Since the start of her career well over a decade ago, The BLK LT$ (@theblklts) has worn and maintained many hats. The Toronto born singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer, has continuously reaffirmed her stamp within the music industry. While working alongside artists such as Drake, Future, Kodak Black, DMX, and Coi Leray to name a few, she has accumulated three Grammy nominations. Formerly know as Andreena Mill, The BLK LT$ has formally ushered in a new era within her diverse artistry. Additionally, her latest single “Real Talk” is a testate to her love for he music intertwined with some of hip hop’s pioneers.
The single “Real Talk” holds a familiar heart with a brand new twist. For starters, the song samples Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell’s 1968 hit single “You’re All I Need To Get By.” Furthermore, “Real Talk” serves as the lead single from her upcoming album Honey: The BLK LT$ Meets The Killa Bees. The album pays homage to the pioneering hip hop group, Wu-Tang Clan, which she describes as one of her favorites of all time. While working on the project, she gained a significant stamp of approval from RZA, whom is a leading member of The Wu-Tang clan. Additionally, RZA signed her to his 36 Chambers label and is listed as a producer on the upcoming project.
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Watch “Real Talk” by The BLK LT$
Interview
Remixd Magazine: You grew up in Toronto, Canada surrounded by music while having a musically inclined family. Your dad was also a member of a reggae band. How did you confirm music was the career choice for you with it’s heavy presence?
A: I feel like music was something— because my dad was in a band we kind of immersed in it from a young age. He use to have rehearsals in the basement of our house every Wednesday. You couldn’t avoid it the music was so loud. What I loved about it was the fact that people would come there and be so expressive. It just felt freeing. After his rehearsals I would try to sneak downstairs and get involved. I feel I just wanted to be apart of it and it never left. I started from a young and I feel it was kind of meant to happen that way having that influence.
Fans of yours know that you changed your stage moniker from Andreena Mill to The BLK LT$. What inspired you to make the change? Is there a difference between Andreena Mill and The BLK LT$?
A: Because I started doing music professionally at the age of 11, I’ve always been Andreena Mill you know? As I got older and things changed like labels, management and even just me as a human being, I really wanted to explore what that was.I didn’t want to just be like “Oh I’m still Andreena Mill but I’m doing something completely different.” I think becoming The BLK LT$ was just me tapping more into being an entrepreneur as a black woman, producer, engineer, songwriter, a videographer, a photographer. It was really just about me and my coming of age story and showing the world what I’ve been hiding since I was young.
Throughout your career spanning well over a a decade, you wear many hats (singer, songwriter, engineer, producer) while accumulating three Grammy nominations. How are you able to balance them all while still pursuing your own personal projects?
A: I feel like it was a bit difficult to kind of be an engineer songwriter, and producer for others then try to focus on myself. So, I told myself for 2024 and 2025 I really want to just give that time to me. I’ve taken breaks in my career where I’ve done artist development with other artists from my city and from other places. When I’m in executive mode, I only wear that hat and when I’m in artist mode I only wear that hat. I will take breaks from doing other things because I know my craft is so particular. It’s kind of hard for me to do that when im working on a pop project or a trap project. I kind of had to break it up but I feel like I finally found balance.
You’ve worked it’s artists such as Drake, DMX, Melanie Fiona, Future, and Coi Leray to name a few. Who are some more artists that you work love to work with?
A: Beyoncé! I want to work with the Queen I love her! Chris brown is another person who is on my vision board list of people to work with. Usher is another one. Victoria Monet. I love her I think she’s so dope. I know she can write but I would just love to hear her sing something I’ve written. Tapping into the county world, because I love country, Tanner Adell is one of my favorites. In the Afrobeats world, Ayra Starr, Tyla, the list goes on. There so many people I’d love to work with it’s just extensive for me.
Latest single
You recently released your latest single “Real Talk” in which the hook holds the sample “All I Need To Get By” by Marvin Gaye. Can you tell us more about the single?
A: This single was the first song that I did for the upcoming project “Honey.” I actually started a few years back when I did my first mixtape. I was flipping a lot of hip hop records and this one was always a favorite of mine. It didn’t fit on the project at the time. Fast forward to 2024, it was just really sitting with all this music that I have been accumulating. I had alot of records that were hip hop driven and majority were Wu-Tang driven because I love Wu-Tang Clan. I feel like they have always done sampling so well and reinterpretations of records so well. It was something I felt I wanted to actually try and do. “Real Talk” was the first of a body of work of those type of interpretations.
You are gearing up to release your new project “Honey: The BLK LT$ Meets The Killa Bees” which pulls inspiration from The Wu-Tang Clan. What inspired you to take on referencing and sampling their work and how has the journey been making this project?
A: It’s been crazy— I’ve always been inspired by The Wu-Trang Clan. They were the first group when it came to hip hop that I really gravitated to. Knowing all the words I was getting in trouble sometimes because I was too young listening to Wu-Tang. By not having any brothers, these guys were like my music brothers. I was just going to put it on SoundCloud. I then had it sent to DJ Scratch who played it for RZA. Then he called me and was like. “Listen , we love this we want to distribute this through 36 Chambers.” From there the rest is history. I’ve always manifested having RZA on a project and I never though it would happen this way. My intention was to create a generational bridge between the two. Those who grew up listening to Wu-Tang and those who are too young to know them.
Being that you are signed to RZA’s “36 Chambers” label, how has it been working along side him in development of this project which essentially pays homage to his personal discography?
A: It’s been kind of nerve wrecking and not in a bad way but only because this is somebody’s work. You want to make sure you’re not taking away from it. I am a fan and I would never want anyone to butcher what they’ve done. It’s amazing having him apart of it. He can give you real time advice and just ideas about things so I know I’m heading in the right direction. He genuinely understands what I am trying to do. It’s from a place of love where I can say ok let me go back and try this or oh he loves this. It’s a blessing to have him apart of this because I know that I am on the right path with what my idea was. He sees I am genuinely trying to pay homage to them and what they have done for hip hop.
Following the release of “Real Talk” and your upcoming project, what else can fans expect coming up from you?
A: More visuals. The project for sure. I definitely want to do more collaborations. For somebody like me especially a black female entrepreneur in the music industry, I want to connect especially with young women and show them you can engineer, you can do these types of things. I think it is just more of me being an advocate for people being able to be creative and fulfill their dreams without having to feel like I need a label or I need this or that. I want to be on the front lines when it comes to that kind of stuff.
Stream “Real Talk” by The BLK LT$
