One thing can turn your life around. Therefore it is not until that “The Git Up” video went viral that Blanco Brown became a sensation. He has been in the music industry since 2008, working behind the scenes, but this is the first time he has also gotten up to find his purpose in music. He has attracted lots of attention, but that is not deterring him from pursuing his musical interest. For those who are yet to know Blanco, these ten facts will fill you in on his musical inspirations and background.
1. He grew up in a violent neighborhood
Everyone has a story that inspires them to make a change. People like Leonardo DiCaprio grew up in an environment of prostitution and drugs, and that background enabled him to decide never to do drugs. Blanco, on the other hand, was raised in Atlanta, where gunshots were the order of the day. It was so bad that the first thing he ever learned while in the projects was how to duck to save his life.
2. What drew him to music?
Right now, Blanco loves both country music, and hip hop and his favorite musicians are Johnny Cash and OutKast. However, it was not always the case. When he was young, Blanco was used to listening to music whose lyrics did not tell any story, such as that of Marvin Gaye and Donna Hathaway. According to his interview with Time, the first time he heard Tim McGraw sing “Don’t Take That Girl” changed him. The storyline had a massive impact on Blanco, so his perspective on music forever changed, and he was drawn to more storytelling in songs.
3. He believes country is a way of life
Blanco does not think that singing country music is what makes one country. Therefore he sings the genre because he is country, which he believes to be a way of life and emotion. Blanco dismisses the notion that Country music has to originate from Nashville. He begs to differ with the facts that Nelly rapped but still added a country touch to his songs. The same goes for artists like Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, who were incorporating country in their hip hop. He admits that his is not traditional country, but one cannot deny that his songs still have an element of traditional country music.
4. “The Git Up” is a dedication to Blanco’s grandmothers
Most musicians will first come up with a title of the song so that the lyrics do not depart from it. However, Blanco did the opposite; he started with writing the lyrics, and once done, he realized he was yet to have a title. After racking his brain, he could only think of his grandmothers and how they used to wake everybody in the house yelling “git up.” Although the grandmothers did not entertain laziness, Blanco recalls that even during productive activities, the children still found time to enjoy being children. He, therefore, said that the purpose of the song is to encourage people to celebrate life.
5. His mother said he could not sing
Parents will discourage their children from going down a particular career path for varied reasons. Blanco may come from a musical family, but his mother told him he was not musically gifted. Well, now he is proving her wrong, along with all other critics he might have had. Blanco believes all that he lacked was the confidence to pursue music.
6. He views “The Git Up” as a blessing
Blanco is not a man to take anything for granted. The song he released had over 20 million views in under three months, and to him, there is one word that can describe the phenomenon, blessing. Blanco had earlier put out a video lasting for only a minute, but that did not deter people from finding inspiration. Everyone, including police officers and teachers, have been dancing to the tunes of “The Git Up,” and to know that his song has made such a significant impact in people’s lives is the best feeling for Blanco.
7. He attributes his success to Nashville’s seriousness on the music offered
Racial discrimination, especially when venturing out in unfamiliar territories, could have been the card played by most African Americans who took long to have successful careers. Blanco is not using that card; if anything, he believes that everything happens when the time is ripe. Therefore although country music is dominated by white people with only a few blacks like Charley Pride, Blanco does not think it is his color that was keeping him from being a success. Instead, he feels that Nashville has a high expectation; hence will only accept what is authentic.
8. Why he sped up the release of his video dancing
When Blanco heard “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas, he felt Lil Nas had beaten him to releasing his music. Perhaps he felt like Lil Nas was going down the same path musically, but upon researching, Blanco realized they were on very different roads; while Lil Nas is a rapper, Blanco describes himself as a singer. Still, the timing of “Old Town Road” could not have come at a better time; therefore, Blanco pushed his label to release the video of “The Git Up.” He had already mixed and mastered his album a year before and could not risk releasing after the hype had died.
9. He is a man of many talents
Not only is Blanco a musician, but he also is a producer with quite the client list. Among the many celebrities, he has had the pleasure of working with include Chris Brown, Fergie, Pitbull, and many more. Besides producing and singing, Blanco is a yodeling expert. However, he says it does not come easy; he has to do some vocal exercises and warm-up for about 15 minutes.
10. He used to catch catfish by bare hands
At the age of seven, Blanco had found a dangerous pastime activity called catfish noodling. He would dip his hands in the water to catch some catfish using his bare hands, and today he is thankful that he still got his ten fingers. Blanco, however, was not spared a few bites on his arm as he told Magic 102.1.
Follow Us
