Meet BLIZM: Independence, Longevity, and the Mindset of The Dangerous Unc

BLIZM has spent decades carving out his own lane in hip‑hop, guided by a fiercely independent, DIY ethos that dates back to launching Chainless Entertainment in 1999. From teaching himself engineering, design, and video to building platforms like K-100 Radio, his career has been rooted in ownership, adaptability, and long‑term vision. Now returning with The Dangerous Unc, BLIZM leans fully into experience, maturity, and sharpened perspective—proving that growth, wisdom, and lyrical precision don’t fade with time, they evolve.

BLIZM, you’ve built a career rooted in independence and longevity—looking back to when you launched Chainless Entertainment in 1999, what core principles have guided you through every evolution of your work?
That’s a great question. I think at the core of it all, I’m an information junkie and a DIY person at heart. So one of the main reasons I’ve been able to be independent and continue my grind for so long is because I don’t outsource if I don’t have to. Early on as an artist, I realized a lot of my cost was going to studio time. To solve that I went and learned audio engineering. At the same time I learned video editing, graphic design and picked up on any knowledge I felt would benefit me from the internet. I’m very self contained with my operations so therefore I have to continually keep learning and evolving to keep up with trends to stay in the game. I only outsource when absolutely necessary and when I do, trust me I’ve done my due diligence on whatever service or person I decide to work with. It may sound like I’m a control freak, but really it’s just how I’m built.

What inspired your return to releasing music after such a long hiatus, and why did this moment feel right for The Dangerous Unc?
Honestly, it took two years for this project to come together from the moment I decided to actually do it. That’s because for a long time I just didn’t feel like people would be accepting of an artist at my age dropping an album. Ageism in Hip-Hop is one of the absolute worst parts of the genre. Because I never made music that followed trends, I genuinely felt like my style of music may go too far under the radar for me to invest the time and money involved with doing an entire album. It’ still a single driven genre, but over the past few years major artists in my age demographic have been releasing music, and I noticed how well received it was, Not just from media platforms, but people in general. They wanted the OG artist to drop music. Killer Mike, Clipse, Redman, LL Cool J and tons of other major artists dropped critically acclaimed, good albums and people listened. For me it opened the door back up for veteran indie artists like myself to pop back out and give the people in our demographic what they clearly wanted: dope Hip-Hop with actual bars and songs with concepts. I began piecing together a song here and there and it just all came together. I worked with some really great artists along the way that also kept pushing me to drop an album, not just one song because they felt I had so many good records that needed to be heard.

How did building K-100 Radio and supporting independent artists behind the scenes influence your perspective and approach as an artist today?
It made a huge difference in the way I went about promoting the album. For starters, when you run a platform and you have to listen to a ton of music from other artists all the time, it helps you stay on top of what’s being put out into Hip-Hop space. You become familiar with the platforms, services and marketing/promotional tools that have worked for others and you take note. You also build relationships with other platforms and their owners and understand more the way they think. So now that I have decided to release music, the years of helping others with K-100 Radio have come full circle. A lot of platforms and even other artists we have come across working in the field with K-100 Radio, have shown an interest and support early on for the project. It’s a great feeling because over the years there have been times I did not feel like what we brought to the game with K-100 Radio was appreciated enough. But a lot of people we helped along the way who have now built up platforms and have things going that can help me, have reached out and supported the music I’m releasing. And that’s a really great feeling.

The single “Clean Up Nice” embraces grown-man energy and experience—how has aging and lived experience sharpened your voice rather than softened it?
I really toiled with which song to release as a single, or to even release a single at all. But after I had a few private listening sessions with some DJ’s, media and others, ‘Clean Up Nice” began to clearly be the choice. I think it sets a tone for the “Unc” mantra that is infused in the album. The production by That Kid Goran is a really mature sound with the live band feel and the featured artist, C-Rena, is a real soulful R&B singer. But the words are also where you get the maturity message. I wrote the song and when I was penning the hook and bars, I was very cognizant of the wordplay. I wanted it to reflect how I really feel when I get dressed and go out for a night on the town with my lady and our friends. It’s a reflection of black excellence and success at the same time. As I have aged, I party differently because when you accumulate assets and build up family estates, you have more to lose. So we are more calm and reserved when we party now. That came with age and maturity. Because we used to tear the club up! But now we are Unc’s, Aunties and some of us are grandparents. So our vibe changed and therefore I felt like the single should reflect that to better prepare them for what the project will sound like.

What do you hope longtime listeners and a new generation of fans take away from The Dangerous Unc as a statement of who you are now?
Another great question. At the top of that list, I want them to remember, or for the new ones, to get introduced to my lyrical prowess as an emcee and a songwriter. I put a lot into the concepts of the songs and lyrics on the album. I write my own bars, and I wrote every hook on the album. I don’t have ghostwriters, I AM THE GHOSTWRITER for others. So i want them to appreciate the music as the art it is, I did not make a cookie cutter album. It doesn;t sound like anyone else, it’s a BLIZM album and that’s always meant you’re going to get something different. And also just as important, I want people to see that age has nothing to do with being able to create a dope project that you can ride to. I feel like my pen is as sharp as ever on this album, maybe even better than ever because I have a wider perspective on life. More years living on this Earth will help you see the world differently and it shows up in my art on this album. I cherish good times with family and friends more than I care about going to clubs. I address mental health issues, relationship goals and tell stories of past reckless behavior I somehow survived on this album. I’m an OG and an “Unc” now, with more stability and knowledge. But I’m also still the same guy who did a lot of wild and reckless things. I could revert back to that guy when pushed to do so. That makes me, “The Dangerous Unc.”.

Links: