BlakeIANA enters hip-hop with a true hustler’s ambition and the essence of a star. She fed her entrepreneurial spirit with her own eyelash extension business while still in high school. From there, modeling and social media content creation led to her first-ever studio sessions in 2022. The result of being in the booth was her debut single, “Bing Bong,” which was released last June. The flossy, braggadocious track immediately raked in millions of TikTok views and garnered praise from rhymers like GloRilla and JT.
“Bing Bong” also caught the attention of Murda Beatz, who signed BlakeIANA to his Murda Recordings imprint. The signing led to a partnership with 300 Entertainment. Shortly after the viral song’s release, Blake’s fellow St. Louis native, Sexyy Red, hopped on the “Bing Bong (Remix),” which has since seen over 4 million streams on Spotify.
In 2024, BlakeIANA has been steady on the grind, with releases like her own personal anthem, “Pricey” featuring Moneybagg Yo, and linking up with Skilla Baby on her latest single, “See Us.” She joins XXL’s The Break: Live for an interview about her newfound success as a rapper, being a creative director for her lively music videos, her forthcoming debut mixtape, Presidential B., and more.
Age: 24
Reppin’: St. Louis
Instagram: @blakeianaaa
TikTok: @soblakeofher
Notable Releases: Songs: “Bing Bong,” “Bing Bong (Remix)” featuring Sexyy Red, “Stl Finest,” “Pricey” featuring Moneybagg Yo, “See Us” with Skilla Baby
Label: 300 Entertainment/Murda Recordings
Currently Working On: Presidential B. mixtape dropping this summer.
Influenced by: “I feel like I listen to a lot of male rappers. I’m really into Detroit music right now. I been listening to them since 2019. I’ve been into they music wave.”
When did you first start rapping?
“I started rapping in 2022. I was going back-and-forth with my cousin in the studio. We was doing four bars for four bars. I already knew what I wanted to talk about. I talk about my lifestyle and my life experiences in my music. So, it was just like how I’m gon’ say it or how I want to deliver it.“
Which hip-hop album do you always go back to?
“I got two favorite artists. I got YoungBoy [Never Broke Again] and [Lil] Durk, right? So, it’s either one of those, but I don’t know which album.”
My standout moments to date have been:
“I would honestly say just people really singing my song back to me when I’m performing it. That make me feel good, like, ‘Oh, my God, y’all know my song.’ Those are the moments to me.”
My goal in hip-hop is:
“My main goal is to just keep figuring out myself in this music industry. Like, how I want to do things and develop more as an artist, and just find my niche. I haven’t found it yet but I find it, it’s over with.”
Watch BlakeIANA’s The Break: Live Interview
Follow BlakeIANA on Spotify.
Standouts:
“Bing Bong (Remix)” featuring Sexyy Red
“See Us” with Skilla Baby
“Pricey” featuring Moneybagg Yo
“Stl Finest”
“Gahdamn”