Who Is Blotter Curt?

On July 18, 2024, I set out on an adventure to interview one of Chico’s biggest personalities, the one and only Curtis Bell, otherwise known as Blotter Curt. 

The interview was initially meant just to promote Curtis’ new album, “The Blotter Tapes,” which he released last month. But as I look back on the interview, it would truly be a disservice to everyone if all I did was talk about the mixtape. 

So instead, I’ll be telling you the story of Curtis Bell, Chico’s most interesting artist.

For those unfamiliar with Curtis, he is a local artist, filmmaker, song producer, painter, and event organizer. 

To simply put it, Curtis is someone who makes stuff happen. 

Recently graduated from Butte College, Bell is the founder of the college’s film club and was one of the head organizers behind last year’s “Butte Film Festival” and this year’s “Butte College Prom.”

Curtis is also actively organizing this year’s Butte Film Festival and is enrolled in classes at Chico State for the fall semester.

Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Curtis moved to California at a very young age. 

From there, he eventually made his way to Paradise, where he explained, “That’s where I stayed until the Camp Fire.” 

When talking about Paradise, Curtis said that out of everywhere he’s lived, it’s the place he’d consider “home.” When asked what his formative years were like in Paradise, he said, “I didn’t like growing up there. It was really boring, but now that I’m older and have been to more places, I’ve learned to appreciate how beautiful it is.”

While Paradise might be where Curtis calls home, it was during an extended stay in Mexico that he truly became who he is today. 

It is impossible to talk about Curtis without talking about how outgoing and friendly he is, but he wasn’t always like that.

Curtis explained it best when he said, “Before I left for Mexico, I was shy and reserved. Mexico brought out a lot of confidence in me.” 

But even more fascinating than the story of how Mexico changed Curtis is the story of how Curtis got to Mexico.

At 16, Curtis attended a summer filmmaking program at a New York Film Academy. 

There he met Jimena, a young girl from Mexico who was also in the filmmaking program. 

They fell in love, and when the summer ended, Curtis decided he wasn’t going to just let love slip away that easily. 

He convinced his mom to let him do online homeschool for a year, and with that set in place, Curtis made his way down to Mexico to be with Jimena.

In Mexico, Curtis really came out of his shell.

He partied a lot, experimented a lot, and it was there that he started making music. 

“My first mixtape was called ‘Junk’ because it was really bad; it was just me recording into my laptop’s microphone playing beats through a Bluetooth speaker and sort of just winging it.” 

Despite the rough start, this experience ignited a passion for music that would follow him back to California.

Returning to Paradise, Curtis began linking up with some friends of his, Neo and Logan, who made electronic music. 

Together they would have studio sessions, and it was in one of those that Curtis recorded his first official song, “Pull Up.”

However, not everything was smooth sailing. 

Soon after “Pull Up,” Curtis fell into a deep depression. 

He recalls, “I was staying in my room all day. I would just sit around and watch TV; I was super miserable.” 

When talking about how he was able to overcome this obstacle in his life, Curtis explained, “What led to me getting pulled out of depression was a combination of things, but a lot of it did actually have to do with rapping.” 

He also gave credit to Neo, saying, “Neo was always really supportive; he would come and visit me when I wasn’t feeling well.”

Another significant shift in Curtis’ life came as a result of the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise. 

The fire caused a relocation to Chico and also split up his music-making friend group. 

The studio, which once was in Paradise, was now in Biggs, and this made it rather difficult for studio sessions to be held due to the distance from Chico.

To overcome the obstacle, Curtis suggested creating a new studio at his mom’s house in Chico. They called it the Blotter Studio. This marked a period of consistent focus on music for Curtis.

When talking about his musical career, it was brought up that his stage name “Blotter Curt” came as a result of his experiences with LSD.

 The term Blotter comes from blotter paper, which is the paper used for LSD. 

Curt comes from his own name “Curtis.” 

You mix those, and you get “Blotter Curt.”

 For a long time, Curtis even had a clothing brand named Blotter, and to this day, he will occasionally drop new “Blotter merch.”

Blotter Curt’s music is heavily influenced by artists like Kanye West, Juice WRLD, XXXTentacion, and Lil Peep, among other types of mainstream rap.

 Despite these big-name influences, Curtis’s music maintains a playful tone.

 He would often describe his music career as an inside joke among friends, saying, “I don’t think anyone is going to go out of their way to listen to my music. What’s fun to me about making an album isn’t that, it’s the release party.” 

By saying this, Curtis made it clear that his music has a very evident “for fun” nature and that he isn’t too worried about whether anyone likes it or not.

Curtis’ latest musical work is his album “The Blotter Tapes.”

Released on his 23rd birthday, the album is made up of eight songs, having a healthy mix of old unreleased songs and a few new tracks like the “Blotter Chant.”

Like most of Curtis’ music, “The Blotter Tapes” has a very playful vibe, with solid beats and humorous lyrics. Standout songs on the album include “Slam Dunk” and “Part 2.”

 Looking ahead, Curtis has big plans for the future. 

With the 2024 Butte Film Festival happening in December, Blotter is really excited to make it an unforgettable event, with heavy behind-the-scenes work already in motion to make this year’s event even better than the last.

Beyond the film festivals and the outlandish lore, Curtis’ story brings us a very coming-of-age tale of a shy kid from Alaska who has grown to become an influential artist in Chico. 

My conversation with Curtis was supposed to just be about music, but it ended up being much deeper than that. Blotter’s story is about the journey that one sometimes has to go on to find oneself and about the courage that it takes to express that identity unapologetically.

 I still remember sitting behind Curtis in our speech and debate class in the spring of 2023 and hearing him talk about his ideas to start a film club.

 Then I got to watch him go and make it happen, and today, the Butte Film Club is one of the biggest clubs on campus.

Curtis’ life, just like his art, is infused with his personal experiences and growth, and his story, with all its twists and turns, not only captivates those who hear it but also inspires those who listen to it. 

Whether it’s through his music, his films, or his vision, Curtis is someone who makes things happen, and as someone who’s been paying attention, trust me, Chico is better for it.