | Gyptian | "Hold You" | — | 31 | — | 69 | 45 | — | 16 | 77 | — | 31 |
|
Hold You |
2012 | Santigold | "Disparate Youth" | 70 | 38 | 36 | — | 104 | 94 | 96 | 109 | 27 | — | — | Master of My Make-Believe |
Full length album collaborations
Year | Artist | Album | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Billboard 200[19] | US Top Electronic Albums[19]
|
US Top Heatseekers[19]
| |||
2009 | Major Lazer | Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do | 169 | 7 | 4 |
References
- ^ "Biography: Ricky Blaze". Dancehall Hip Hop. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Jefferies, David. "Production Credit: Ricky Blaze artist biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d Shapiro, Emily (13 June 2013). "The LargeUp Interview: A Q+A with Ricky Blaze". Largeup.com. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ Stats, Eddie (14 June 2013). "LargeUp Exclusive: Ricky Blaze – "Lightaz" + Interview". Okayplayer. Okay Player. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ McDonnell, John (December 2008). "Scene and heard-Trancehall". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Brungardt, Leah (3 December 2015). "An Interview With Reggae, Dance and Pop Musician/Producer, RICKY BLAZE!". All Access Music Group. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Kelly, Zach. "Major Lazer "Keep It Goin' Louder ft. Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Dreisinger, Baz (12 July 2010). "Gyptian "Hold You"(VP)". Spin.com. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Santigold Discography - Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Jenkins, Craig. "Say Goodbye to Summer with Dancehall Maestro Ricky Blaze's Sunny "Pull It" Video". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Jefferies, David. "Sean Paul-Full Frequency". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Brooklyn's Ricky Blaze Steps Up To The Front With New Mixtape". AllHipHop. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Breezy, Elle (26 January 2016). "Producer Ricky Blaze Enlists Alexus Rose For Fun Dancehall Track, 'Apart'". SingersRoom. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Consulting, MPR. "Ricky Blaze Inks Deal with Island Records UK". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Kenner, Rob. "Sean Paul "Like This" (PROD. RICKY BLAZE)". MassAppeal. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Ricky Blaze feat. Sean Paul". Audiomack. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Houghton, Eddie "Stats". "Production Credit:FADER 53: Ricky Blaze Feature". The Fader. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- better source needed]
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2011.