The Atlanta artist talks about personal growth, parenthood, and his new album
June 8, 2026 11:15am
Joshua Kissi*
It’s a rainy weeknight in May, but 6LACK seems to be in his element. Before eating his first meal of the day — around 7 p.m. — the rapper and R&B artist, 33, opts for a quick stroll through New York’s Lower East Side. He’s had a long go of it promoting his latest album, Love Is the New Gangsta, and needs to decompress. It’s taken time for this five-time Grammy-nominated artist, who grew up in East Atlanta, to enjoy visiting New York. “Five years ago, I didn’t like it because I was always here for work,” he says. “I figured out that I need space when I come here.”
6LACK — whose stage name derives from his childhood neighborhood, Zone Six — loves simplicity and the finer things. When we meet for dinner at a downtown izakaya, he takes the lead on ordering: cucumber salad, spicy tuna crispy rice, hamachi with serrano peppers, steak, salmon, and oxtail rice. “Wings were always number one for me, but at this point in my life, I think sushi is top, for sure.”
