Block Mccloud is a emcee born and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He is the son of famous Salsa singer Ismael, who grew up with and sang alongside Salsa legend Tito Rojas. His father’s legacy instilled a musical spirit in the adolescent who began performing for the public in Red Hook and Columbia Street festivals by the tender age of eight. It was at this age when young Block heard the infectious song “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang and became an avid follower of Hip Hop culture.

Luminaries of the art form, such as LL Cool J, Run DMC and EPMD enticed the natural performer to flex his vocals beyond the singing realm. Block states, “I [became a fiend], staying up all night listening to Red Alert and Chuck Chillout, but it wasn’t until Brooklyn rappers started killing it that I started spitting.” Big Daddy Kane and Rakim were his primary inspiration, “They’re the guys that made me want to rhyme, so I did!”

He attended the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School with Talib Kweli and had his lunchroom beat-boxing provided by Jarobi of “A Tribe Called Quest” fame. Evolving with Hip Hop as it transcended subgenres, including the Zulu beads, political lyrical content, and the bling bling era, Block was motivated by the emphasis placed on overt consumption. He states, “That’s when I felt I had to step it up and stand up for what I feel is an art that’s being polluted by capitalism and bullshit. All this time I’ve been content just playing the back, happy to be a part of something I love.”

Block has done production and collaborations with his groups Wordamouth, Brooklyn Academy, and Skeme Team. Brooklyn Academy’s founder continues, “But the more I saw all this wack ass shit getting played on the radio, and these cats are getting cash, the more I ached to say something about it and bring it back to its purest form.”