“Belgian hip-hop duo blackwave. has crafted a sound so timeless that all they can do is wait for us to catch up." - Ones To Watch

“The pair’s diverse storytelling ventures and their experimental mingling of genres have awarded blackwave. with reputation and rising success" - New Wave Magazine

blackwave. is an Antwerp based hiphop duo consisting of Jean Atohoun and Willem Ardui. First joining forces in 2016 after a chance encounter at a gig in Brussels, Jean & Willem have blended their two worlds together to form a one of a kind creative collaboration. Blackwave. sets themselves apart with an open minded approach to hip hop, blending different influences like soul, junk, jazz and pop.

The band first gained momentum in 2018, earning them numerous national TV appearances, multiple number one hits, an international tour, multiple awards and the release of their most impactful single to date, ‘Elusive.’ This would be the first taste of their 2019 debut album, ‘ARE WE STILL DREAMING?’.

Their sophomore album, ‘no sleep in LA’, released in september 2022, received widespread acclaim in Belgium and debuted at #1 on the national charts.The album contains features with Lute (Dreamville), Abhi The Nomad & Caleborate.

During this time, blackwave. steadily built a fanbase, amassing over 98 million streams on Spotify with approximately 500k monthly listeners.". Single 'a-okay' was included in the FIFA23 official soundtrack and had airplay in the UK (BBC1), France (France Inter) & Germany (Radio Eins). In Belgium the band has consistent airplay on some of the main radio stations (Studio Brussel, Radio 1, ...). blackwave. established a reputation as one of the best live acts in the country (Rock Werchter 2023).

After a successful summer in 2023, where they played renowned festivals like Rock Werchter (BE), Pukkelpop (BE), Pinkpop (NL) and Electric Castle (Romania), blackwave toured 18 shows in Europe. With the tour, including sold out shows in eight cities (a.o. London, Antwerp, Utrecht, ..), the duo sold over 11k tickets. In September 2023, EA Sports FC announced that blackwave. will again be included in their soundtrack. This time with the single ‘cracked screen’. The duo will be finishing up their new album around summer 2025.

25.03.2024