22Gz

Widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Brooklyn’s rapidly emerging drill scene, rapper 22Gz made his name in the late 2010s as a pioneer and essential artist of the genre. His single “Suburban,” arguably the key important turning point in the genre’s growth, set the tone for the years to come; its synthesis of aggressive flows, brutal lyricism, Brooklyn slang, and U.K. drill-inspired production provided a template for the scene’s ever-growing success. He debuted with 2019′s The Blixky Tape mixtape and hit the Top 20 of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart with 2020′s Growth & Development and 2021′s The Blixky Tape 2.
Born and bred in Flatbush, Brooklyn, 22Gz (born Jeffrey Alexander) was an avid hip-hop fan from a young age, with influences ranging from N.Y.C. legends like Jadakiss and 50 Cent to rising stars like Future. After deciding against pursuing a career in basketball, Alexander began to produce music instead, repping his Blixkys set as well as their GD affiliation. While “Suburban” is sometimes misattributed as the rapper’s debut single, 22Gz had built a dedicated local following prior to its release. After making his debut with 2016 drill anthem “Blicky,” he moved into the late 2010s with a chain of heavy-hitting singles, including “UP NEXT” (2016), “Vamanos” (2017), and “We On” (2017). Despite setting the scene for 22Gz’s come-up with this set of collaborative singles, it was “Suburban” that was to define the early stages of the rapper’s career. The track, widely considered Brooklyn drill’s first big single, was a synthesis of styles, blending the haunted sonics and chaotic structure of U.K. drill with his own slang and iconic “Blixky the Blixky” ad-lib. The result was lightning in a bottle; fully committing to the Brooklyn drill sound, the single quickly racked up millions of plays online, pushing the genre to international ears for the first time.
With “Suburban” launching 22Gz’s name into the spotlight, he continued to build his career with the aggressive anthems “Why” and “Got Those,” which caught the eye of Florida’s Kodak Black. Signing to Kodak’s Sniper Gang label in October 2018, 22Gz quickly released two further hits, the celebratory “Sniper Gang Freestyle” and the Kodak-assisted “Spin the Block.” These became the preview of his debut project, The Blixky Tape. Arriving in July 2019, the set captured the hard-hitting sounds of 22Gz’s career thus far, as well as offering a greater variety with various deviations into trap subgenres. Growing in tandem with Brooklyn’s drill scene, he soon one-upped himself with the much-anticipated “Suburban, Pt. 2,” which eclipsed its namesake in becoming the rapper’s biggest hit to date. His second major project, the Growth & Development mixtape, also appeared in 2020, followed a year later by The Blixky Tape 2. Both releases cracked the Top 20 of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. ~ David Crone