Who is Dean Blunt?

Jack Doczy

Music Journalist

 

Roy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi, more famously known by his alias Dean Blunt, must be among the most mysterious personas in music now. This British singer-songwriter, musician, producer, and artist somehow manages to carve out a niche for himself within music. He is most recognized for his solo work, though he is also part of an avant-garde duo called Hype Williams, with the artist Inga Copeland, and a hip-hop group called Babyfather. His career has been highly diversified, and he continues to blur the lines that separate music from art and performance.
 

Early Life of Blunt 

Although most of the events in Blunt’s personal life remain in the dark, he has, on numerous occasions, referred to his working-class London roots. Indeed, his musical work allegedly alienated self-concept and social critique can be traced back to this milieu (childhood environment). 

Blunt first came to attention with Hype Williams; an electronic duo formed with Inga Copeland (aka Lolina). The project, which began around 2007, was shrouded in mystery, with Blunt and Copeland often playing with the media’s perceptions of what the group was. Hype Williams was supposedly a “relay” project, passed between artists every five years, further muddying the waters around who was involved. Even the existence of other members and a supposed manager, Denna Frances Glass, remains unsubstantiated, leaving music journalists to continue speculation. 

Solo Career: A Study in Contradictions 

Blunt’s solo practice has been no less enigmatic, which started in 2011. Early records such as The Narcissist II, 2012, The Redeemer, 2013, and Black Metal, 2014, had received critical acclaim for their genre-eclectic fusions of experimental R&B and lo-fi rock with ambient soundscapes. These albums established Blunt as a narrator of the personal and the social, often framing such discourses within the ironic and the subversive. 

Blunt’s 2016 album BBF Hosted by DJ Escrow, under the name Babyfather, reached such heights as Album of the Year from music outlets like Tiny Mix Tapes and Resident Advisor. The album brings together UK hip-hop with spoken word and experimental soundscapes, diving into identities, culture, and politics, yet again cementing Blunt as a provocateur in the art-pop arena.
 

Contributions & Collaborations 

Dean Blunt’s influence seeps out of every solo work he touches. In 2018, he was deep within credits for A$AP Rocky’s album Testing, from producing and writing tracks like “Purity” and “Gunz N Butter” to providing additional vocals on “Calldrops.” Already, these multiple collaborations made one big cross-over between Blunt’s experimental roots and mainstream hip-hop, furthering his reputation as a versatile and influential artist. 

He has even directed music videos for Actress and Panda Bear, among others. The theatres have also seen Blunt’s dive into plays like The Narcissist and Lord Knows. Often, these theatrical works reflect the same abstraction and unpredictability as his musical work, fusing performance art, multi-media, and social critique. 

Art, Provocation, and Transcendental Meditation 

Blunt is far from being just a musician and theater maker. His visual artworks have been shown in Triangle and Arcadia Missa galleries; he published a book entitled Cîroc Boyz: Vol 1, an ironic and quite funny account of excessive expenses in VIP hip-hop clubs. From high to low culture, passing through his usual irony and satire, Blunt is a provocateur and an enfant terrible. 

The straightforwardness with which Blunt approaches life and art is often reflective of his practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM). He has publicly supported the technique. Back in 2016, in an interview given to i-D, Blunt insisted that TM was all about simplicity and power. He called it an “effortless practice that brings a lot.” 

Discography: Vast and Varied 

Blunt has released an incredible amount of music under his name and several aliases. From the lo-fi mixtapes that comprise The Narcissist series to the critically acclaimed Black Metal records, his work always seems to fall between categories. His various collaborative works, spanning Joanne Robertson through Delroy Edwards, further display the range in which he is willing to go to explore audial territories. 

Dean Blunt key releases: (hundreds more unlisted) 

• One Nation – 2011 (as Hype Williams) 

• The Narcissist – 2011 

• The Narcissist II – 2012 

• Black is Beautiful – 2012 (with Inga Copeland) 

• The Redeemer – 2013 

• Stone Island (Каменный Остров) – 2013 

• SKIN FADE – 2014 

• Black Metal – 2014 

• Babyfather – 2015 

• UK2UK – 2015 (as Babyfather) 

• Platinum Tears (as Babyfather) 

• BBF Hosted by DJ Escrow – 2016 (as Babyfather) 

• 419 – 2016 (as Babyfather) 

• WAHALLA – 2017 

• Hotep – 2017 (as Blue Iverson) 

• Muggy Vol.1 – 2018 

• Soul on Fire – 2018 

• Desert Sessions – 2018 

• ZUSHI – 2020 

• Roaches 2012-2019 – 2020 

• Black Metal 2 – 2021 

• give me a moment – 2023 (EP) 

• 3 songs – 2023 (with The Crying Nudes) 

• Backstage Raver – 2024 (with Joanne Robertson)

A Prolific, Category-Rejecting Artist 

Blunt’s career is defined by contradiction, playful obfuscation, and an utter avoidance of being pinned down. His elliptical interviews, numerous musical releases, and mind-bogglingly obtuse art keep challenging what exactly it means for one to be an artist in the 21st century. Slippery to grasp, ever-changing, just like the man himself, refusing easy readings is what makes Dean Blunt one of the most intriguing, influential artists working today, be it for a fan or a critic.