Blue Sky Black Death
Production duo blending live instrumentation and sampling in hip-hop.
Blue Sky Black Death (BSBD) was a production duo consisting of Ryan Maguire (Kingston) and Ian Taggart (Young God, later Televangel), with ties to the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington. They were known for hip-hop and instrumental music blending live instrumentation and sampling, and their name is a skydiving phrase alluding to beauty and death. The duo gained acclaim for their debut album and subsequent releases on labels including Mush Records, Babygrande Records, and Fake Four Inc.
Quick Facts
- Alias
- Blue Sky Black Death: BSBD, Torso / Ryan Maguire: Orphan, Kingston, 88 Ultra · Ian Taggart: Rev. Left, Young God, Televangel
- Origin
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Instrument
- Drum machine, sampler, keyboard, synthesizer, guitar
- Genre
- Alternative hip hop, trip hop
- Occupation
- Producers
- Years Active
- 2003–2017
- Label
- Fake Four Inc, Mush Records, Babygrande Records
- Current Members
- Ryan Maguire a.k.a. “Kingston” / Ian Taggart a.k.a. “Young God”
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Kingston and Young God met and began collaborating in 2003. Young God had previously produced beats under the name Rev. Left, abandoning rapping around 2000. Kingston, as Orphan, started his solo producing career collaborating with rapper Noah23 and the Plague Language collective. Kingston contributed to Noah23's debut album Cytoplasm Pixel in 2000, and the two worked closely until 2004. Kingston also worked on projects for Virtuoso's Omnipotent Records, contributing tracks to Jus Allah's shelved album All Fates Have Changed; some of those beats later appeared on BSBD's Dirtnap mixtape or were bootlegged.
The duo initially collaborated under the name Torso and signed with Mush Records in 2005, settling on the name Blue Sky Black Death during production of their debut album A Heap of Broken Images, released June 23, 2006. The double-disc album featured instrumental tracks and rap collaborations with guests including Rob Sonic, Mike Ladd, Jus Allah, and others, earning acclaim and a spot on URB's 'Next 100.' Around the same time, they completed a collaborative project with Ceschi titled Deadpan Darling, but most final mixes were lost on a crashed hard drive; it was later recovered and released in 2021.
Reader's Guide
Blue Sky Black Death's significance lies in their fusion of live instrumentation with hip-hop sampling, creating a distinctive sound that spanned instrumental albums and vocal collaborations. Their debut A Heap of Broken Images established them as a versatile production duo, leading to a deal with Babygrande Records and collaborations with Wu-Tang affiliates like Holocaust and Hell Razah. Their instrumental album Late Night Cinema (2008) was praised for pushing hip-hop boundaries, while later projects with Nacho Picasso and others showcased their adaptability. The duo's online presence, including podcast blends and a remix of Frank Ocean's 'Pyramids,' kept them active. Their legacy includes a dedicated fanbase and a body of work that influenced independent hip-hop production. The 2021 release of the long-lost Deadpan Darling collaboration highlighted their enduring relevance.
Did You Know?
- Their debut album A Heap of Broken Images was not Mush Records' first double-disc release.
- The collaborative album Deadpan Darling with Ceschi was lost for 16 years due to a crashed hard drive before being recovered and released in 2021.
- In 2008, Babygrande released the instrumentals from The Holocaust on vinyl and CD after an online petition from fans.
More in Trip hop groups 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced