Benjamin Reichwald (born 9 April 1994), known professionally as Bladee, is a Swedish rapper, singer, record producer, designer, and member of the artistic collective Drain Gang. Reichwald has released music through the Stockholm record label Year0001 since his debut mixtape Gluee in 2014. In addition to his music, Reichwald creates visual art[3] and serves as the creative director for Yung Lean's clothing line Sadboys Gear.[4]
Early life
Benjamin Reichwald was born 9 April 1994[5][6] in Stockholm, Sweden[7] and was raised mainly in the Skanstull area. His mother was a teacher and his father worked in restaurants.[8] As a child, Reichwald aspired to become a painter.[9][10]
In 2004, he met Ecco2K. The two were classmates and formed a punk band named Krossad (Swedish for "crushed"),[6][8][11] releasing a demo CD in 2007.[12] Reichwald later met producer Whitearmor and rapper Thaiboy Digital through mutual friends.[8] After leaving school, he worked at a daycare centre for about a year.[13][10]
Career
Music
2013–2016: Drain Gang, Gluee, and Eversince
Reichwald began releasing music under the name Bladee in 2013. Alongside Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor, he formed the Drain Gang musical collective, at the time named Gravity Boys.[8]
Reichwald became friends with fellow Stockholm rapper Yung Lean, forming a working relationship between his own Gravity Boys collective and Yung Lean's Sad Boys Entertainment. He was featured on the track "Heal You // Bladerunner" from Lean's Unknown Death 2002 mixtape, which gave him attention from Yung Lean's fanbase.[8][14]
In 2014, Reichwald released his debut mixtape Gluee. It was described as "a summertime anthem for a suburban generation stuck scrolling through Twitter".[13]
Reichwald released his debut album, Eversince on 25 May 2016. The album was produced entirely by Whitearmor.[15] It received mixed reviews from mainstream outlets, but was well received by underground and experimental critics.[16][17]
2017–2018: Working on Dying, Red Light, and Icedancer
In 2017, Reichwald collaborated with production group Working on Dying to release his second mixtape, named after the group.[18] The mixtape included features from Yung Lean and Ecco2k.[19] A music video for the track "Lordship" was later released.[20][21]
Following the release of the track "Decay" as a single,[22] Reichwald released Red Light, his second album, on 11 May 2018.[23] It features executive production by Whitearmor as well as production from Gud and Drain Gang member Yung Sherman.[24]
Reichwald's third mixtape, Icedancer, was released 28 December 2018. The mixtape was produced by the production duo Ripsquadd.[25][26]
2019–2020: EXETER, 333, and Good Luck
In April 2020, Reichwald released EXETER, a nine-song album he recorded during a week-long stay in Gotland with Sad Boys producer Gud.[27] The album included features from Ecco2k.[28] A music video was later released for the track "Every Moment Special".[29]
In July 2020, Reichwald released his fourth album and second project of 2020, 333 via Year0001. Executively produced by Whitearmor, the album contains no credited features.[30][31] A music video for the track "Reality Surf" was released.[32]
After releasing singles "God" and "Drama",[33][34] Reichwald released his third and final project of 2020. A collaborative album with Berlin producer Mechatok,[35]Good Luck was premiered on 10 December as part of an audiovisual livestream.[36][37] A deluxe version of the album was later released, which included a remix of the track "Drama", featuring Charli XCX.[38][39]
2021–2022: The Fool, Amygdala, Crest, and Spiderr
In May 2021, Reichwald released his fifth solo album, The Fool via Year0001.[40] The album included a feature from Thaiboy Digital, and was primarily produced by Ripsquadd producer Lusi.[41]The Fool was well received by critics,[42][43][44] and was placed 11th on The Fader's 2021 end of year list.[44]
In January 2022, Reichwald released the single Amygdala in collaboration with Ecco2k and Mechatok, along with an accompanying music video.[45][46]
That same year, Crest, a collaborative album with Ecco2K, was released via Year0001 on March 18. Produced entirely by Whitearmor, Crest was critically acclaimed.[3][47][48]
On 30 September 2022, Reichwald released Spiderr, his sixth album, via Year0001.[49]
2023–present: Real Spring, Yung Lean collaborations, Cold Visions, "Rewind" remix, and Year0001 split
In January 2023, Reichwald featured on the Skrillex song Real Spring.[50] Seven months later in August 2023, he released the songs "Victorious" and "Bullets" with Yung Lean.[51]
On 13 March 2024, Reichwald and Yung Lean released Psykos[52] via Yung Lean's personal label World Affairs.[53]Psykos marked their first collaborative album after over a decade of working together, and was a sonic shift for the two artists; incorporating elements of rock and post-punk as opposed to their usual pop and hip hop soundscape.[53][54][55]
Reichwald released Cold Visions, a surprise album, via his label Trash Island on 23 April 2024.[56][57] All 30 tracks were produced by F1lthy, with whom Reichwald had previously collaborated on the mixtape Working on Dying in 2017. Cold Visions features Yung Lean, Yung Sherman, Thaiboy Digital, and Black Kray.[58] The album was well received by music critics,[59][60][61] with it being described as "his most realized project to date" by Pitchfork.[61]
In November 2024, Reichwald and other Drain Gang members announced that they were no longer affiliated with their longtime label and management company Year0001.[6][66] In an interview with The Guardian, Reichwald stated: "I don't really care any more about being a bigger artist. The only thing that's important is that I'm doing something that's true to me."[6]
Art and fashion
In July 2018, Reichwald and fellow Drain Gang member Ecco2K walked Alyx Studio's S/S 2019 menswear show in Paris, on invitation from Matthew Williams.[67]
During July and August 2021, Reichwald exhibited his first solo collection of paintings Real Sprin9 at the Residence Gallery in London.[68]
In September 2021, Reichwald released a capsule Drain Gang collection in collaboration with the American-Swedish clothing brand GANT.[10]
In 2023, Reichwald collaborated with fellow Swedish artist Jonas Rönnberg (Varg2™) for their first art exhibition, "Fucked for Life," held at The Hole in New York.[69] The exhibition featured a series of unique paintings, merging traditional and contemporary art styles, created using both traditional and unconventional tools. The artistic process mirrored their collaborative approach in music, with the paintings reflecting the fleeting moments of the digital age. This venture further established Reichwald's multifaceted career in music, visual art, and design.
Musical style
Reichwald has described his style as "pain" though saying, as of 2018, he had "evolved into some sort of auto-tuned dark angel".[70] He often experiments, incorporating various genres. He has stated that he finds the process therapeutic.[8]
In an interview with Reichwald, Jack Angell, a music writer for The Fader, described Reichwald's sound as "frostbitten futurism" and remarked that Reichwald's music evokes "a wide spectrum of emotion".[8] He has received attention for his collaborations and live performances with Yung Lean.[71]
Reichwald is a private person.[6][10] He has stated, "I really don’t like to talk about myself. I find it weird."[8]
In interviews, Reichwald has mentioned being struck by lightning during a trip to Thailand in 2019,[10] alluding to it being a transformative experience.[6][8]
