blvck svm

With this dearth of rap about a deep love of the epicurean life, Ben Glover had no idea if his strategy would work. The emerging Florida-born, South Side Chicago-based rapper with an affinity for fine dining, envisioned something akin to a “tasting menu of an album” for his debut as Blvck Svm (pronounced Black Sam) of what he dubs “Michelin-star rap.” Not only that, but Glover aspired to film music videos of him rapping in the middle of working fine dining kitchens. So he started reaching out to decorated chefs across the country out of the blue. “With both rap and food, there are two big ways to approach things,” Glover says. “One is you do something that’s already been done a thousand times, but you do it really well. The other option is to do something new and inventive or totally out of the box and take a risk.” After blanketing around a hundred DMs to chefs of restaurants he fawned over on Instagram (and who had an open-concept kitchen) with a pre-proposal for the project, Glover was amazed when he began to hear back from some notable executive chefs in the fine dining world. Garrett Hare at Oklahoma City’s Nonesuch, Dano Heinze of Vern’s in Charleston, South Carolina, and David Yoshimura of San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Nisei were among the first to respond. Before long, Glover’s lofty vision was realized; the rapper was traveling across the country to film videos for nearly all 13 tracks of his aptly titled album, michelinman, out Monday, November 11. Learn more about rapper Blvck Svm and his new restaurant concept album and check out the video at the link in the bio 🔗 ✍️ Adrian Spinelli 📸 Blvck Svm

Back in February I was sitting at the Chef’s table at @atelier.chicago half-focused on the food, half-focused on watching the chefs work from just a few feet away. That night when I got home I started toying with the idea of an in-kitchen live performance series. I thought it would be an apt way to showcase each song on michelinman and to highlight the bristling energy of a high-level restaurant kitchen.   A few days later I typed up a proposal and started reaching out to chefs and restaurants via Instagram DMs and email. I sent hundreds of messages and I waited. Eventually I got my first yes from Chef @danoheinze at @verns_chs and scheduled the first shoot of the series (which I titled Bvck of House) for April. Since then my team and I have shot 13 Bvck of House videos at restaurants across the US and Canada. We only have one left to film for the album, but I’m planning on expanding the series far beyond michelinman itself and filming Bvck of House performances for my future releases at new restaurants all throughout 2025. My team @sologroup @bummiefresh @tiinley filmed every shoot, and my friend @joediver.co created these graphics to commemorate each one we’ve completed so far. (ran outta tags, second-to-last slide is @heirloom1907 and last slide is @cellardoorprovisions 🙏🏾)

MD001 // January 24-25, 2025 // @brutodenver [Denver, CO] Last January I collaborated with Brutø for the first installment of the michelinman dinner series. Initially we planned for one night but we ended up adding a second because the first sold out so quickly. They were two of the coolest nights ever, and they were a formative experience for me in at least a few ways. @chefbyrongomez chose 6 songs to transform into courses and Bartender Autumn chose 6 other songs to create drink pairings for Chef Byron’s courses. Up until this point I had a specific vision of how I wanted to execute the dinner. The most prominent aspect of that vision was that I wanted each dinner to be one course per song (13 courses) to allow the guests to experience each song fully. So I wasn’t sure how well my idea would translate into a 6-course dinner, but I didn’t push back. And I’m glad I didn’t. It was the best possible start to the series. This 2-night run made me feel like the concept I created worked in real-time and was worth exploring further. It taught me to trust the chefs I collaborate with in order to make these dinners truly interdisciplinary. But maybe most importantly it made me check my ego. The haute cuisine/fine dining ecosystem is still uncharted territory for me regardless of how much I’ve absorbed over the past couple years, and it was especially foreign to me last January. My rigidity of thought was unearned. 15 months later the dinner series has progressed a lot. But I often think about how fixed my perspective was at first, and how unwarrantedly certain I was that things should be executed a certain way. It reminds me to stay humble. Ever since this collaboration I’ve been telling the chefs I’ve been set to partner with that I desire no creative direction in terms of menu design, menu length, etc. (unless it’s something they actively want from me). It’s been fye to see how each chef has uniquely bent and contoured the album to their imagination. I really want to keep that going. At this point there’s not a creative decision I’d say no to. The art is the art. Photos and footage by @lahunchoball , @bummiefresh , and @tiinley

hello new svm soon shot by @bummiefresh

MICHELINMAN DINNER TOUR Sthlm 1/4-26 @blvcksvm x @personasthlm 💯 An evening exploring the intersection between haute cuisine and the art of rap. A menu created through an interpretation of Chicago-based rapper Blvck Svm’s latest body of work; the album “Michelinman”, released in 2024. supported by @oobrewing creative production @sagaasss / @kaijasalong 2,6,7,8,11 by @lahunchoball 1,3,4,5,9,10 by @photographer_jscarisbrick

PT | O Chef Rui Filipe contou-nos um pouco sobre a experiência do evento com o Blvck Svm e do processo criativo do menu. Acompanhe os próximos eventos do Palatial Reserve já a sua mesa em palatial.pt --- EN | Chef Rui Filipe told us about the event with Blvck Svm and the creative process of the menu. Stay tuned for the upcoming events Book your table now at palatial.pt @isaacferreira.ph

MD009 // January 10, 2026 // @caaa_lucerne [Lucerne, Switzerland] Last January I set my sights on bringing the michelinman dinner series to Europe within 3 years of the first dinner. But once things started rolling I felt like it was time to take a(nother) leap. I ended up making it happen within 1 year of the first dinner. This was my first time in Europe and it was a personal awakening of sorts. The week I spent in Lucerne was the catalyst for some big changes I’ve made in my life over the past few months and every day I’m grateful for that. Thank you so much @officialcatalano @eleklim for having me, thank you to everybody who came, thank you to @lahunchoball for pulling up to document my (our) first eurostep, and thank you to Swiss McDonald’s 🫂🖤

Currently in Stockholm finishing a 3-city michelinman dinner tour in Europe, which will put me at 14 dinners since I started this concept last January. To the untrained eye it might seem like things have been overwhelmingly successful but here’s the full context: I’ve sent pitches to around 2000 different chefs/restaurants (at least 3x more if I account for the times I’ve re-sent updated pitches) and I’ve gotten fewer than 100 responses, about 20 of them being “yes let’s do it.” So my success rate (as defined by completed + scheduled dinners) at the most charitable interpretation is 1% (at the least charitable, somewhere around 0.3%) It’s cool to have gotten this far but I still have a lot of work to do before what I’m doing is undeniable. Full interview with my guy @officialcatalano on YT now, hit me if you need the l!nk

We’re honored to bring the Michelin Man Dinner Party to Atlanta in collaboration with Chicago based artist Blvck Svm. This immersive dining and listening experience has been hosted at Michelin-recognized restaurants around the world — and on June 7th, it arrives at The Alden for a one-night-only event. Our dining room will transform into an intimate listening environment where music guides the menu and each course unfolds alongside the album in real time. Guests will experience a 7-course tasting menu designed to blend food, sound, and storytelling into one unforgettable evening. Seats are extremely limited. 🎟️ Tickets are on sale now via OpenTable & thealdenrestaurant.com You don’t want to miss this.

PT | Mais do que uma atuação. Mais do que um jantar. A experiência imersiva onde música e gastronomia se unem ao som de Blvck Svm chega ao Palatial dia 27 de março. Reserve já a sua mesa em palatial.pt --- EN | More than a performance. More than a dinner. The immersive experience where music and gastronomy come together with the rapper Blvck Svm comes to Palatial on the 27th of march. Book your table now at palatial.pt.

two-time soundtrack All-Star thank you @mlbtheshow @sony