Photo Credit: Pooja Sethi
HONORED ON FIRST BILLBOARD AGENTS OF CHANGE LIST AND FEATURED AS ONE OF CBC QUEBEC’S BLACK CHANGEMAKERS
(Toronto, ON – February 26, 2021) – Montreal artist and Trans Trenderz label founder, Blxck Cxsper, returns with their latest single and video for “Self Medicating.” A very vulnerable track for Cxsper has them opening up about their struggles with suicide, depression, and their recent diagnosis of autism.
Watch the video below…
In their own words, Blxck Cxsper digs into the track, saying:
“My whole life I’ve been feeling extremely lonely. No matter how many friends I thought I had, how many girls were into me or how much visibility I received with my work, I’ve always felt misunderstood. Unable to cry for help because I simply had no idea what type of help I needed.
And that’s been a very recurring theme in my music, to the point where my stage name reflects that: if you think about who Casper is, he’s this ghost who is overly empathetic and desperately wants to connect with people, yet is unable to express it, and is therefore seen as terrifying. All I’ve ever wanted was to connect with people but besides making music, I never knew how.
And then a few weeks ago, after ‘Self Medicating’ was done and set to release, I found out that I am autistic. And now everything makes sense.
‘Self Medicating’ is a song about me, an autistic person who is going through life masking as neurotypical, not knowing that that’s what they’re doing and that that’s why they feel so lonely and so hopeless. And the same way this song helped me find the words to finally learn about myself, I’m hoping it will help others the same way.”
Earlier this year, Cspxer was named one of Billboard’s first Change Agents: Leaders Stepping Up In A Year of Turmoil, highlighting their efforts to boost up-and-coming Black trans artists. “Music has the power to humanize trans people in the eyes of society,” Cxsper told the magazine. “Building a platform to elevate Black trans voices into the mainstream music industry is the way that I’m contributing my skills to help.” Read more HERE. They were also featured in CBC Quebec’s Black Changemaker series, highlighting people from the province’s Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others, and helping to shape our future. More here.
With a voice reminiscent of The Weeknd accompanied by the afro-trap rhythms of MHD, Blxck Cxsper’s music is inspired by all the different countries that witnessed their growth. They mix softness with confidence and give raw sensuality and intimacy to hard-hitting trap beats, a contradiction that manages to feel very natural. On “Self Medicating”, Casper shows a softer side and really shows their versatility! Despite the odds stacked against them, Blxck Cxsper’s music is a force to be reckoned with.
About Trans Trenderz
Trans Trenderz was launched in 2016 when Cxsper curated and produced a mixtape of the same name, featuring 14 Trans artists. The feeling at the release party was unlike anything they had experienced before. “You could feel how excited people were to finally see Trans folks on stage. It didn’t feel like a show, more like a family reunion,” they explain. “There was no hierarchy between the artist and the audience, everybody was contributing to the love in that room in their own way.” Wanting to continue to provide that space for themselves and other like-minded artists, Trans Trenderz officially evolved into a record label, signing Transgender and gender non-conforming acts.
In June of 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement regained traction, Cxsper offered to make beats for other Black Trans artists. Within days, 30 artists reached out to them to collaborate. Around the same time, Myla, a Black Trans woman from Dallas, TX, contacted Cxsper wanting to donate some of her PUA money to help Black Trans people. They decided to use the funds to cover release costs for Black Trans musicians, and a new endeavor, The Ghostly Beats Project, was born. As soon as it was announced, Black Trans artists and allies alike began to get in touch to become involved, and it has continued to grow from there. More than a label, Trans Trenderz is a movement, uplifting Black Trans Voices through creative collaboration and supporting each other as a family.