“By show of hands, (put) one hand in the sky if you’re chasing a dream,” Blxst asked of his audience at his Gallagher Square concert on Nov. 21. “That should be every single person here.”
“I need y’all to do me one favor,” he continued. “If you (are) chasing a dream…I need you to make it a reality.”
Matthew Burdette, known professionally as Blxst (pronounced “blast”), has been in every corner of the industry.
Born and raised in the vibrant musical atmosphere of Los Angeles, California, he has worked as a rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. While many know him from his feature in “Die Hard” on Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” album, the artist has a wide and ranging discography of his own, with a plethora of memorable artist collaborations, including rappers such as Offset and 2 Chainz.
Blxst first put himself on the map when he joined the hip-hop collective TIU Muzic shortly after high school and when he started producing rap songs in Los Angeles. In the following two years, he released a collection of singles, but his song “Chosen” with rappers Tyga and Ty Dolla $ign is what launched his career into the spotlight.
After the enormous success of what remains his most streamed single on Spotify, Blxst went on to release four albums in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024.
While all of his previous albums have been primarily hip-hop and rap, Blxst’s newest album “I’ll Always Come Find You” is a silky smooth blend of R&B and soul that still maintains that signature flow and cadence of rap.
“I really like his music because the vibes from his music are immaculate,” said Leni David, a second-year media studies major at San Diego State University. “Honestly this album was very different from his previous projects, but it was still really good.”
Blxst’s show opener, Joyce Wrice, is an R&B singer from Chula Vista who was featured on his most recent album, in addition to having released her own album in 2021.
“Are y’all ready to have a good a** time!” Wrice shouted to the audience, as she showed off her dance moves and smooth vocals under the bright green glow of the stage lights.
As the stage was prepared for the main act of the night, a monologue from the artist began to play over the speakers. The moment the music and stage lights came back on, a tarp was pulled off of a mysterious large object on stage, revealing a black vintage car underneath.
“My favorite part of the concert was definitely the (introduction),” said Rayhan Hall, a second-year public health major at SDSU. “It really set the stage for the whole production and performance, and made it really enjoyable for the rest of the show.”
The on-stage car paid homage to the cover of Blxst’s most recent album and the name of the tour, “I’ll Always Come Find You.”
“The whole concept of him working and having somewhat of a storyline throughout not just the album but the show was really cool,” David said. “Personally it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to.”
Blxst opened with his song “Paper Route,” the first track on his 2024 album, followed by “Dance With the Devil,” a song he and Anderson Paak collaborated on.
Similarly to theatrical shows, the stage’s setting emulated the inside of an auto repair shop, with a vintage car, a wall adorned with shiny, silver hubcaps and dancers dressed as mechanics, whose complex choreography brought an added value of visual performance to the show.
Blxst slowed down the pace of the night to perform “To the Moon” as blue lights cast the stage in a sense of calm, but soon enough, the energy was back up again for songs like “Don’t Wanna Be Alone,” “About You,” “Every Good Girl” and “Die Hard.”
“I initially liked his music because it was something that was very chill and had a vibe I enjoyed listening to,” said Hall. “I’ve never really heard that kind of sound before.”
“Let me feel the love!” Blxst exclaimed to his cheering fans, who were all waving their hands in unison. “Let me feel the energy!”
After performing “Risk Taker” and humorously teasing fans by pretending the concert was over without even performing his most famous single, Blxst laughed and came back to finish with “Chosen.”
Top Blxst songs that new listeners should check out:
- Dance With The Devil – Blxst and Anderson Paak
- Chosen – Blxst and Tyga, ft. Ty Dolla $ign
- Die Hard – Kendrick Lamar, ft. Blxst
- Paper Route – Blxst and 2 Chainz
- About You – Blxst
