Blaq Tuxedo, the musical duo consisting of brothers Darius and Dominique Logan, is more than a stage name; it’s a way of life.
“It’s an expression of everything we do musically [and] visually,” Dominique tells Rated R&B over Zoom. “It’s like when it’s the highest level of an event or when you’re stepping out, you put on a black tuxedo. It’s top-tier everything.”
For over a decade, the Sacramento natives have balanced working behind the scenes as songwriters and producers for some leading names in music, including Chris Brown, Ciara, Doja Cat, and Ty Dolla $ign, while being artists themselves.
Blaq Tuxedo dropped a few projects ahead of their self-titled album, which was released in 2019.
While they haven’t released a new project in the 2020s yet (more on that later), they have been raking in success from their writing and production work. One of their breakout moments was producing Doja Cat’s 2021 sleeper hit “Streets” from her 2019 album, Hot Pink.
“We came to the studio to hear her stuff, and I gave her a bunch of beats that I felt were a fit because she was doing a lot of rap stuff early on,” Dominique recalls. “I don’t know if she just hadn’t played us those records or if they changed the whole direction, but all the pop stuff felt like it came later from what we heard.”
He continues, “So when we heard these records, I was like, ‘There’s no way the record is even going on the album. It was an R&B record. It’s just no way.’ And then they were like, ‘No, this is one of her favorite joints. This is definitely going on the album.’”
The sultry tune, which inspired the viral silhouette challenge on TikTok and beyond, reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2021. Since then, the song has become certified 5x platinum by the RIAA (five million equivalent units sold) and has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Blaq Tuxedo is seeing more success with Chris Brown’s growing hit “Residuals” from his 11:11 (Deluxe) album. They co-produced the lovelorn ballad with Eric Hudson and co-wrote it with Brown, Dewaine Whitmore, Floyd “A1” Bentley, Jeremiah Green, and Lorenzo Gaines.
“Residuals” has been heating up the charts. The fan-driven single is a top 10 hit at urban radio. Additionally, it became Brown’s 57th top 10 hit on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart dated Oct. 12, extending his lead as the R&B artist with the most top 10s on that list.
It’s not Blaq Tuxedo’s first time working with Brown. They previously contributed to 2015’s Royalty (“Anyway,” “Little Bit,” “Who’s Gonna”), 2022’s Breezy (“Hate Me Tomorrow,” “In The City,” “Iffy”), and 2024’s 11:11 (Deluxe) (“Go Girlfriend”).
Before the above placements, when Blaq Tuxedo operated under the name D&D, they enlisted Brown for their “What’s Gucci (Remix)” in 2013. He’s also featured on their 2019 self-titled album on the closing track, “Waterbed.”
“We’ve been knowing Chris for a long time,” says Darius. “His old choreographer, Flii Stylz, introduced us when we were like 17 or 18. So we’ve been making music and have known each other since then,” Dominique adds.
In our interview with Blaq Tuxedo, the duo talks Chris Brown’s “Residuals” and “Go Girlfriend,” plus shares details about their upcoming new single and project.
How did “Residuals” come about?
DARIUS: “Residuals” was supposed to be on the Breezy album. That was the first song that kicked off the album. He records a lot of songs, so it kind of got buried. We ended up doing “Iffy.” We created that song the same week and he rode with that, which was a blessing. Fast forward, [“Residuals”] comes back around…
DOMINIQUE: It came back around. We were playing it at a party and he called the next morning like, “Yo, I’m putting this on the album.” He wanted to put it on [Breezy], but it didn’t fit the mood of that music, so the timing was right.
What inspired “Residuals” sonically and lyrically?
DOMINIQUE: Prince kind of inspired that song. The chords, when it starts, it was like, “Man, it’s Prince stuff.” Then once we put the bridge on there and the Prince-sounding drums on there, it was like, “Oh yeah!”
DARIUS: And then the topline, I feel like tequila inspired that (laughs). We co-wrote it with Dewaine Whitmore and co-produced it with Eric Hudson. It was originally us and Dewaine as far as the topline and sharing ideas, sharing experiences, [having] a couple of shots of tequila, and it starts to flow. I’m happy that the fans rock with it. It’s a single now.
Team Breezy definitely took it and ran with it. Why do you think “Residuals” has been so well-received by fans?
DOMINIQUE: I feel like it’s the closest thing to the F.A.M.E. era — the record choice, the feeling of the music. He connects with his story in real life. We’ve all grown up with him, watching the story. It’s so many questions about: who is it? A lot of people feel the same way, too, [about what he’s singing about].
DARIUS: He was very vulnerable. It was real. It’s just so relatable.
You guys also worked on “Go Girlfriend,” which is also on the 11:11 (Deluxe). What’s the story behind that song?
DARIUS: We did that a while ago. I think [Dom] had sent it to Chris. He heard it and was super inspired and kind of took it from there with a voice note.
DOMINIQUE: It was originally [titled] “No Cuffing.” We are from [Sacramento], so North Cali, just that whole vibe of the music and everything: No cuffing, no cuffing. And he was like, “Bro, we need to change the hook to “go girlfriend” and make it a song for the ladies. This is exactly what I need to kick off the project. I got that uptempo where I can move and perform.”
You mentioned “Residuals” was made around the time you created “Iffy.” When did “Go Girlfriend” come about?
DOMINIQUE: [“No Cuffing”] was definitely newer, but once [Chris] got a hold of it, it became “Go Girlfriend.” So, it was a couple of months time before, but the finished version of it was right before the 11:11 (Deluxe) came out.
On top of writing and producing for others, you also have music on your own. It’s been five years since you last released a project. Can we anticipate one in the near future?
DARIUS: The project is done. It’s called Trouble. It’s a love rollercoaster of the modern times.
DOMINIQUE: We just wanted to build something. I think it was a true artist moment in finding who we were outside of the placements and the records that we did with other artists. I didn’t want to do records that sound like anybody we work with.
DARIUS: I feel like this project is going to separate us a lot for sure. We found a new lane for sure. We’re getting ready to drop the first single.
What’s the first single and what can we expect?
DARIUS: It’s called “Leeway.” The song is basically saying like, “Let me get some leeway. All the other guys you deal with, I’m not like those guys. You can’t put their problems on me. Give me a fair chance.” Sonically, it has a Michael Jackson feel to it, but the topline is very youthful.
What do you want people to take away from this project?
DOMINIQUE: What I want people to take away from the music is the growth. You never have to stay the same. You can express yourself however you want to. A lot of people get caught up in trying to be like something else. It takes time and growth to figure that out, which is why I was on the growth part because you don’t get there without these little influences and mistakes.
DARIUS: I’m excited for the new music. It’s going to be dope. It’s going to be a lot of visuals. I feel like with our previous projects, we didn’t drop a lot of visuals. This go around, it’s going to be a lot of visuals where they get a chance to see us, how we are and how everybody knows how we are in LA. A lot of people know us, but the world doesn’t know us, but they will now.
Follow Blaq Tuxedo on Instagram @BlaqTuxedo. Get familiar with more of their work below.
