Detroit trap is arguably the hottest thing in rap since the new decade began. Often with upbeat production, skittery Bay-influenced flows, and over the top punchlines, it’s given birth to stars like 42 Dugg, Sada Baby, Babyface Ray, Tee Grizzley, and Babytron. You can hear them on national radio and doing dances on Fortnite. But for all the unique potential for stardom they hold, you might find that all great Detroit trap today can be traced back to one man: the late Blade Icewood.
Before the scene blew up in the late 2010’s, Detroit trap was highly factional. For example, Dougboyz Cashout were relatively big in the early half of the decade, being signed to Jeezy and holding some fans to this day thanks to Payroll Giovanni’s solo success. There was also Team Eastside, where big names like Peezy and Icewear Vezzo got their start. The pattern goes back even further though – back as far as 1998 with Blade Icewood’s group, StreetLordz.
The StreetLordz, comprised of Blade and others such as K-Deezy, Rook, and Cashout Calhoun, made noise in Detroit at a time when the city’s greatest exports were Eminem and Slum Village – neither really filling a niche for fans of more gritty, down to earth raps. Thus, Blade was one of the first to bring much of a gangster sound to the city; 2001’s Platinum Masterpiece album was still very early, predating even T.I.’s Trap Muzik, so fell in line with a souful, but hard hitting sound reminiscent of G-Unit. It even featured a swath of artists like Beanie Sigel, BG and E-40 (furthering the Detroit – Cali connection, but that’s a story for another article).
Blade Icewood’s solo work like Blood, Sweat and Tears and Stackmaster are among the best early trap albums, seeing him evolve as it exploded down South, but keeping a Detroit hustler’s flavor with plenty of soul and shout outs to the city. While he might’ve had a realist’s subject matter, there’s a certain feel-good quality to his music given his soft flow and hood DVD aesthetic.
While there were guys like Obie Trice doing it big, it was Blade or Proof holding it down locally and on either end of the musical spectrum. Despite this, he seems to be one of those hugely important regional artists whose legacy didn’t survive into the streaming era; there’s hardly any info or discussion about him out there, but any Detroit hip-hop head surely has stories and praise.
Just as interesting as hearing Detroit trap grow and change from the beginning sonically, is the story of the StreetLordz beefs and Blade’s unfortunate end. Even before Team Eastside, there was also the Eastside Chedda Boyz crew, who took issue with the StreetLordz’ claiming the name and using it as a song title on Platinum Masterpiece. In 2004, Detroit rapper Wipeout was murdered, and only two days later, Icewood was shot seven times; he survived, but was left paralyzed in a wheelchair. A mere 7 months later, Icewood was attacked again and was sadly killed this time.
While violence ran deep at the time (not to mention everything going on with D12), Blade Icewood left a major legacy on all aspects of Detroit trap. For starters, once you recognize his name, you’ll hardly be able to find a single artist from the city who hasn’t shouted him out. He’s been sampled by Big Sean and Payroll Giovanni, mentioned in countless verses, and even had a song with Royce da 5’9. He kicked off an entirely new sound for the city which has survived for more than two decades – possibly with a boost in fans given his discography finally made it to streaming services in 2023. Now, his son is even rapping under the name Lil Blade.
The StreetLordz had their issues, and a decade later, so did Doughboyz and Team Eastside; but given another few years, those groups have patched it up entirely. It’s a testament to the growth and maturation of a genre – of a city. There’s hardly a regional scene with such a rich history that can be traced back to one man like there is with Blade Icewood and Detroit.