# BlocBoy JB
**BlocBoy JB** (born [James Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-baker), 1996) is an American rapper from [Memphis, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/memphis-tennessee) who broke out in 2017 with the viral single "Shoot" and its accompanying dance, then reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2018 with "Look Alive," a collaboration with Drake produced by his longtime partner [Tay Keith](https://www.edgepedia.org/tay-keith).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blocboy-jb-mn0003716073)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | James Baker, 1996, Memphis, Tennessee[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blocboy-jb-mn0003716073) |
| Breakout single | "Shoot," from the mixtape *Who Am I 3*, posted to YouTube on July 25, 2017; the official video has over 37 million views[2](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shoot-dance) • [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1o4dGFDrhc) |
| Signature dance | The "Shoot": hopping on one foot, kicking with the other, and pumping the fist, created by BlocBoy in front of a mirror at home[2](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shoot-dance) • [4](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/) |
| Biggest hit | "Look Alive" featuring Drake, released February 9, 2018; debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at No. 5[5](https://www.xxlmag.com/blocboy-jb-2018-xxl-freshman-interview/) • [6](https://www.thefader.com/2018/04/17/blocboy-jb-prod-by-bloc-music-video) |
| Streaming milestone | "Look Alive" has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify[7](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TEJudQY2pXxVHPE3gD2EU) |
| Studio albums and mixtapes | *FatBoy* (2020), *Bacc 2 Da Bloc* (2022), *The Purple M&M 2* (2025), *T.B.C* (2025), *Free Agent* (2026)[8](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/blocboy-jb/1255257222) |
## Early life and beginnings
BlocBoy JB grew up in a large, single-parent household in Memphis and would sneak his brother's equipment away to record his own music. A self-taught producer and dancer, he released his first song, "Goons Coming," as a teenager, and began releasing material on [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) in 2012.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blocboy-jb-mn0003716073) • [9](https://explore.band/en/artist/blocboy-jb)
His production partner is the Memphis producer Tay Keith, whom he met at age 14; the two began writing music together as teenagers.[10](https://los40.com/2026/06/19/muere-tay-keith-a-los-29-anos-productor-de-beyonce-drake-o-travis-scott/) In a 2018 interview, BlocBoy described teaching himself audio engineering by watching YouTube tutorials, and recalled that his collaborator's early success with [Blac Youngsta](https://www.edgepedia.org/blac-youngsta) motivated him to match that pace.[11](https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/12/blocboy-jb-shoot-look-alive-drake-interview)
## "Shoot" and the Shoot dance
On July 25, 2017, BlocBoy JB posted the video for "Shoot," produced by Tay Keith and featured on his *Who Am I 3* mixtape; AllMusic reports the track was recorded in the rapper's closet.[2](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shoot-dance) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blocboy-jb-mn0003716073) The video, filmed at Denver Park in the Frayser neighborhood of Memphis, shows BlocBoy and his friends on neighborhood basketball courts taking turns showing off moves.[12](https://hypebeast.com/2018/2/blocboy-jb-profile-editorial) • [4](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/)
The dance itself appears briefly toward the end of the clip: the performer hops on one leg, kicks with the other, and punches the air with a fist. BlocBoy devised the motion while playing around in front of a mirror at home, and told Pitchfork, "I did it once in the video and it just took off."[4](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/) As 2017 closed, people around the country were filming themselves recreating the move and tagging clips as the #ShootChallenge, and the video accumulated more than 16 million views in under a year.[4](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/) • [2](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shoot-dance) The move spread from local audiences to football teams celebrating in locker rooms, and athletes incorporated it into end-zone celebrations; Ciara performed it during her [American Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-music-awards) performance in November 2018.[11](https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/12/blocboy-jb-shoot-look-alive-drake-interview) • [4](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/)
## "Look Alive" and 2018 breakthrough
Drake, who had been following the viral momentum, reached out to collaborate; BlocBoy has shown the direct message containing Drake's phone number that started the exchange.[11](https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/12/blocboy-jb-shoot-look-alive-drake-interview) The result, "Look Alive," was released on February 9, 2018 on [OVO Sound](https://www.edgepedia.org/ovo-sound)/Warner Bros. and produced by Tay Keith.[13](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/blocboy-jb-look-alive-ft-drake/) It debuted at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on the Billboard Hot 100, making BlocBoy the first artist in a year to enter the top 10 with a first chart entry, and later peaked at No. 5.[5](https://www.xxlmag.com/blocboy-jb-2018-xxl-freshman-interview/) • [14](https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/20/blocboy-jb-drake-look-alive-debut-billboard) • [6](https://www.thefader.com/2018/04/17/blocboy-jb-prod-by-bloc-music-video) In the United Kingdom the single peaked at No. 17 on the Official Singles Chart and spent 18 weeks on the chart.[15](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/blocboy-jb-ft-drake-look-alive/) The official video has drawn over 400 million views on YouTube.[16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV-3s2wwC8c)
He followed with "Rover 2.0" featuring 21 Savage and the mixtape *Simi* (May 2018), named for a close friend who had been murdered two years earlier; Pitchfork called it a breakthrough that was "honest, clear, and incredibly fun."[5](https://www.xxlmag.com/blocboy-jb-2018-xxl-freshman-interview/) • [17](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/blocboy-jb-simi/) He was named to the 2018 XXL Freshman class, and in April 2018 released "Prod By Bloc," his first song produced by himself rather than Tay Keith.[5](https://www.xxlmag.com/blocboy-jb-2018-xxl-freshman-interview/) • [6](https://www.thefader.com/2018/04/17/blocboy-jb-prod-by-bloc-music-video)
## The Fortnite dispute
In May 2018, the video game *Fortnite* introduced a purchasable animation called the "Hype" Emote, which Pitchfork described as very clearly the "Shoot." BlocBoy objected to the uncredited use: "I don't care for money, I just want my credit." The game had similarly drawn on the Milly Rock (the "Swipe It" Emote, originated by the Brooklyn rapper 2 Milly) and other dances by young creators of color, while *Fortnite* was valued at over $15 billion with substantial revenue from in-game purchases.[4](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/) Pitchfork's review of *Don't Think That* later noted that the dance had been performed by [Usain Bolt](https://www.edgepedia.org/usain-bolt) at his soccer debut and appeared at the 2018 World Cup, while its originator risked being left behind by his own creation.[18](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/blocboy-jb-dont-think-that/)
## Later career
BlocBoy JB released his major-label studio debut *FatBoy* in October 2020, featuring appearances by [Trippie Redd](https://www.edgepedia.org/trippie-redd), G Herbo, and [Yo Gotti](https://www.edgepedia.org/yo-gotti), followed by the Tay Keith-executive-produced mixtape *Bacc 2 Da Bloc* in January 2022 with [EST Gee](https://www.edgepedia.org/est-gee), Pooh Shiesty, Co Cash, and SpotemGottem.[19](https://codamusic.me/artists/blocboy-jb/) Later releases include *The Purple M&M 2* (February 2025), the reflective 15-track *T.B.C* (November 2025), and *Free Agent* (August 2026).[8](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/blocboy-jb/1255257222) • [20](https://music.apple.com/us/album/t-b-c/1850494155) On Spotify he counts over 2.2 million monthly listeners, with "Look Alive" far ahead of his next most-streamed songs, "Rover 2.0" and the Yo Gotti and Moneybagg Yo collaboration "Camelot (Remix)."[7](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TEJudQY2pXxVHPE3gD2EU)
## References
1. [BlocBoy JB Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blocboy-jb-mn0003716073)
2. [Shoot Dance, Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shoot-dance)
3. [BlocBoy JB – Shoot (Official Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1o4dGFDrhc)
4. [Corporate Swag-Jacking: How Can "Fortnite" Profit Off BlocBoy JB's "Shoot" Dance?, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/corporate-swag-jacking-how-can-fortnite-profit-off-blocboy-jbs-shoot-dance/)
5. [BlocBoy JB's Surprise Rise to Fame – 2018 XXL Freshman Interview, XXL](https://www.xxlmag.com/blocboy-jb-2018-xxl-freshman-interview/)
6. [BlocBoy JB is his own producer on new song "Prod By Bloc", The FADER](https://www.thefader.com/2018/04/17/blocboy-jb-prod-by-bloc-music-video)
7. [BlocBoy JB on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TEJudQY2pXxVHPE3gD2EU)
8. [BlocBoy JB, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/blocboy-jb/1255257222)
9. [BlocBoy JB discography, explore.band](https://explore.band/en/artist/blocboy-jb)
10. [Muere Tay Keith a los 29 años, LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/06/19/muere-tay-keith-a-los-29-anos-productor-de-beyonce-drake-o-travis-scott/)
11. [BlocBoy JB is now in the running to become America's next top rapper, The FADER](https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/12/blocboy-jb-shoot-look-alive-drake-interview)
12. [BlocBoy JB: Here's Everything You Need to Know, Hypebeast](https://hypebeast.com/2018/2/blocboy-jb-profile-editorial)
13. ["Look Alive" [ft. Drake] Track Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/blocboy-jb-look-alive-ft-drake/)
14. [BlocBoy JB and Drake's "Look Alive" debuts in Billboard top 10, The FADER](https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/20/blocboy-jb-drake-look-alive-debut-billboard)
15. [LOOK ALIVE – BLOCBOY JB FT DRAKE, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/blocboy-jb-ft-drake-look-alive/)
16. [BlocBoy JB & Drake "Look Alive" (Official Music Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV-3s2wwC8c)
17. [BlocBoy JB: Simi Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/blocboy-jb-simi/)
18. [BlocBoy JB: Don't Think That Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/blocboy-jb-dont-think-that/)
19. [BlocBoy JB – Biography, Discography & Albums, Coda Music](https://codamusic.me/artists/blocboy-jb/)
20. [T.B.C – Album by BlocBoy JB, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/t-b-c/1850494155)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › Southern US rap (Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans, Florida) › Memphis and Tennessee rap*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license