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Blue Sky Black Death (abbreviated BSBD) was a production duo with ties to the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington. It consisted of Ryan Maguire, better known by his stage name Kingston, and Ian Taggart, better known by his stage name Young God, or, later, Televangel. They are known principally for their hip-hop and instrumental music, made with a mixture of live instrumentation and sampling. Their name is "a skydiving phrase alluding to beauty and death."

History

Kingston and Young God met and began collaborating on music in 2003. Young God, working under the name Rev. Left, began producing beats to rap over, but abandoned rapping and started producing exclusively around 2000. Kingston, working under the name Orphan, began his solo producing career collaborating with rapper Noah23 and the Plague Language collective (to which Young God also contributed production). Kingston contributed production to Noah23's debut album Cytoplasm Pixel in 1999, and the two collaborated closely until Jupiter Sajitarius in 2004, after which they parted ways. In the same year, Kingston worked on projects for Virtuoso's Omnipotent Records. He contributed a number of tracks to Jus Allah's scheduled Omnipotent debut, All Fates Have Changed, but the album was shelved. The tracks "Vengeance" and "Drill Sergeant" were later released on BSBD's Dirtnap mixtape, and a number of other beats recorded for the album were bootlegged on The Devil'z Rejects album Necronomicon. One Kingston beat, "Supreme (Black God's Remix)," was included on the Babygrande Records release of All Fates Have Changed in 2005.

The duo, collaborating initially under the name Torso, signed their first record deal with Mush Records in 2005 to release the label's first double-disc album. During the album's production, the duo settled on their current name. The album, A Heap of Broken Images, was released on June 23, 2006. The first disc featured twelve instrumental tracks with heavy live instrumentation, while the second disc featured nine rap collaborations made with traditional hip-hop sampling and a closing instrumental. The guests included Rob Sonic, Mike Ladd, Jus Allah, Sabac Red, Wise Intelligent, A-Plus, Pep Love, Chief Kamachi, Myka 9, Virtuoso, Awol One and Holocaust. The album received acclaim from various sources, including Vapors, Word, Mean Street, UK Hip Hop, and Allmusic, and landed the duo on URB's "Next 100." Around the same time, the duo completed a collaborative project with Ceschi entitled Deadpan Darling, which was never released due to the loss of most of the final mixes on a crashed hard drive. 16 years later, in 2021, it was announced that Deadpan Darling had recovered and was later released.

Career

The acclaim received for their debut album led to the duo landing a record deal with popular independent rap label Babygrande Records later in 2006. Their first release on the label was a full-length collaboration with Holocaust, titled Blue Sky Black Death Presents: The Holocaust, released on September 5. Holocaust provided all the album's vocals with no guest appearances, and BSBD provided production for every track. The album included the duo's first 12-inch single, The Ocean / No Image. The duo's next album was a collaboration with another Wu-Tang affiliate, Sunz of Man, and Black Market Militia member Hell Razah. Their album Razah's Ladder was released on October 23, 2007. Unlike The Holocaust, the album included outside guest appearances, featuring Crooked I, Shabazz the Disciple, Ill Bill, Sabac Red, and Prodigal Sunn. The duo strayed from the dark soundscapes featured in The Holocaust, instead providing a soulful backdrop for Razah. Shortly before the release of Razah's Ladder, the duo released their first mixtape, titled Dirtnap, featuring various unreleased collaborations and two instrumentals from their forthcoming album.

The duo's next release was their first all-instrumental project, Late Night Cinema, released on April 29, 2008. The dense instrumentals featured contributions from violinists, organists, trumpeters, synth players, and vocalists, as well as in-house guitar, keyboard, and drum kit work. The album received high acclaim from XLR8R, Music-Reviewer, PopMatters, SputnikMusic and RapReviews.com. RapReviews writer Pedro Hernandez stated, "With this album, Blue Sky Black Death pushes the limits of what hip-hop music can be" and called it "essential listening." BSBD stayed active online throughout 2008, releasing two instrumental podcast blends titled Gifts in Jail Vol. 1 and Gifts in Jail Vol. 2, as well as a screwed version of Late Night Cinema titled Lean Night Cinema.

In June 2008, after an online petition from fans, Babygrande released the acclaimed instrumentals from The Holocaust on vinyl and CD. BSBD then contributed twelve of thirteen tracks for Phoenix MC Gutta's debut album Heads Will Roll, released on Babygrande on September 2. On September 30, Babygrande released the album The Evil Jeanius, by pairing Jean Grae vocals with Blue Sky Black Death beats. November saw the duo's fifth release of the year, Slow Burning Lights, an indie pop project with singer Yes Alexander, which was recorded and completed two years before its release.

Third Party, a collaboration with Alexander Chen of Boy in Static, was released on Fake Four Inc in 2010.

In 2011, Blue Sky Black Death released a new album, Noir, on Fake Four Inc. The duo also released For the Glory, a collaborative album with rapper Nacho Picasso, in the same year.

Two more collaborative albums with Nacho Picasso, Lord of the Fly and Exalted, were released in 2012. They performed at South by Southwest in March of that year.

A follow-up album with Yes Alexander entitled World Wide Romance was scheduled to be released sometime in 2013. The first single from the album Heart Attack was released in 2010.

In May 2013, BSBD released a single titled "Valley of Kings," which features Cam'ron, SAS, and N.O.R.E. This was followed by the release of their new instrumental album Glaciers on October 1, 2013.

On February 14, 2014, Blue Sky Black Death released an unofficial remix of Frank Ocean's 2012 single "Pyramids," which included a chopped and screwed sample of Pimp C's verse from UGK's 1999 single "Wood Wheel."

In January 2014, the duo returned to their roots and looked to truly realize ideas that were previously seen in their earlier works. BSBD also had cameos from other Fake Four Inc. signers, Child Actor, and JMSN, in their album Glaciers.

In December 2017, Blue Sky Black Death made a post on their official Twitter saying they were "resting eternally." In a comment, Taggart replied the group hadn't been working on a project for some time, but they were still in contact.

The Twitter account remained active after this announcement, largely run by Taggart. In February 2021, he hinted at the release of the then-unreleased Deadpan Darling collaboration with Ceschi from 16 years prior. Later that month, the single "Sorry" was released by Fake Four under the Deadpan Darling name (with credits to both Blue Sky Black Death and Ceschi), followed by a full release of the project on March 5. Later that month, Taggart also teased a forthcoming 10-year anniversary reissue of Noir.

Discography

Blue Sky Black Death

• A Heap of Broken Images (Mush, 2006)
• Late Night Cinema (Babygrande, 2008)
• Noir (Fake Four, 2011)
• Glaciers (Fake Four, 2013)

Nacho Picasso & Blue Sky Black Death

• For the Glory (2011)
• Lord of the Fly (2012)
• Exalted (2012)
• Stoned & Dethroned (2015)

Other collaborations

• The Holocaust (Babygrande, 2006) (with Warcloud)
• Razah's Ladder (Babygrande, 2007) (with Hell Razah)
• The Evil Jeanius (Babygrande, 2008) (with Jean Grae)
• Slow Burning Lights (Babygrande, 2008) (with Yes Alexander)
• Third Party (Fake Four, 2010) (with Alexander Chen)
• Skull & Bones (2012) (with Bolo Nef & Caz Greez)
• Celestial (Man Bites Dog, 2016) (with S.A.S.)
• Deadpan Darling (Fake Four, 2021) (released under the Deadpan Darling name)

References

1. "Music - Blue Sky Black Death". Blue Sky Black Death.
2. "The Plug One Q&A: Blue Sky Black Death". Plugonemag.com. 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
3. "Glaciers - Fake Four Inc". Fake Four Inc. 1 October 2013.
4. "Blue Sky Black Death at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
5. "0younggod0's Twitter, rebranded to Televangel". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
6. "MVRemix Urban Interviews Hell Razah and Blue Sky Black Death". Mvremix.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
7. "Blue Sky Black Death Interview Music Video on IMEEM Video". Imeem.com. 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
8. "Noah23 interview". ugsmag.com. 2001-08-05. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
9. "Baracuda interview". ugsmag.com. 2008-06-18. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
10. "A Heap of Broken Images review". fakeforreal.net. 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
11. Khanna, Vish (January 31, 2008). "Noah23 interview". exclaim.ca. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
12. "Cytoplasm Pixel Discogs.com entry". discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
13. "Noah23 interview". ugsmag.com. 2008-09-07. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
14. "Blue Sky Black Death". Mush Records. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
15. ^ "Blue Sky Black Death - Dirtnap (CDr) at Discogs". Discogs.com. October 2007. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
16. "Devil'z Rejects, The - Necronomicon (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
17. "Jus Allah - All Fates Have Changed (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
18. "Bigg Jus and Blue Sky Black Death Sign To Mush". Mushrecords.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
19. "The Plug One Q&A: Blue Sky Black Death". Plugonemag.com. May 26, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
20. "Blue Sky Black Death - A Heap Of Broken Images (2XCD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
21. "MH-243 Blue Sky Black Death - A Heap of Broken Images". Mush Records. 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
22. "Mush Artists In Urb Next 100". Mushrecords.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
23. Constantinou, Theo (February 13, 2012). "Paradigm Magazine Interviews Blue Sky Black Death". Paradigm Magazine. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
24. "Blue Sky Black Death Presents Holocaust, The - The Ocean/No Image (12") at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
25. "Blue Sky Black Death & Hell Razah - Razah's Ladder (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
26. "Blue Sky Black Death - Late Night Cinema (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
27. "Blue Sky Black Death :: Late Night Cinema :: Babygrande Records". Rapreviews.com. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
28. "Blue Sky Black Death - The Holocaust Instrumentals (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
29. "Gutta (2) - Heads Will Roll (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
30. "Blue Sky Black Death :: Jean Grae: The Evil Jeanius :: Babygrande Records". Rapreviews.com. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
31. "thecasuallust.com". The Casual Lust. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
32. "Blue Sky Black Death - Slow Burning Lights (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
33. Ramos, Mike (May 11, 2012). "Nacho Picasso & Blue Sky Black Death's Exalted Out 5/28". Line Out. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
34. "Blue Sky Black Death". SXSW Schedule 2012. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
35. "Interview with YES ALEXANDER of BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH". The Sky Report. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
36. "The Clouds Part, the Sky Darkens..." My Backpack Is Bigger Than Yours. 2011-03-29. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
37. "Listen To Blue Sky Black Death & S.A.S.'s "Valley Of Kings" Featuring Cam'ron & N.O.R.E." Xxlmag.com. 2013-05-10. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
38. @BSBDmusic (7 June 2013). "Glaciers pushed back to Oct. 1st. It's much more of a fall/winter release anyway" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
39. Nicolas James (20 February 2014). "Blue Sky Black Death - Pyramids (Remix) Feat. Pimp C - Stream [New Song]". HotNewHipHop.
40. Glaciers (album)
41. @BSBDmusic (21 December 2017). "BSBD is resting eternally, but u can check out @0YoungGod0 snippets from his forthcoming debut. Smash that RT for a…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
42. @BSBDmusic (1 February 2021). "Anyone know about Deadpan Darling? 👀" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-03-23 – via Twitter.
43. @fakefour (24 February 2021). ""Sorry" by @deadpandarling (@ceschi & @BSBDmusic) is out now. Listen everywhere you stream music! Spotify:…" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-03-23 – via Twitter.
44. @BSBDmusic (5 March 2021). (Tweet) https://x.com/BSBDmusic/status/1367879410972422145. Retrieved 2021-03-23 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
45. @0YoungGod0 (11 March 2021). "10 year NOIR anniversary reissue vinyl is coming this year. And we're going bigger than before" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-03-23 – via Twitter.

External links

• Blue Sky Black Death on Mush Records
• Blue Sky Black Death on Fake Four Inc

• Musical groups from San Francisco
• American hip-hop record producers
• Hip-hop groups from California
• American hip-hop duos
• Musical duos from California
• Alternative hip-hop groups
• Musical groups established in 2003
• Record production duos
• Trip hop groups
• Record producers from California