Blxst On Rapping for Tyler, the Creator, Lessons from Kendrick, Soundtracking NBA 2K23: ‘I’m All About Legacy’

The L.A. musician opened up to PEOPLE about his latest venture alongside his Evgle label, and how he impressed a future superstar several years ago

Like most young kids, Matthew Burdette could barely stand a chance at playing 2K at his dad’s house in South Central, Los Angeles back in the day. His stepbrothers usually had the reins of the PlayStation, which meant he had to work for some controller time.

“I used to be trying to fight them just to get the next turn,” Burdette, now known by his moniker Blxst, laughs with PEOPLE. “So it’s always been a part of my childhood, always in my memory bank.”

Things are different now. Last week, the 30-year-old Los Angeles musician was announced by 2K Games as the curator of NBA 2K23’s latest season 7 soundtrack.

Alongside his label Evgle, Blxst has now contributed a handful of tracks to the legendary game series, taking a note from the greats who’ve curated the game’s soundtrack before him. He even made the connection through NBA star Damian Lillard, who he’s shared some space on wax with previously.

“It’s a big deal for me, especially seeing Jay-Z. You got J. Cole, Pharrell. So it’s like I’m following in those footsteps, and I do consider myself as a tastemaker,” he says. “So to be in a position to be able to curate and people trust my vision and my taste is dope. It’s reassurance for me.”

Related: Kendrick Lamar Talks to Young Concertgoer, Gives Him Inspiring Letter: 'You Will Forever Be Great'

The soundtrack includes some staples from Blxst’s own musical portfolio, as well as material from Evgle signees like Jay Millian. And while Blxst’s popularity has only elevated over the years with his Bino Rideaux collab EP Sixtape in 2019, No Love Lost in 2020 and even further with his 2022 debut Before You Go and recent work with Kendrick Lamar, Blxst says he gets the most pride from bringing his artists to the forefront.

“I think for me, I’m all about legacy,” he says. “I think of artists like Dr. Dre, and you have to also think about all the artists under that tree. You got Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent. The list goes on, and that’s what I want to create at Evgle. So it’s my No. 1 priority to keep providing opportunities like that for my producers, my artists, anybody that I’m in the circle with.”

Blxst didn’t always have the pull he has now to get his signees on a 2K soundtrack. Growing up in Los Angeles, he says he was able to harness a “certain pride we have out here” and found himself juggling a number of musical influences. “It could be a good thing and a bad thing sometimes, but for me, I just put all the artists I’m influenced by in the gumbo pot and create my own version, my own modern version of that.”

One of the artists that Blxst was drawn to early on was Tyler, the Creator, who would frequent the skate park in L.A. that Blxst also hit. The musician says he’d even approach Tyler just to rap some early Myspace-era Tyler bars for the man himself.

“I used to see him all the time, and this was before the world really knew how much of a celebrity he was. I was early on just being a fan of him from MySpace. And I’d go up to him and rap his verses. He’ll be like, ‘You know that? Oh s—, look.’ He’d call his friends over and say like, ‘Yo, sing that again,’” Blxst reflects. “So just seeing everything come full circle, I just re-met him at DJ Drama’s listening party, and I told him about that moment. He was like, ‘Bro, that’s fire.’”

“I don’t know where I pulled that from because the child that I remember I was would never do nothing like that. I had to really be inspired.”

That inspiration has gotten Blxst far in 2023. Outside of his own material and landing on the soundtrack of a bestselling video game, Blxst notably appeared on “Die Hard” off Lamar’s latest Grammy-winning LP Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers back in 2022. The experience was important not just because Blxst remains a major Top Dog Entertainment fan, but because it all managed to feel “intentional,” he says.

Related: Tyler, the Creator Says His Will Doesn't Allow for Posthumous Music Releases: 'Gross'

“Die Hard” remains Blxst’s highest-charting single, having reached the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, while the collab also earned a nod for best melodic rap performance at the Grammys.

“One thing I took from him is how hands-on he is with each step of the process. He was telling me to sing certain cadences in different ways, and it just opened my eyes on how I need to … or even because I do that too,” Blxst says of Lamar. “But just how I need to stay in control of everything. Everything matters. You gotta keep that artist’s integrity because it’s your vision. It’s your story, and nobody can tell it better than you.”

As for where he is right now creatively, Blxst says he’s “in the trenches” and “staying motivated,” with his own quest for new talent and sounds guiding the way.

“I got this new thing where I’m pulling up to underground artists’ shows because I think those are the artists that’s more connected to the roots of everything,” he says.

“They got nothing to lose but to be creative. Once you get a little money or you travel a little bit, it’s easy to get comfortable, and I don’t want to get comfortable. I want to stay hungry. So that’s where I’m at right now. I’m staying hungry.”

It’s easy to stay hungry when some of the greats come by your shows, too. Speaking on his own connections within the NBA, Blxst reveals that he had the task of performing for LeBron James and his family during a recent show in Los Angeles, alongside some other superstars like Russell Westbrook.

“You try to channel that out, try to not think about greatness in the crowd. But it’s motivation for me too,” Blxst says. “It is fuel, like I’m in a playoff game or something. I’m finna kill it.”

For Blxst, now a man behind the music for 2K23, staying motivated is something he says both artists and athletes have in common.

“I think about Kobe [Bryant], like that mamba mentality. Sometimes he would make up things in his head to where the opponent is his enemy. They could be best friends. They could be cool, but on that court, you got to stay fired up,” he says. “So that’s what I try to add in my music to inspire others.”

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