Back in 2017, Ricardo Valentine Jr., known professionally as 6lack — pronounced “black” — related to GQ magazine how he spent his first five years in the music business struggling to make ends meet. Hitting a financial low at the time, he often didn’t know how he would afford his next meal; when he wasn’t couch surfing, he’d spend the night in a studio.
The tide has since turned for the R&B singer/rap artist, 29, who hails from East Atlanta. Not only does 6lack have a string of hits like “Prblms,” “Pretty Little Fears” and “Calling My Phone” under his belt, as well as a trio of Grammy nominations, but he recently doled out just over $2 million for a Los Angeles outpost in the desirable San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Sherman Oaks.
Originally built way back in the 1940s, the house recently underwent a dramatic renovation and expansion. In its current iteration, the newly contemporary structure features four bedrooms and 3.5 baths in a little over 2,700 square feet of modernized living space rife with natural oak wood floors, custom cabinetry, designer light fixtures, and wood-clad and wallpapered accent walls. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors along the property’s rear also provide the quintessential SoCal indoor/outdoor lifestyle.
Among the highlights are a sleekly designed gourmet kitchen sporting high-end Bertazzoni appliances, Vadara quartz countertops, an eat-in island and a stylish wine display. An adjacent breakfast nook connects to a family room displaying a linear fireplace and sliding glass doors that open to the grounds, and there’s also a secluded office space with a full bath.
Resting under a vaulted ceiling, the master retreat comes complete with a custom walk-in closet, plus a luxe bath equipped with dual vanities and a large glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the artificially turfed and fenced backyard holds a freeform pool and spa flanked by a spacious cabana ideal for al fresco dining and entertaining. Topping it all off: a Control4 smart-home automation system that operates surround sound, audio and video surveillance.