Robert Mansel, known professionally as Black Noi$e or Black Noise, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. He is best known for his work as a tour DJ for M.I.A. and Earl Sweatshirt as well as producing and writing tracks for other artists such as Armand Hammer, Danny Brown, Fly Anakin, Lucki, MIKE, Pink Siifu, Wiki, and Zelooperz. Black Noi$e was the first signee of Earl Sweatshirt's imprint label of Warner Records, Tan Cressida, in 2020.[1][2]
Black Noi$e | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Mansel |
| Born | July 30, 1990 (age 34) Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, DJ |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | Bulletproof Dolphin |
| Website | https://www.blackxnoise.com/ |
Life
editBlack Noi$e was born in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada on July 30, 1990, and moved to Detroit, Michigan with his family four years later. As a child, he was interested by a wide array of music genres, from punk to techno and hip-hop.[3]
Growing up in the Westland suburbs of Detroit, Black Noi$e was introduced to the hardcore and grime music of the popular skateboarding culture there.[4] He was influenced by skateboarding videos as well as the soundtracks of the PlayStation video games Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. When he was 15, he began playing guitar in various hardcore bands across Detroit and seeing shows by bands like Terror, Death Threat, Bury Your Dead, and Colin of Arabia.[5]
Black Noi$e accredits Detroit's distinct radio culture and skateboarding scene as his biggest source of musical inspiration.[6][7]
While in high school, a friend introduced Black Noi$e to the digital audio workstation, Reason,[1] in which he began producing downtempo rap beats, consisting of soul samples and aggressive techno.[8] His early production was heavily inspired by the "raw" style of rap beats frequently used by rappers like The Notorious B.I.G. and E-40, and labels like No Limit Records and Cash Money Records that were popular on Detroit radio stations.[5]
Career
edit2012-2019: Early Career
editBlack Noi$e began his music career in 2012, being credited as a producer for the track They Don't Understand on American rapper Aaron Cohen's mixtape Murk.[9]
He met Earl Sweatshirt in New York through his friend Remy Banks, who had been on tour with Sweatshirt around 2016.[10]
On October 30, 2017 Black Noi$e released his first solo EP Time Crisis under Portage Garage Sounds.[8][11]
He produced the track "The Mint" (feat. Navy Blue) that was released on November 20, 2018 as a single for Earl Sweatshirt's third studio album Some Rap Songs that was promptly released ten days later. In the same month, Black Noi$e released his first solo LP Illusions under Vanity Press Records on November 26.[12]
Black Noi$e co-hosted radio show "The Deep End" with SKYWLKR on Red Bull Radio in 2019.[13]
2020-present: Tan Cressida, Oblivion, and Sick!
editTan Cressida announced Black Noi$e's signing to the label on June 19, 2020, with several welcome messages on the label's official Instagram page, as well as Earl Sweatshirt's.[1][14] As of 2023, he is the only other official artist signed to Tan Cressida.[15]
Black Noi$e released his LP project Oblivion on August 14, 2020 under Tan Cressida, making it the first "non-Sweatshirt" title to be released under the label.[16] Oblivion received critical acclaim for its sample-heavy production and prominent feature artists, like Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, MIKE, Pink Siifu, Duendita, Liv.e, and Zelooperz.[17][18][19]
Black Noi$e produced and wrote several tracks for Earl Sweatshirt's fourth studio album Sick!, including "2010", "Vision" (feat. Zelooperz), "Titanic", and "Fire in the Hole."[20] The track "2010" had previously been released as a single for the album on November 18, 2021 accompanied by a music video.[21] Sick! debuted on January 29, 2022, receiving a Metacritic score of 85/100 from 17 critic reviews,[22] and peaking at #80 on the Billboard 200™.[23] As of 2023, "2010" is the most streamed track on Sick! and was labeled one of the "Best New Tracks of 2021" by Pitchfork.[24]
Black Noi$e hosts a radio show for NTS Radio, where several of his tracks are in rotation.[25]
Black Noi$e was a DJ on Earl Sweatshirt's Voir Dire tour with The Alchemist in 2023.[26]
Discography
editAlbums
edit- Illusions (2018)
- Oblivion (2020)
- R.I.P. Satana (2024) (with Cousin Mouth)
EPs
edit- Nonbelievers (2014) (with BK Beats)
- Self-titled (2017)
- Time Crisis (2017)
- Soul Golden (2017) (with Navy Blue)
- Partridge (2024) (with Valee)
- EP 1 (2024)
Singles
edit- Natural Technology (2020)
Productions
edit- Aaron Cohen - "They Don't Understand" from Murk (2012)
- Boldy James - "Consignment" from Consignment (2012)
- Children Of The Night - "Intro... Revisited" (2012)
- Deniro Farrar - "Can't Get Sleep" from The Patriarch (2013)
- Peter Rosenberg & Eckō - "'96 Knicks" from Underground Airplay 2: The New York Renaissance (2013)
- World's Fair - "96 Knicks" from Bastards Of The Party (2013)
- Skrapz - "I.C.U." from Way Better than You (2013)
- Lucki - "Finesse II" from X (2015)
- Wiki - "Living With My Moms" from Lil Me (2015)
- King 810 & DJ Drama - Midwest Monsters 2 (2015)
- Zelooperz - "Summit" from Bothic (2016)
- Scumbag Fred - "None Of You" from Imaginary (2016)
- Zelooperz & Shigeto (ZGTO) - "Everlast" from A Piece of the Geto (2017)
- ThaGodFahim - "Samurai's Cup Of Tea" from Dump Gawd (2017)
- DJ Lucas - "Ballerina Look Like Jumpman" from Till Death Do Us Part 1 (2017)
- ThaGodFahim - "Samurai's Cup Of Tea" from 'Shogunn' (2018)
- World's Fair - "Dundas Street" (2018)
- Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs (2018)
- Dopehead - "Fear" from Beautiful Chaos (2018)
- Detroit Lines - HIT MY DMS (2019)
- Zelooperz - Wild Card (2019)
- Earl Sweatshirt - Feet of Clay (2019)
- Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - "Blame" from FlyShifu's (2020)
- BbyMutha - "Either Way" from Muthaland (2020)
- Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - "Blame" from $moke-break EP (2021)
- J.U.S. - "Brown Noise" from God Goku Jay-z (2021)
- MF Doom & Jneiro Jarel - "Let's Go (Space Boogie) (Black Noi$e Remix)" (feat. Jawwaad & Shape Of Broad Minds) (2021)
- RXK Nephew - "Dark Noise" from Slitherman Activated (2021)
- Earl Sweatshirt - "2010" from Sick! (2022)
- Zelooperz - "Head 2 the SKy", "SVW", "Toxic Energy" and "Skinny Dip" from Get WeT.Radio (2022)
- Armand Hammer - "Don't Lose Your Job" from We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (2023)
- Meladettask - "Beeswax" from Business Days (2023)
- Lord Apex - "Back Outside" (feat. Mavi) from The Good Fight (2023)
References
edit- ^ a b c Zadeh, Yash (2020-08-14). "BLACK NOI$E RELEASES NEW PROJECT OBLIVION VIA EARL SWEATSHIRT'S TAN CRESSIDA IMPRINT ON WARNER RECORDS" (PDF) (Press release). Warner Records. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ Bruce-Jones, Henry (21 June 2020). "Black Noi$e joins Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, BbyMutha and more on tour in 'The Band'". Factmag. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Simpson, Paul. "Black Noi$e Biography". All Music. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Kosanovich, Kevin (5 September 2018). "Off the Top: Black Noi$e". StockX. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ a b "DETROIT'S SON :: A CONVERSATION WITH PRODUCER BLACK NOI$E". The Hundreds. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Black Noi$e Is Detroit Till He Dies". Esquire. 14 August 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Green, Dylan (12 August 2020). ""Music Blends Into Itself": A Conversation with Producer Black Noi$e". DJ Booth. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Black Noi$e EP". RA. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Black Noi$e Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Bürgel, Octavia (27 August 2020). "Black Noi$e: Anything But Static". 032c. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Listen to a new FADER Mix by Black Noi$e". Metro Times. 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Black Noi$e reinvigorates leftfield techno with a cerebral touch". Metro Times. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "DM Nation with Black Noi$e and SKYWLKR – The Deep End". Mixcloud.
- ^ Johnson, Patrick (22 June 2020). "Detroit Producer Black Noi$e Debuts New "The Band" Video Featuring Liv.e". Hypebeast. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Artists". Tan Cressida Records. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "@tancressidarecords on Instagram: "WE AT TAN CRESSIDA ARE BEYOND EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE OUR FIRST NON-SWEATSHIRT RELEASE EVER!!!"". Instagram. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Price, Joe. "Detroit Producer Black Noi$e Shares 'Oblivion' Project". Complex. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Stream Black Noi$e's New Album Oblivion Feat. Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, MIKE & More". Stereogum. 14 August 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ "Black Noi$e Details New Project With Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, BbyMutha, and More". Pitchfork. 31 July 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ Kgositsile, Thebe. Sick! Credits (Media notes).
- ^ Zemler, Emily (19 November 2021). "Earl Sweatshirt Praises His Roots on New Single '2010'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Sick! - Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Artist - Earl Sweatshirt - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Green, Dylan. ""2010" by Earl Sweatshirt". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Radio Shows - Black Noi$e". NTS Radio. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Lee, Hannah (28 November 2023). "Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist Show the Fillmore the Importance of Community in Underground Hip-Hop". WMUC Radio. Retrieved 15 January 2024.