Local Artist Spotlight: Wes Blanco
Written by Waylon ODay on March 2, 2016
Southwest Houston’s own Wes Blanco is one of the most talented voices coming out of Houston’s convoluted hip-hop community, what makes him shine is the fact he doesn’t fit in any template that his hometown has set for him, he’s not a Paul Wall or a Scarface or a Riff Raff (just trying to cover all the bases) he’s a Wes Blanco; uniquely individual but undeniably H-Town. 
He finds himself spitting over a variety of textures, always shining through whatever production he finds under him. He’ll rattle off a verse that will leave your head spinning, while the beat struggles behind his Bugatti-speed stream of consciousness flow. He doesn’t care if the beat is slowed up, he’s got a lot to say, and he always gets his message across. His hooks are the definition of earworms, I listened to “Chopsticks” once on the way to work, and for the rest of my shift I kept rapping the hook that I probably shouldn’t include the lyrics in this article. However, the music video for the song, directed by Bird Medina, who also directed a personal favorite “Fetti,” by Playboi Carti, is below. So you can see for yourself how catchy this song is.
Wes Blanco’s closest contemporary, in my opinion, is another Southwest up and comer, a personal favorite, Maxo Kream. The pair both possess a propensity for drug raps, similar tastes in their beat selections, similar styles of rapping (See Maxo’s “Paranoia,” and Blanco’s “Trap in the Suburbs” below). Like he says in “Chopsticks,” “I’ve always been different,” and what makes him different that strikes me as refreshing. Blanco shows emotion where Maxo could be seen as heartless, that’s not to say Blanco is always wearing his heart on his sleeve, but it’s those rare moments when he talks about his struggles in life, like in the beginning of “Get Right,” where he talks about all the drama in his life and the anxiety that it causes him. He’s also somewhat comical in his boasts, like where he hollers at Sofia Vergara in the video above.
https://soundcloud.com/wesbeblanco/5-trap-in-the-suburbs-ft-trap-produced-by-benjamin-trill
It’s always exciting to find a new artist, but it’s beyond exciting to know that the artist is from your city. It gives you a sense of pride knowing that guys like Wes Blanco are out there representing our city, and showing that Houston has entered a new era of hip-hop. The future is bright for Houston, and for one of it’s brightest stars, Wes Blanco, it will definitely be exciting to watch this guy progress and see what he can do with a little more support behind him. Below I’m including Blanco’s latest release Grease is the Word, and links to his Soundcloud, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the music at least half as much I do.
Grease is the Word:
https://soundcloud.com/wesbeblanco/sets/grease-is-the-word-hosted-by
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/wesbeblanco
