Approaching 2021, B-Lovee dedicated himself. “My hunger for rap was different last year. Now, it’s really there.” He closed the year with a self-released EP, Cortlandt Baby. Across six unique tracks, B flexed his range. The melodic “Hero” chronicled an unlikely path to success, while “Only One” showed a rapper with a standout flow. “People will see what you’re doing and try to do it too,” says the artist who is intent on being original and outmaneuvering the copycats. This summer, B-Lovee further separated himself from the pack with “IYKYK.” Grabbing melodic elements from Wayne Wonder’s 2003 hit “No Letting Go,” B rapped about his command of the block. In September, the seven-figure streaming song was broadcast on HOT 97 and hit Apple Music playlists, including The New New York, New In Hip Hop, and The Plug. As the track thrives on TikTok and Shazam, “IYKYK” was praised by Pitchfork and Lyrical Lemonade.

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