The 20 Best Dean Blunt Songs Ranked

Rarely—if ever—has Dean Blunt explained himself. Since stepping into view as a member of the electronic duo Hype Williams in the late 2000s, the man born as Roy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi has moved with a sense of mystery and purposeful obfuscation. Much like the world of professional wrestling he’s paid tribute to on releases, like The Attitude Era, Blunt has maintained a certain level of kayfabe about his life and work, never revealing too much about himself (and sometimes just straight up lying) online and in the rare interviews he’s done (almost all of which were conducted over a decade ago). But one of the few times he’s explained his work was on his LP BLACK METAL, released 10 years ago this fall.

Despite the name, there is no black metal to be found on the record. For Blunt, the title is an idea and near-political ideology behind how he approached the album. “BLACK METAL basically is like… imagine like an essay and the heading or the thesis or the title is Appropriate Yeezus: Appropriation, Re-appropriation and the Empowerment of the Post-Black Male. And it’s the idea of how in America the Black man uses existing white images and claims them as his as a form of empowerment… so Black Cobain and Black this and Black that which is actually not really that progressive,” he told Rinse FM. “So it’s this American idea of racial progression [which] is completely backward because you’re just appropriating something and kind of calling it your own [and] that’s something that’s already completely died.”

“I think anything like that… anyone like that… that whole movement and I think that whole idea of like this progressive and new black but really you are just taking something that’s been discarded and claimed it back and saying this ‘I’m Black Cobain yeah we reappropriating,’” he continued. “You’re actually just picking something old up, the real progression is something that is undefined and is new and that’s what BLACK METAL is.”

And on BLACK METAL, Blunt slowly treks his way through undefined ground, tackling predominately white genres like indie rock/pop, post-punk and folk during the first half of the album, before becoming increasingly harder to pin down in the second half. But for Blunt, being hard to pin down is his whole thing. However, if there’s any consistency in his solo material, it boils down to the following qualities: a ‘70s singer-songwriter sensibility mixed with ‘80s/‘90s hip-hop radicalism and 21st century production ingenuity. All of this mashed together tells me one thing about Blunt: He just wants to make songs and, whatever it takes to get there, he’ll do it—professional recording environments or sample clearance be damned.

Blunt’s release output can be hard to categorize—along with his solo work under the Dean Blunt name, he’s also been confirmed to have had a hand in projects from Babyfather, Blue Iverson and Bo Khat Eternal Troof Family Band. He’s released music under his World Music label, from artists like 1995 epilepsy, Yakub or The Crying Nudes that may or may not be him or feature his involvement in some way, shape or form beyond just releasing the music. Plus, he’s collaborated with the likes of A$AP Rocky, Vegyn, Panda Bear, Tirzah, evilgiane, Skepta and more, so, to keep this list simple, we’re going to try to stick with songs released under the Dean Blunt name solely. This means no Babyfather or anything off of his collaborative albums with Joanne Robertson or Inga Copeland, where all parties are listed equally. So, without further ado, here are the 20 best Dean Blunt songs.

20. “NBA” (2018)

After a few years of mostly focusing on his Babyfather project, Soul On Fire was Blunt’s first proper solo endeavor since 2015’s Babyfather, serving as a return to his singer-songwriter side but doing it at his most minimal. Most songs are barely a minute long and feature spare instrumentation/sampling, but nothing here feels unfinished. Take “NBA,” the shortest song on the record and one of its best, as Blunt succinctly details his modern Black experience over bare-bones instrumentation. It sounds like a Velvet Underground demo and, at a time when even the small bits of progress in the world are already being stripped back, “NBA” has stayed sadly relevant and deeply affecting.

19. “Rinsed” feat. TYSON (2023)

In a rare interview with the now defunct Russian magazine Afisha, Blunt revealed, off the jump, that he watches Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged performance every day. In fact, the interview was delayed for over an hour because he was too busy watching it, as they couldn’t conduct the interview until he finished his viewing. So hearing “Down in a Hole” be flipped by Blunt into the 2023 song “Rinsed” was long-overdue. The more downtrodden grunge works of artists like Layne Staley have always permeated through Blunt’s music, but never is it more obvious here: His sorrowful delivery played up perfectly with frequent collaborator TYSON’s smoky yet smooth vocals. Shot, chaser and another shot for the hell of it.

18. “Three” (2013)

Released just four months after The Redeemer, Stone Island finds Blunt in the throes of a breakup that inspired the former, though here he’s a bit further away from the impact zone. And while The Redeemer took its inspiration and sample choices from the largely British pop music canon of the pre-new wave 1970s, Stone Island pulls more from the folk rock of this era (along with orchestral music). Over a sample of the Pentangle’s “Light Flight,” Blunt talks a lot of shit to a prospective lover, but there’s a sour tone in his delivery that clearly can’t back it up. It’s a boastfulness seen through certain sects of modern masculinity, a bunch of cover-up for someone whose words sound as big as they feel small.

17. “The Narcissist” ft. Inga Copeland (2012)

While I’d say that The Narcissist II is a deeply underrated album within the Dean Blunt catalog, it’s a record that feels between eras. Thematically, it’s very much in line with the work Blunt would go on to cover for much of his career, but sound-wise it’s still operating in the uniquely hazy territory that he and Inga Copeland mastered throughout their run together as a duo. But ironically enough, it’s with Copeland that Blunt finally finds the master key that unlocks his potential. It just took sounding like the most heartbroken drunk in the world over a sample of Julee Cruise’s “I Float Alone” to do the trick.

16. “9” ft. Panda Bear (2019)

In early 2019, Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) released his somewhat divisive solo album Buoys, which saw him reunite with producer Rusty Santos (who helmed the boards for 2007’s breakthrough Person Pitch). But outside of a few tracks, Santos just wasn’t the guy I would have picked for a record that was meant to “feel familiar to a young person’s ears.” That was proven further when Blunt premiered ZUSHI later in the year on NTS—a project that featured two surprise collaborations with Panda Bear, the best of which is still “9.” Over a lo-fi drum machine and some electric guitar strumming that feels more like Blunt rehearsing versus playing a song, Lennox delivers a truly vulnerable performance that’s some of his best work—solo or as a member of Animal Collective.

15. “MERSH” (2014)

If there’s one word I could use to describe the back section of BLACK METAL, it’s “grimy.” In our current era, where the residents of New York City try to keep making indie sleaze happen, “MERSH” feels certifiably nasty compared to the faux debauchery of an artist like The Dare. The menace Blunt possesses on this song is hinted at on tracks like “50 CENT” and “MOLLY & AQUAFINA” on the first half of the record, but seeing those words delivered by a man seemingly detached from the world—backed up by some supremely nasty and blown out dub—is truly something to behold on “MERSH.”

14. “SKETAMINE” (2021)

While I deeply, deeply love the lo-fi work that makes up much of Blunt’s discography, BLACK METAL 2 makes the case that not only should Kwake Bass co-produce much of Blunt’s work going forward, but that he should maybe produce all music in general—because, holy shit, he makes this album sound so fantastic. “SKETAMINE” is the most obvious example of this production upgrade, with a mix that simply just sounds epic. There’s a cinematic quality to all of Blunt’s best work, and this is his equivalent to working on 70mm film. When “SKETAMINE” is on, time stops working functionally, even more so when listening to the Kwake Dub version of the track.

13. “Six” (2013)

When Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was first performed in 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first-night reaction was described as a “riot.” While this was later disputed to some extent, it’s not a difficult claim to believe when taking in Stravinsky’s work and the context of which it was performed during. There’s a sense of menace at times in Blunt’s work that he can back up his words with actions, and I don’t know if he could have picked a more menacing section to sample on “Six” than “Rondes printanières” with its string and woodwind sections that sound truly pummelling along with shockingly terrifying guitar plucks pulled straight from Smog.

12. “50 CENT” ft. Joanne Robertson (2014)

September 20th, 2015. At this time, I was still a few months out from my first real high school breakup. I don’t exactly remember what compelled me to search “Dean Blunt” on Spotify, but I did, listening to his top songs at the time—the first of which was “50 CENT.” While there’s an immediate quality to Blunt’s music that stands out, as he’s not the type of guy to bullshit you, it’s not exactly designed to click with you right away, as I have tried to force many friends to take the Dean Blunt pill and failed miserably. But the reason why I try and try again is because I heard “50 CENT” and, right away, I clicked with it. From its reverb-soaked guitars, TR-606 drum machine loop and the ever-alluring chemistry of Blunt and frequent collaborator Joanne Robertson as they trade lines back and forth, “50 CENT” is just perfect to me. And yet there’s still 11 songs here I like more.

11. “MUGU” (2021)

While “VIGIL” kicks off BLACK METAL 2 in style, “MUGU” is the true introduction for the album, setting the tone for what we’re about to hear. While sonically BLACK METAL 2 doesn’t pick up where BLACK METAL left off—with the Vangelis-esque outro “GRADE”—spiritually (and lyrically) it maintains its distrust of largely white audiences (“Show them crackers what you all about”), as the album acts as a rug pull for audiences, majority white, that expected Blunt to pick up exactly where he left off. But again, the concept of BLACK METAL is to explore the new and undefined, and what better way to do so by taking the audience for a loop? You can’t be too mad when the songs sound this good.

10. “Demon” ft. Joanne Robertson (2013)

The breakup album is a classic pop music trope. For many artists, breakup albums are what brought them to the ball, and some of the most critically acclaimed albums of all-time are either breakup stories or partially presented as such. Since the beginning of the pop canon, broken relationships have given artists plenty to mine through when writing music, and when you’re listening to The Redeemer early on, you feel like it’ll be another standard, sad boy breakup album. But The Redeemer is not that, and “Demon” reveals that truth completely, as Blunt’s soft baritone can only do so much to hide the toxicity spreading throughout his psyche as depersonalized voices, glass breaking and car alarms going off increasingly become the norm in his life.

9. “Galice” (2012)

Up until The Narcissist II, Dean Blunt’s voice was rarely, if ever, heard on the music his name was attached to. He’d seemingly rather let Drake samples or Auto-Tuned crying babies speak for him before anything else. But when it came time to finally release music under his own stage name for the first time, what was unveiled was subsequently shocking yet not. Essentially, take Scott Walker’s Scott 3 and stick it through a thick cloud of fog and you’ll get “Galice.” While Blunt quickly stepped away from the sound he created with Inga Copeland, there’s a part of me that selfishly wishes we got more of his wannabe crooner era.

8. “Heat” ft. Joanne Robertson (2013)

A song that just barely missed the cut on this list was “Imperial Gold” off of The Redeemer. It’s an absolutely beautiful track, a rare moment of lightness on a mostly dark record that, while at the end of the day is still heartbreaking, has a bit of hope that pokes through—all thanks to Joanne Robertson’s incredible performance. If “Imperial Gold” is a dream of what could have been, “Heat” is the crushing return to reality after the optimism has abandoned ship. You have awoken and are met by what is actually happening, and all you can do is sing solemnly and try to let go of what you had, praying for a better day. And if you’re having a bad go of it, be careful when listening to a song like “Heat.”

7. “The Redeemer” ft. Inga Copeland (2013)

When you talk about the all-time great breakup albums, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is bound to be at the top of most people’s lists. And part of the reason why Rumours is so great is that you get to hear practically every side of the story—the ups and downs of broken hearts and having to work together in spite of that. But, while the drama of the Buckingham/Nicks breakup ends became a galvanizing place of entry into Rumours for many, they weren’t the only inter-band breakup, as fellow singer-songwriter and pianist Christine McVie was also in the midst of a divorce with her ex-husband and Mac bassist John McVie. While “Oh Daddy” wasn’t explicitly written about this divorce, the solemnity of it certainly permeates despite McVie’s claims that it was partially inspired by drummer Mick Fleetwood’s divorce from his own former wife Jenny Boyd, whom he shared two children with.

And so, when making your own post-modern take on the breakup album, it’s only sensible to sample a track from Rumours and bring on your alleged ex-romantic partner (but confirmed ex-bandmate, who you wrote most of the album about—allegedly, of course) into the fold. And yet, even in the throes of this relationship, romantic or otherwise, the chemistry Blunt and Copeland possess(ed) together is as magnetizing as it is devastating, as “The Redeemer” is a bittersweet end to one of the most fascinating musical partnerships of the 2010s.

6. “FELONY” (2013)

Of the many one-off tracks Blunt has released over his career, “FELONY” might be his very best. Made around the time of The Redeemer and Stone Island, “FELONY” is the most sure-footed of the songs of this era, made with a level of confidence Blunt would go on to perfect on both BLACK METAL albums. My God, Blunt knows how to flip a sample and make it his own. Even when pulling from highly recognizable artists (Bongwater in this case), he’s able to twist things in just the right way to make it fit within his own unique voice. It also doesn’t hurt to have a great music video that mostly features Blunt looking wistfully at the ocean in tow.

5. “A_X” ft. TYSON (2018)

Dean Blunt has rarely ever made a cover song. He did a few with Inga Copeland (“2” off of Black Is Beautiful is a cover of “Baby” by Donnie & Joe Emerson, while “The Throning” off of Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite, And Start Gettin’ Reel is a cover of “Sweetest Taboo” by Sade), and I guess “MOLLY & AQUAFINA” interpolates parts of French Montana’s “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’,”, but “A_X” is the closest Blunt gets to covering another artist’s work, re-interpreting parts of Gang of Four’s “Love Like Anthrax,” the closer to their classic Entertainment! LP. “Love Like Anthrax” is a jagged, dissonant post-punk tune that Blunt somehow turns into a late ‘90s R&B/rap crossover that samples Genesis. But whereas Andy Gill and Jon King are describing the terrifying ordeal of having a crush/falling in love, Blunt looks further down the timeline and turns it into a lover’s quarrel—Blunt and TYSON feign pain. Much of Blunt’s work post-Hype Williams finds him looking at the throes of toxic masculinity, and this is one of his best insights into this ordeal.

4. “LUSH” (2014)

Big Star’s name was an omen that never quite came true. Eventually they found their audience, but Alex Chilton and co. clearly wanted a destiny of bigger and bolder successes. But whereas Big Star seemingly sought out fame, Blunt has long shied away from it, or at least has sought stardom on his own terms. As of now, he has no personal social media accounts (that we know of), hasn’t done an interview since 2016, and only has so many photos of himself in circulation—as the only ones he’s officially posted in the last few years are all obscured to some degree, and feature him flipping off the viewer. “LUSH” is a verbal version of those middle fingers. If Big Star’s “For You” is a love song paying tribute to a devoted partner, its sample on “LUSH” pushes the listener away. “Stay out of it,” “They’ll never know it’s me” and “You never saw me” are all lyrics to a breakthrough, but audiences usually want something they can’t have. In that way, “LUSH” is the perfect opening statement for BLACK METAL, and maybe Blunt’s career at-large. The harder you look, the less you find.

3. “Papi” (2013)

Dean Blunt has almost always let the music speak for itself. Traditional album bios or press releases are not really a thing when he drops a project. For the most part, it’s up to you, the listener, to decipher his music however you see fit. But there are a few songs in his catalog that aren’t up for that much interpretation. One of those is “Papi’ off of The Redeemer, which has long been rumored to be an album about his alleged breakup with Copeland. What happens when the only person who you cared about leaves you? As Blunt repeatedly croons, “You bring out the best in me.” The cloud of desperation grows larger and larger, as you’re discovering a man in real-time discover his own voice as an artist and step out of the shadows of not only his former partner, but of the artist he once was. While it wasn’t my initial favorite on The Redeemer, over the years it’s grown to become the Stone Cold Stunner of this album.

2. “100” (2014)

After well over a decade of toiling away in the underground—where his reception was mixed amongst music writers/publications—Blunt’s star rose to new heights in the past year via TikTok virality. Users across the globe latched onto BLACK METAL’s Side A centerpiece “100,” a forlorn heartbreak song about wanting what he can’t have: a romance that’ll never come together. The melancholic way Blunt delivers “I’m dying to meet you / But everybody says I’m wrong” just destroys me still, almost 10 years since I heard it for the first time.

With some sloppy but heart-wrenching guitar work of his own, an acoustic loop courtesy of the Pastels’ “Over My Shoulder,” and his baritone, somewhat-monotonous voice, Blunt creates one of the greatest pop songs of the last decade. If there was a simple way to describe his work, I’d say he’s deceptively compelling. On paper, his whole deal just shouldn’t work. His lyrics, for the most part, are fairly simple; his voice is limited, only so capable of showing a broad range of emotion; he samples the works of others quite liberally, rarely flipping anything to a level beyond a simple loop or some slight pitch changes. And yet, he somehow has found the magic formula to bring all these disparate elements into one, influencing and inspiring a new generation of songwriters and fellow musicians worldwide.

1. “the rot” (2021)

Picking a #1 for this list is one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. If you can’t already tell, Blunt’s work has been deeply important to me for my understanding of not only music, but of life in general—as his work has been there with me during pivotal moments, where I began understanding myself more and more. But you never get to fully do so, and part of the reason why Blunt’s work is full of unknowns is that he only understands himself so much. Despite the song’s name, there’s a peace and serenity to “the rot” that Blunt’s work often (and largely) misses. While it’s far from the last song he’s released, in a way it closes the book on who introduced us to on The Narcissist II. After going through plenty of heartaches and crises, “the rot” finds Blunt walking into the light, truly relaxed for the first time—as Joanne Robertson beautifully plays off his serenity. If this had been the last music we heard from Blunt, I would have been pretty satisfied with such an ending. But he has proven to be a restless creative and, in an era where some of our greatest artists take longer and longer to release their work, you can’t really complain when one of them is as generous and prolific as Dean.