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Benjamin Thage Dag Reichwald (born 9 April 1994), known professionally as Bladee (pronounced "blade"), is a Swedish rapper and singer. In 2013, he formed the Drain Gang music collective alongside childhood friends Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor. Bladee began releasing music that same year, and gained attention after collaborating with Yung Lean.
Bladee released his debut mixtape, Gluee, in 2014, and his debut album, Eversince, in 2016. In 2017 he became art director of Yung Lean's Sadboys Gear clothing line, and released Working on Dying, a collaborative mixtape with the production group of the same name. Bladee released Red Light and Icedancer in 2018.
During 2020, Bladee released three projects: Exeter, 333, and Good Luck, a collaborative album with producer Mechatok. He released his fifth studio album, The Fool, in 2021, and it met with critical praise. Later that year, he exhibited his first solo collection of paintings, Real Sprin9, and released a collection in collaboration with American-Swedish clothing brand GANT. In 2022, he released Crest, a collaborative album with Ecco2K, as well as Spiderr, his sixth solo album.
In 2023, Bladee released several singles in collaboration with Skrillex and Yung Lean. In 2024, he released Psykos, a collaborative album with Yung Lean, as well as Cold Visions. The same year, he appeared on the remix of Charli XCX's song "Rewind" and announced his departure from longtime label and management company Year0001.
In 2004, he met Ecco2K. The two were classmates and formed a punk rock band named Krossad (Swedish for "crushed"), releasing a demo CD in 2007. Reichwald later met Swedish producer Whitearmor and rapper Thaiboy Digital through mutual friends. After leaving school, he worked at a daycare centre for about a year.
In 2014, Bladee released his debut mixtape Gluee. It was described as "a summertime anthem for a suburban generation stuck scrolling through Twitter". Bladee released his debut album, Eversince, on 25 May 2016. The album was produced entirely by Whitearmor.
After releasing the track "Decay" as a lead single, Bladee released Red Light, his second album, on 11 May 2018. It features executive production by Whitearmor, Sad Boys producer Gud, and Drain Gang member Yung Sherman. In July2018, Bladee walked the runway at Alyx's fall 2019 menswear show in Paris, alongside Ecco2K. His third mixtape, Icedancer, was released on 28 December 2018. The mixtape was produced by production duo Ripsquadd, and had guest appearances from Yung Lean and Thaiboy Digital.
After releasing tracks "All I Want", "God", and "Drama" as singles, Bladee released his third album of 2020, Good Luck. A collaborative album with Berlin producer Mechatok, it premiered on 10 December as part of an audiovisual livestream. A deluxe version was later released that included a remix of the track "Drama", featuring Charli XCX.
In January2022, Bladee released the single "Amygdala" in collaboration with Ecco2K and Mechatok, along with an accompanying video. On 18 March, he released Crest, a collaborative album with Ecco2K, via Year0001. Produced entirely by Whitearmor, Crest was critically acclaimed. In September2022, Bladee released the lead single "Drain Story", announcing his sixth album, Spiderr. An accompanying video directed by Ecco2K was released. On 30 September, Bladee released Spiderr via Year0001.
On 13 March 2024, Bladee and Yung Lean released Psykos, a surprise album, via World Affairs. Psykos marked their first collaborative album after over a decade of working together, and was a sonic shift for the two artists, incorporating elements of Rock music and post-punk as opposed to their usual Pop music and hip hop soundscape. Bladee released Cold Visions, also a surprise album, via his label Trash Island on 23 April 2024. All 30 tracks were produced by F1lthy, with whom Bladee had previously collaborated on the mixtape Working on Dying in 2017. Cold Visions featured Yung Lean, Yung Sherman, Thaiboy Digital, and Black Kray and was well received by music critics, with it being described as Bladee's "most realized project to date" by Pitchfork.
On 11 October 2024, Bladee appeared on Charli XCX's album Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat alongside Yung Lean. He was featured on a remix of the track "Rewind", which was met with mixed reviews.
In November2024, Bladee and other Drain Gang members announced that they were no longer affiliated with their longtime label and management company Year0001. In an interview with The Guardian, Bladee stated: "I don't really care anymore about being a bigger artist. The only thing that's important is that I'm doing something that's true to me."
Bladee released the EP Ste The Beautiful Martyr 1st Attempt on 30 April 2025. A week later on 6 May 2025, Bladee announced the Martyr World Tour via Instagram. The tour features 10 different countries, making it the largest Bladee tour.
Bladee is a private person. He has said, "I really don't like to talk about myself. I find it weird." In interviews, he has mentioned being Lightning injury during a trip to Thailand in 2019 and called the experience transformative.
Bladee's younger brother, Gus Reichwald, is a videographer who has directed, filmed, and edited multiple Drain Gang and Sad Boys videos.
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