Yugen Blakrok Explained
| Yugen Blakrok |
| Birth Date: | DD MM YYYY |
| Birth Place: | Queenstown, South Africa |
| Genre: | South African hip hop |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Website: | https://yugenblakrok.bandcamp.com/ |
Yugen Blakrok is a South African rapper. She is best known for her performance on the track "Opps" with Vince Staples from the Kendrick Lamar-produced soundtrack to the movie Black Panther.[1] [2] [3]
Biography
Originally from Queenstown, Blakrok started emceeing in Yeoville, Johannesburg in 2007 with the Recess Poetry crew. In 2009 she joined producer Kanif the Jhatmaster's label Iapetus Records, and released her debut album Return of the Astro-Goth in 2013. The strength of her debut would earn her three nominations at the 2014 South African Hip Hop Awards and her first international tours. With newfound recognition she was invited to contribute to the Black Panther soundtrack and the soundtrack to the video game Cyberpunk 2077. Her second album, Anima Mysterium was released in 2019 and features collaborations with fellow South African musicians as well as Kool Keith; she performed the track "Morbid Abakus" from the album on COLORS.[4] [5] [6] Her musical and cultural influences are eclectic, ranging from Wu-Tang Clan to Credo Mutwa to Carl Jung.[7]
Discography
Albums
- Return of the Astro-Goth (2013)
- Anima Mysterium (2019)
Singles
- "Carbon Form" (2018)
- "Picture Box" (2019)
- "Gorgon Madonna" (2019)
- "Pedestal" (2022)
Contributing artist
- , Interscope (2018) - Track 5, "Opps" with Vince Staples and Kendrick Lamar
- Epic Beard Men This Was Supposed To Be Fun, (2019) - Track 12 "Foresight"
- Cyberpunk 2077: Radio, Vol. 1 (Original Soundtrack), Lakeshore Records (2020) - Track 4, "Metamorphosis"
- Keleketla! (2020) - Track 5, "Crystallise" with Tamar Osborn
- Wax Tailor The Shadows of Their Suns (2021) - Track 12, "Dusk To Dusk"
Notes and References
- The 6 Best Verses on 'Black Panther: The Album'. Billboard. Natalie Maher. February 9, 2018.
- Web site: Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples Get Upstaged on 'Opps'. Vulture. Frank Guan. February 9, 2018.
- Review: Kendrick Lamar Goes Superhero-Producer on 'Black Panther' Soundtrack. Rolling Stone. Jody Rosen. February 13, 2018.
- Meet Yugen Blakrok: the underground rapper featured on the Black Panther soundtrack. Crack. Davy Reed. 2018.
- Yugen Blakrok. Open Color, The Vision Issue. Kate Zaliznok. 2018.
- Between a Rock and a Satellite. Shelflife. March 7, 2024.
- Web site: Red Bull Music Academy. Yugen Blakrok and Kanif on Johannesburg’s Underground Scene, the Wu-Tang Clan and Black Panther. September 2019. Vivan Host.
