Danielle Balbuena[3] (born June 13, 1997),[4] known professionally as 070 Shake (pronounced "oh seven oh shake"),[5] is an American rapper and singer. She is best known for her guest appearance on English singer Raye's 2022 single "Escapism", which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards.
Previously, she signed with rapper Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings, in 2016. Her debut extended play (EP), Glitter (2018), foresaw her receiving further attention in June of that year for her guest appearances on West's songs "Ghost Town" and "Violent Crimes"—from his eighth album, Ye—both of which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. During that same month, Balbuena also guest performed on labelmate Pusha T's album Daytona and New York rapper Nas' album Nasir. Her debut studio album, Modus Vivendi (2020), and its follow-up, You Can't Kill Me (2022), were both positively received by music critics despite failing to chart.[6]
Aside from her solo career, Balbuena is also a member of the New Jersey–based musical collective 070, from which she adapted her stage name. The group has released one mixtape, The 070 Project: Chapter 1 (2016).[citation needed]
Shake began her music career in late 2015, recording the songs "Proud" and "Swervin".[7] Shake's stage name is derived from her affiliation with the 070 music collective with 070 coming from New Jersey's 070 ZIP Codes. By 2018, the 070 crew was noted to have 11 members, including artists and producers.[7]
By 2016, Shake was earning hundreds of thousands of streams on SoundCloud.[8] Soon after posting several songs on SoundCloud, Shake attracted the attention of Miami-based promoter and social media personality YesJulz.[1] After hearing "Proud" specifically, YesJulz reached out to Shake on Twitter, quickly signing on to be her manager.[1] Shake broke through with "Trust Nobody", released early in that year.[3] In August, Shake collaborated with fellow 070 members Ralphy River, Hack, and Treee Safari on the single "Honey".[9][10] The song featured production from frequent collaborators, The Kompetition,[10] a three-person production group.[7] "Honey" simultaneously premiered on Complex and 1 AM Radio on Dash.[9]Vibe commented that the track "[sounded] tailor–made to rock on dance floors everywhere."[10]
Also in 2016, Shake signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music label.[7] GOOD Music found out about Shake through Julz, as she played some of Shake's music at a Yeezy fitting, interesting the label's president, Pusha T.[1] After signing Shake, the label picked up her "Trust Nobody" track and re-released it in September.[3] Shake spent October and November opening up for English rock band The 1975 during the American leg of their 2016 tour.[3] On December 8, 070 released their first mixtape, The 070 Project: Chapter 1.[1][11]
Since 2017: Glitter, Modus Vivendi and You Can't Kill Me
Shake modeled for Gypsy Sport's Fall 2017 runway show.[12] She also went on her first headlining tour in April.[13] In a 2017 interview with Paper, Shake mentioned her Yellow Girl EP would release later that year.[14] However, the project was moved back to release after Glitter, another collaboration with The Kompetition.[7]
Her solo debut, the 6-track EP Glitter, was released on March 23, 2018,[15] although it was originally slated for a January 26 release and to include 12 tracks.[7] At the time of Glitter's release, media outlets noted that her lyrical content concentrated on her self-esteem issues, drug use, and sexuality.[16][15] Shake described Glitter as "about being in a dark place and finding yourself and figuring it out. It's about being in the lowest of lows type of shit."[7] Shortly prior to Glitter's release, Shake performed at the SXSW music festival.[17]
Michael Saponara praised the two tracks as "standout cuts" on the album,[20] and ranked "Ghost Town" specifically as the album's best song.[21]HotNewHipHop praised Shake's performance on "Ghost Town" as the highlight of the song and called the track the climax of the album.[22] Shake told Pigeons & Planes that "Ghost Town" was nearly left off Ye, as the track was finished on the same day of the album's release.[23] "Ghost Town" also featured vocals from Kid Cudi, another inspiration of Shake's; she shared with Pigeons & Planes, "All my life I grew up listening to Kanye West and Kid Cudi. I've cried to their music. They've definitely changed my life, and saved me from a lot of stuff."[23] Shake's recording experience with West in Wyoming for his album Ye impacted her thoughts about Yellow Girl; she stated, "I don't know if it's going to be called Yellow Girl. I know the songs are definitely changing. The experience I had in Wyoming makes me want to make music on a different level."[23] In 2019, she featured on DJ Khaled's album Father of Asahd alongside Buju Banton, Sizzla, and Mavado on the song "Holy Mountain".
Shake released her debut album, Modus Vivendi, on January 17, 2020.[24] Her second studio album, You Can't Kill Me[25][26] was released in June 2022. Its first single, "Lose My Cool" featuring NLE Choppa, was released on December 3, 2021.[27][28]
Prominently referenced in her music, Shake uses she/her pronouns when describing lovers.[33] A 2017 Vogue essay on rising queer stars in rap music mentioned Shake's sexuality and included an Instagram image of her with her then-girlfriend.[12] In a 2018 Pitchfork article, Shake said she doesn't like to put labels on her sexuality. "I don't really identify myself as queer or gay or anything. I just like girls."[34] She was in a relationship with singer Kehlani from 2021 to 2022.[35]
Since January 2023, she has been in a relationship with actress-model Lily-Rose Depp.[36]
^ abKuperinsky, Amy. "070 Shake, breakout star from Kanye West album, comes home to N.J. for victory lap"Archived December 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 20, 2018, updated January 30, 2019. Accessed January 15, 2020. "Shake attended North Bergen High School not long before she was signed to Kanye West's record label, G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music, in 2016. In 2015, she was still a shooting guard on the Bruins girls basketball team."