Blade

1. Born in the Armenian quarter of Iran, Blade came to London aged 7. Within months of arriving, he felt the effect of the Islamic revolution back home. Unable to send money out of the country, Blade’s family could no longer support him. So, with no money, no family, alone in a strange country, Blade’s self-reliance and determination were all he had to see him through. The microphone, the studio and the stage provided his only release. 1989 saw Blade’s first release with which he took to the street and sold direct to the punters. This became the blueprint for future ventures. A string of 12’s, ep’s and a massive double album followed, all of which were released on his own “691 INFLUENTIAL” label. Selling via mail order and on the streets, he amassed sales of up to 60,000 units. His one-man record operation quickly became the stuff of rap mythology. And then it all went quiet. There were some rumours, most of them invented by Blade himself, concerning retirement, emigration and a particularly bizarre one about a chicken farm. The truth – more mundane, perhaps, but undeniably real – was that he needed to take time out after the death of his father and the birth of his son. Teaming up with producer Mark B was a departure for Blade. On the Mark B & Blade’s EP "Hitmen For Hire", released in 1998, he allowed another man to produce the music he rapped on for the first time. The partnership became the focus for both men, and for two years their names were inseparable. The album they recorded together, The Unknown, remains one of the best selling LPs in UK rap history, and it brought the pair to a new peak of prominence. They spent most of 2000 and 2001 on the road, playing hip hop gigs, rock festivals, indie tours and rock clubs. They even got to support the biggest star in hip hop, Eminem, on his UK tour in 2001. The album’s first single, You Don’t See The Signs, was re-recorded with a guest appearance from Grant Nicholas of Feeder, who Mark & Blade toured with; crash-landing in the top 20, it earned them their first bona fide hit. But Mark B & Blade was always meant as a side project for both men. It was no surprise when they announced that they would be working on their own records in the future. Unfortunately, the label that had released The Unknown, the Virgin France-funded Source, wasn’t in a position to act. Internal restructuring meant that key people involved in the first record had left thecompany, and control of operations had reverted to the corporate parent. The only thing that was certain was that Blade and his new bosses did not see eye to eye and it was only a matter of time before they parted company. Unhappy with the situation at Virgin, Blade decided to go it alone yet again, this time putting everything he had at risk. When he first started in 1989, he had nothing to lose. This time the story was the opposite; he had everything to lose. He re-mortgaged his house to pay for the manufacturing, the press and radio campaign and the street team. The album was released in March 2004 and the signs were really good. There was very little radio and media support, but the sales were looking good. That is until the distributor he was signed to, 3MV, dropped a bombshell three weeks after the album was released ........ they declared bankruptcy. The albums were taken off the shelves at all the major chain stores and the tour cancelled. The biggest blow for Blade was that he was never going to see any of the money from the album sales already registered which meant he had to somehow make enough back to pay off the loan sharks and the people he hired to do the job, and to pay for the manufacturing, which was done on credit. Four days of complete silence through shock of the news, which for someone like Blade is unheard of, then the lion turns to the crew and says "WE'LL SURVIVE THIS". They called on many of their promoter friends and organised just under a hundred shows and kept things going. During this time, Blade met BABY J and began recording the album "GUERRILLA TACTICS". Blade was back to that dark place many artists get to when things just don't seem to work out for whatever reasons. During his travels, he meets a producer by the name of BABY J. The two get together and hit the studio. 10 months later sees the first release off the album and the ball is rolling once again. The album features a host of up & coming mcs and promises to deliver quality through & through. Scheduled for release in February 2006, Blade sets the plans in action and organises a launch party that's sure to be talked about for years to come. He somehow manages to get 14 rap crews to perform at this album launch party for expenses only and fits it all into 5 hours. And not forgetting the incomparable hosting skills of Mista Jam. What even more impressive is that he organises coaches and minibuses from all over the UK, ranging from Plymouth to Glasgow, and manages to fill the club with fans from outside of London, therefore making it close to impossible for any londoners to get into the club unles they bought tickets in advance. There were also fans who travelled to the event from as far away as Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, and one crazy fan from Japan, on the promise from Blade that he would perform some of his old classics on the night too. 2. Blade is a skinhead Oi! band from Japan featured on Burst Out compilation. They also released The First Cut 7'' EP in 1996. 3. Blade also is a German Rapper signed on "Deluxe Records", who's CEo ist the famous rapper Samy Deluxe. Blade released the mixtape "Deutschlands Zukunft" ("Germany's future") in 2005. 4. Blade was a greek Heavy Metal band, releasing one Demo in 1992 called 'a lifetime' which was re-released on CD in 2007. 5. Blade is also a belgian straight edge hardcore band with clevo influences http://www.last.fm/music/xBladex 6.ＢＬＡＤＥ is a japanese visual kei band. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.