Blake Sandoval is an up and coming hip hop artist; don’t let the long brown hair, high-pitch voice and wiry frame fool you.
The Huntington Beach, Calif. native specializes in turnt-up tunes — party music filled with tons of tropical ambient bounce and groove — and he’s built significant buzz over the past two years, releasing a mixtape, EPs and a series of “4EverFriday” songs, one by one.
His psychedelic, stony-trap rap style can range from melodic (“When I Was Yung”) to chill, beachy rock-rap (“Smoke & Drive”) to a more recognizable West Coast vibe (“Rock With Us”), and the rapper-singer has a voice that pairs extremely well with auto-tune technology, putting his talent on display over gimmicky packaging.
After three months and stops in over 33 cities, his successful “All 4 The Love Tour” concludes Thursday at Hawaiian Brians.
“The tour has been amazing. I can’t believe we’ve sold out so many shows,” he said.
“ALL 4 THE LOVE TOUR”With Yung Pitch and opening acts Keanu, Novakkaine and Punchie Bandana
>> Where: Hawaiian Brian’s
>> When: 7 p.m. Thursday
>> Cost: $20 general admission (all ages); $50 for VIP meet-and-greet and show
>> Info: hawaiianbrians.com
“I’ve really never been on the road that long. It’s been a wild experience but I love it. The fans are amazing. I’m so grateful for them.”
One of the pinnacle moments of both the tour and his career so far was selling out The Observatory, a concert hotspot in Santa Ana, Calif., just inland from his hometown. To rock a stage as the headliner instead of as an opening act was the ultimate homecoming, he said.
“Positivity is everything to me; it’s what I believe in and what got me here, in my opinion,” he said. “Whatever kind of energy you put out into the world is what you are going to get back.”
WHILE HE’S often initially judged by his blond-haired beach boy appearance, it’s something the West Coaster has grown accustomed to. He said catching people by surprise and flipping perceptions has been a key to his focus and inner drive.
“I am definitely an underdog. I love it,” said Sandoval from Las Vegas, where he was about to celebrate his 21st birthday. “People underestimate my worth and my talent; then I get to prove them wrong.”
While he represents the current sound of hip hop music, Sandoval believes he knows why there is a clear inter-generational divide between old-school rappers and young social media-centric artists of today: “I think it comes from a lack of respect and appreciation,” he said. “I feel like the younger cats don’t pay homage or show respect to the OGs, so in return the OGs don’t show any respect or love to the new wave.”
Raised by his grandparents, Sandoval has said he first fell in love with hip hop as a boy, when his mother played the music. He started freestyling and writing lyrics in high school. There are different stories out there abut how he got the nickname Yung Pinch, but he said middle school friends used to tease him because of his noticeably small hands.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, home to The International Surfing Museum, is known for its surfing and beach culture, and Sandoval “definitely” plans on hitting the beach while in Hawaii.
“I absolutely love the warm water,” he said.
After the Honolulu show and a pair of shows in California, Sandoval joins hip hop artist and repeat Honolulu headliner G Eazy’s “The Beautiful and Damned European Tour” in May.
Coming off the biggest tour of his career and ready to embark on a summer rocking shows all over Europe, Sandoval said that life couldn’t be more copacetic.
“I think it’s perfect timing honestly,” he said. “I worked hard to be where I’m at. I learned a lot along the way. I wouldn’t want to change a thing.”