New York rapper Blaise resisted trends, leaning towards sonically rich and sample-heavy instrumentals and playful, sometimes dreamlike wordplay over the mundane trap styles of many of his contemporaries. His intimate, often-introspective lyrics and variety of styles met with unique production on his 2019 Projects Saigon Motorbike Diaries and True Story. Blaise was born in Queens in 1990. He started exploring music by singing and playing trumpet in school at age seven, growing more and more interested in music production in his high school years. He relocated to Saigon, Vietnam and collaborated with local artists before establishing himself as a solo artist with new singles in 2018. Blaise's style blended jazzy undercurrents with Golden Era Rap touches over beats that took nods from different phases of hip-hop's evolution. EPs Saigon Motorbike Diaries and True Story were released in 2018, and included cameo appearances from Pain, DJ Hudsun, & Abstract Soundz.