Elijah Blake

Contemporary R&B artist Elijah Blake, who has also been credited under his birth name of Sean Fenton, as well as Redd Stylez, broke through as a songwriter for an impressive list of stars within his genre, including Trey Songz, Rihanna, Keyshia Cole, and Ciara. Most notably, he contributed to Usher's "Climax," a hit single that topped Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 2012. All the while, Blake's solo career was in development. Through producer No I.D.'s ARTium, he aligned with Def Jam and released the single "X.O.X.," featuring labelmate Common, in 2013. The following year, Blake returned the favor on Common's "Real," which was quickly trailed by another solo single, "Wicked," as well as an EP, Drift. A frequent collaborator, Blake was also featured on tracks by the Game ("Freedom"), Rick Ross ("Presidential"), and the MIDI Mafia ("Sing for Me"). His debut album, Shadows & Diamonds, was released in June 2015 with an appearance from Dej Loaf and input from No I.D. and Salaam Remi. The set debuted at number 21 on the R&B/hip-hop chart. Blake went independent with a 2016 EP, Blueberry Vapors, then issued his second album, Audiology, via Steel Wool Entertainment in 2017. ~ Andy Kellman