BLAKCHYL was born and raised in East Austin. A self-proclaimed hip-hop head from an early age, she also took to writing poetry with an East coast mind at an early age.
During her freshman year at Reagan High School in 2007, BLAKCHYL met her first mentor, Chris “Gator” Ockletree. He introduced her to beat making and inspired her to marry her poetry to her beats. She forged this talent through The Cipher, a hip-hop project for Austin youth co-founded by Gator and social worker Shannon Sandrea. It was through The Cipher that BLACKCHYL, known then as T-FLY, met ChiClopz. The two eventually formed MDK, Mindz of a Different Kind, along with fellow Cipher members Pip Demascus, and BZA.
Throughout the 2010’s, MDK released several projects and was invited to perform several times in Austin’s sister city, Angers, France before parting ways in 2017. MDK reunited in 2022 for another trip to Angers, this time paying mentorship forward with trips to schools to hold workshops for artists and social workers during the day, and perform at night.
In the years in between, TFLY forged a solo career under the moniker BLAKCHYL. Since her debut single “Pushin Penz” in 2014, BLAKCHYL has let her virtues of community, connection, positivity, and support reflect in her music, often moving from her East Coast rap-inspired roots to R&B and even jazz, adapting herself around the featured artist to elevate all parties. Her adaptability has afforded her a wonderfully deft and impressive discography.
BLAKCHYL has earned several Austin Music Award nominations, including Musician of the Year and Best Rap/Hip-Hop artist. She’s toured internationally, performed at Austin FC games, and made her ACL Fest debut last year.
BLAKCHYL in KUTX Studio 1A
Date: June 12, 2024
Set List: “Intellect” / “Ja Morant” / “East Side”
Album: Better Than I Imagined (Oct. 5, 2023, ElevateNetwork)
Musicians: Blakchyl – lyrics; David Alvarez – keys; Patrick McNally – drums; Miya Thorton – bass
Credits: Producer: Deidre Gott; Edit: Patricia Lim; Audio Mix: Rene Chavez; Audio Engineer: Rene Chavez, Reyna Sevilla; Cameras: Patricia Lim; Ryan Olszewski; Manoo Sirivelu
