Jamal Blass was an aspiring rapper that mysteriously gained the ability to cause objects to explode. Scientists believed this was a form of violent molecular reconfiguration which caused anything effected by it to undergo volatile ignition, an effect which he could use to emit concussive blasts by agitating the very air around him. He was thrust into the media spotlight after dealing with some muggers and eventually met three other ultrahuman beings. They decided to join together to further their careers and to fight against crime, becoming superheroes and celebrities, calling themselves The Squad. D.J. Blast died in a battle against NM-E; giving his life so his surviving friends had the time to escape by turning himself into a denotative charge. Blowing the nanite entity to pieces and scattered masonry five miles away from the blast zone.