Kxng Blanco

(GA Pro Ent.) The buzziest local hip-hop artist of the past year dropped his official debut at the end of December, and it’s a banger. Opening with oblique references to a 2018 controversy involving the then-Clarke Central senior, who performed his biting cop critique “Dear AmeriKKKa” at the school’s Black History Month assembly, Crown carries that anarchic energy through eight dynamic tracks.

Blanco is blessed not only with a sharp tongue and savvy musical sensibilities—late-night grooves share space with death-trap beats and throwback No Limit nods—but also a growing network of regional mainstays eager to link up with the young standout. In one of the only features on the largely solo effort, Dictator spits ferocious bars on “Knew Betta.” Mega Beats deftly references Bjork on the thunderous, stage-setting “Crown Intro.”

Puckish and provocative, Blanco’s is a critical local voice, and as a coming-up statement, Crown succeeds wildly. For all that has been said and written about the new breed of Classic City hip hop, this may be its first truly essential recording, an album that proves Athens rap’s re-emergence beyond a shadow of a doubt. - Flagpole Magazine

Athens hip-hop is a gold mine, buried away and only visible to a handful of adventurous souls. During my last two years studying at the University of Georgia, I have attended dozens of performances both small and wide, and I found myself at local rap shows more frequently than others. As I continually flocked to these shows, I have created a love for several Athens hip-hop artists such as Caulfield, Lingua Franca, and The YOD. Among these talented artists is another favorite of mine, Kxng Blanco.

Kxng Blanco is a young mastermind, creating infectiously energetic shows. Kxng Blanco has a knack for keeping crowds engaged and on their toes. Earlier this week, Kxng Blanco released his second album titled Skee Yee! Shoving ten tracks in a mere twenty-three minutes, Kxng Blanco delivers a tasteful blast of hip-hop. Skee Yee! is available to be listened to on all major streaming platforms. - Marsupial Media

Rapper Kxng Blanco has been active in the Athens hip-hop community for a little while now. He won the 2018 Athens Hip Hop award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and has been hailed by the community as “King of the Youth.” Blanco is known for a fast-paced, lively performance along with a powerful stage presence. The rapper’s personal experiences fuel the lyrics in his songs, with powerful messages on national topics like police brutality. Blanco’s set for the AthFest weekend starts at 5 p.m. on the Southern Brewing Co. Mainstage on Saturday, June 22. - The Red & Black

Kxng Blanco
Saturday, June 22, 5 p.m. @ Pulaski Street Stage

Kxng Blanco wrapped up high school just last year, and he’s already taking Athens hip hop by storm. The young emcee released his first official album, Crown, in December, after a come-up that included a much-talked-about Black History Month performance at his former alma mater. The Kxng of the Youth extends his reign with the recently-released “RR Flow,” a shapeshifting track that flexes the rapper’s continued commitment to artistic growth and development. Catch him at the Flagpole Athens Music Awards show Thursday. [AB] - Flagpole Magazine

Jeffery Blakely, better known by his rap name Kxng Blanco, can trace his roots back to his first performance in his fourth grade talent show at Cleveland Road Elementary School, where he sang “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson.

“I used to see people do it all the time, and I was interested," Blanco said. "I never really sung at home, I was just like ‘I’m going to go do Michael Jackson, hopefully it works.' The room went nuts. That’s how I knew I kind of had it.”

Over the past few years, Blanco has proven his talent to more than just his elementary school classmates. Despite being just 18 years old, Blanco has released two albums, was the recipient of the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the Athens Hip-Hop Awards and is credited in the Athens hip-hop scene as the “King of the Youth.”

Blanco draws from personal experiences when crafting his lyrics, and he tries to be as original as he can.

“I’m just a breath of fresh air. There’s not many artists that’s like me,” Blanco said.

Blanco juggles a humble take on his talent with the sureness of his music's status. Boosted by his sudden escalation within the hip-hop scene in Athens, Blanco is able to embrace the parts of his personality which set him apart. A self-proclaimed “weirdo,” Blanco said he was the “little weird, shy kid in school.”

“[I had] nerd glasses, [a] Mohawk. I was that kid, the dude who was trying to get the cool kids’ attention and stuff like that,” he said.

He has since done away with the nerd glasses and his hair has grown out from the Mohawk, but Blanco still retains his shy personality in spite of the praise he has received as a rapper. Although there is much to bolster his confidence, Kxng Blanco on-stage and Kxng Blanco off-stage are two different people.

He compares himself to the likeness of Clark Kent and Superman, wielding dual personalities as both Jeffery Blakely and as King of the Youth.

“I am way more confident on stage than I am in the outside world,” Blanco said. “I might appear as this confident artist, but in the end I’m still the dude with nerd glasses from elementary school, so it’s kind of hard for me to step out there with my peers.”

Although the Kxng Blanco off-stage might not have as much confidence as the Kxng Blanco on-stage, Blanco showed some of his confidence this past February, when he spoke out about police brutality in a performance for his school, Clarke Central High School.

Blanco had agreed to perform his song, “Dear AmeriKKKa,” at his high school but was asked to leave out at a verse that was deemed potentially offensive.

“I ended kinda saying, ‘I’m not a sellout. I’m going to do me regardless.’ I got onstage and they cut my song off, but I kept going regardless,” Blanco said.

Blanco followed the standards his school set for his performance and left out the verse, but instead included a verse regarding police brutality not previously approved by the school. He closed out his performance with a fist in the air.

As a result, he received a couple hours of in-school suspension.


Athens rapper Kxng Blanco watches a performance on stage at the 18th annual Hot Corner Festival that took place at the corner of Hull and Washington Street in Athens, Georgia on Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9, 2018. Hot Corner Festival, founded by Homer Wilson, owner of Wilson’s styling shop, was created to celebrate the historic African-American business community of Athens and featured local businesses, live music, dancing, and food.

“We talked about it two weeks before he performed, and he told me what he was going to do. I told him, ‘Consequences might come behind what you’re doing so you got to deal with it,’” said Jeff Blakely, Blanco’s father. “I was real proud of him for sticking to his beliefs. He didn’t fold.”

Many of Blanco’s peers disagreed with the school’s disciplinary actions and staged a protest that same day at the school, with the hashtag #FREEBLANCO soon circulating on Twitter.

“It sparked up a revolution and brought unity between the students at the school,” Blanco said. “I gained more respect. It transitioned me from the kid who raps to the artist Kxng Blanco.”

“I’m just a breath of fresh air. There’s not many artists that’s like me."
-Kxng Blanco, Athens hip-hop artist
Blanco graduated from high school this past May and will be attending college at the University of North Georgia. With one stage of his young life behind him and another unfolding before him, he’s ready to start making more music and furthering his career.

“The tide is getting bigger,” Blanco said. “Since high school off my back and college working around my career, I’m more flexible and can do way more things and talk to way more people.” - The Red & Black

Kxng Blanco discovered his ability by accident. He’d grown up listening to Michael Jackson and Prince, so he took a shot at imitating them at the Cleveland Road Elementary School talent show. He’d never sung before, but once he did, the audience was shocked at what came out of the young Blanco. He, too, was a little surprised, as it was his first time singing in front of people. He quickly fell in love with the feeling of being in front of a crowd. “It was electrifying,” Blanco says. “Everybody was surprised. I was surprised, because I didn’t know I could sing… Just being in front of maybe those 20 people gave me a rush. I just got addicted to it.”

After a few years—and a voice change brought on by puberty—Blanco moved away from music. He gave football a try, but “I was not good at it,” he says. “I wasn’t physical enough.” Soon, music called again, this time in the form of rap. But it wasn’t as natural as it had been for him as a youngster. Hip-hop was a more skill-driven pursuit, requiring polish and rhythm. Blanco almost walked away again before friends talked him into writing lyrics and giving it another shot.

“I couldn’t write for nothing,” Blanco says. “I gave up on it. I came back to it when I used to freestyle with my friends on their porches in the summer. They were like, ‘You should try it again,’ and this time it worked.”

Blanco’s music comes from what he knows. He grew up listening to Jackson and Prince, but his influences these days are local artists. Blanco says he was heavily inspired by Dictator and Cassie Chantel. “I was raised around [music],” Blanco says. “It was around me, so why not try?” - Flagpole Magazine

Today on February 15th, 2018, Athens local hip hop artist and "wave" maker Kxng Blanco received ISS after an annual Black History Month performance at Clarke Central High School.

The sponsor of this program asked Blanco to be a part of the performance and "show off" his talent last week. After choosing the track "Dear AmeriKKKa" off his latest project Wave, the sponsor warned him that he was not allowed to speak badly of the president nor was he allowed to say "Stay Woke," "Black Lives Matter," or throw up the black power fist. This didn't sit well with Blanco, who chose the song because of its powerful message.


“I chose this song because I feel like I have the label ‘King of The Youth’ for a reason. I felt like it was my time to voice to the students and teachers that us as a youth are very aware.””
— KXNG BLANCO

After thinking the situation through and discussing with many people, Blanco decided to stay true to his message. During the performance, he spoke out against police brutality and threw up his fist, only to see the whole auditorium join him with hundreds of fists in the air. Immediately afterwards, Blanco faced repercussions.


“I got in trouble literally seconds after I got off stage by the “sponsor,” who is an African American teacher at my school. She took me to the office where I met a couple of officers and school administrators. I voiced that I felt in my heart that I did nothing wrong and asked what the consequences were. They said, ‘Well Mrs. Jackson (sponsor) thinks you should have ISS for the rest of the day.’”
— KXNG BLANCO
If anything, this experience has inspired Blanco. He explains that him receiving in school suspension sparked a movement among the students, including #FreeBlanco circulating on social media. When Blanco got out of ISS, a protest started outside of the building he was in, with students chanting his name and not returning to class for the rest of the day. A news crew helicopter even flew over the school. - Volumes Hip Hop