BlakeIANA started rapping two years ago after visiting T.I.’s Trap Muzik Museum, where she recorded her first song. Now, her debut mixtape features collaborations with major rap artists, including Moneybagg Yo, Sexyy Red, Tee Grizzley, Skilla Baby, and Hunxho. The 300 Entertainment artist’s project showcases her lyrical abilities alongside the genre’s biggest names. Rolling out caught up with the rapper to get deeper about her project, Back In The Field.
How did Sexyy Red end up on the remix of your first song? Before I started rapping, I was a fan of sexy music already. Like, me and my cousin, we always used to just listen to her music. She’s such a character and she’s animated. And one thing about her music, she makes people feel good. Like, if you want to have a good time, Turn on Sexyy Red. And when I had created Bing Bong, I had posted a Triller, and she was one of the first people that had reached out and was like, I really f*ck with the song, I listen to it when I’m getting ready. and she was reciting lyrics in a song so I knew she wasn’t lying. So that’s really how the remix started.
What’s your favorite song on the tape? Well, “24 hours” is my favorite song right now. But “That’s My Man” was a favorite song of mine. But it was just such a struggle with getting it [cleared], I think it was because of the first sample. When a beat come on for me, if it makes me want to go lovey-dovey, I’m gonna go lovey-dovey. If it makes me want to go turn up on a N****. I’m going to diss his a** on the track. But when I heard the beat for “That’s My Man” I was like I can get in this bag right here. That’s it. It wasn’t about no specific person or nothing like that. That’s just what the beat made me feel like. So that’s what I said.
Which male on the album gave you the best verse and why? Tee Grizzley did his thing on the song he’s on and we just shot a video for it too. But I ain’t gonna lie, I love Skilla Baby’s verse. Skilla Baby verse was my favorite because he said my name. His verse is definitely my favorite, but all of them are in rotation right now.
Some of the best bars on the album is [are] on “Barely Alive.” The track had a lot of energy, were you upset or angry? I don’t think I was angry. I just felt like as a person, I am a concealed bottle. I consume a lot of things, and I don’t express or show off. I just brush it off. I take it to the chin. Like I said in the song. I just be taking everything to the chin. And I’m starting to learn that I can’t always do that. That was just me expressing some things that I was experiencing. Things I was experiencing during the time that I got signed and, like, some other things that had occurred, so just life basically. And then like I said before, the beat makes you want to say these things and puts you in the mood.
What do you want listeners to take away from this tape? I just hope that they know how to adjust with life. Like, you can get back in the field. And that don’t just mean like kicking it, or showing your a** or f*cking around all day. It’s like a motivational thing. Like getting back to your old self again if you wasn’t yourself. Or getting back to having motion. Getting back to the real you.
