Blu & Exile – “Love (the) Ominous World” review

One of the most well regarded Los Angeles, California hip hop duo Blu & Exile are back for the 4th album in their discography. Their 2007 full-length debut Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend is rightfully considered by many to be one of the best hip hop albums to come out within the past 15 years, receiving a nod on “Radio” off Vince Staples’ final Def Jam Recordings album Dark Times a few months ago. They went on to release a follow-up in 2011 with Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them as well as the 2017 rarities compilation In the Beginning: Before the Heavens & the previous LP in the B&E canon Miles: From an Interlude Called Lifeserved as their last to be distributed by Fat Beats Records. 4 years later, Dirty Science Records is now joining forces with Soulspazm Records to help put out Love (the) Ominous World.

“Hello L.A.” perfectly begins sampling soul music talking about life in south central whereas “Undisputed” takes the boom bap route instrumentally going for a hardcore approach from a lyrical angle on top of it. “Smack” featuring Fashawn is this dusty jazz rap collab leaving muhfuckas on the curb mumbling their last words, but then “Homies” featuring Cashus King & Pistol McFly serves as a soulful dedication to their dogs & their squad.

Moving on from there with “Sugaz & Buttaz”, we have Blu & Exile joined by Rae Khalil for a summery ballad about missing the lovin’ from their respective partners in life just before “Gold” returns to the boom bap refusin’ to take a break since he got all his chains on looking to stay fly. “Chucks” featuring Kurupt & KXNG CROOKED ruggedly serves as an ode to their Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers leading into “Suge” aggressively expressing his frustration with some of these dudes acting like bitches.

“Ominous World” featuring RBX finds them keeping it in the basement sonically taking us on a journey through the shadows of the trenches while the song “Precipitation” brings another soul flip to the table talking about rain being good for the health every now & then. The penultimate track “Valley of Kings” strips the drums completely talking about the possibility of having to do it all over again & lastly, Emanon joins Blu & Exile for “Love is Blu” to end the 4th classic B&E album talking about love being here over a jazzy boom bap beat.

Every single project these 2 have done with one another remains special in their own different ways & Love (the) Ominous World achieved this by brilliantly building on their soulful, reflective foundation with stunning musicality & sharp songwriting venturing into new territory while embracing & refining what made them special. It’s easily their most unique work to date since they took a different approach with the direction while still staying true to the culture their music has built with their fanbase.

Score: 4.5/5

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Blu – “Los Angeles” review

I believe this is the 12th proper full-length solo LP from Los Angeles veteran Blu. Becoming notorious in the underground in 2007 when he & Exile dropped their debut album Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend, he’s managed to put out a handful of collab projects & solo efforts of his own. The most notable being: Her Favorite Colo(u)r, the M.E.D.-assisted Bad Neighbor produced by Madlib, the Gods in the Spirit/Titans in the Flesh duology, the Oh No-produced A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night, the Damu the Fudgemunk-produced Ground & Water, The Color Blu(e), the Fatlip-assisted Live from the End of the World & the Real Bad Man-produced Bad News. Afrika & Out of the Blue produced by Nottz & Shafiq Husayn respectively were both disappointing due to the overabundance of guests, so I went into Los Angeles hoping it would be better. Especially since Evidence would be behind the boards for it.

“54th” strips the drums to properly begin shouting out everyone in the section whereas “The Land” works in a boom bap instrumental so he can describe what it’s like where he & Ev are both from. The title track keeps the kicks & snares in tact further explaining what goes down in the City of Angels leading into “3 Wheel Motion” featuring Kokane on the hook coastin’ over a syrupy beat & one I can find myself calming down to after smoking of the finest weed the state has.

“L.A. Tourists” featuring M.E.D. is this piano/boom bap crossover with a psychedelic switchup during the 2nd half talking about taking tourists on a ride through Los Angeles just before “L.A. Traffic” feat. Cashus King & Self Jupiter finds the trio acknowledging the crazy traffic that the city is known for over horns. “The Cold” hooks up woodwinds as Blu sums up where it blows rather than ever raining or snowing, but then grittily “Hell” talks about residents not letting you live.

The gospel sample throughout the boom bap-laced “Heaven” makes perfect sense recalling a letter he got from someone he knew who’s up in the pearly gates now explaining what it’s like while the crooning “Wish You Were Here” featuring Evidence himself passionately talks about standing tall for every hour you’re supposed to. “Lights at Night” featuring Domo Genesis & Navy Blue lavishly unites the trio to describe the city view during the evening while “Wild Wild West” soulfully speaks of his upbringings. “The LA” ends Los Angeles by mixing soul & jazz continuing the introspective lyricism.

In contrast to some of Blu’s latest stuff in the last few years, Los Angeles surpasses The Color Blu(e) as his strongest body of work in this current decade & even one of the best solo albums he’s ever done. Evidence’s production teeters between drumless, boom bap, jazz rap & chipmunk soul serving as the excellent backdrop for the man who Vince Staplesgave props to on the highlight track “Radio” off his latest album Dark Times to conceptually open up more around the part of the west coast they’re all from.

Score: 4.5/5

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Blu – “The Color Blu(e) review

Blu is a 38 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who became notorious in the underground in 2007 when he & Exile dropped their debut album Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend. Since then, he’s managed to put out a handful of collab projects & solo efforts of his own. The most notable being: Her Favorite Colo(u)r, the M.E.D.-assisted Bad Neighbor produced by Madlib, the Oh No-produced A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night & the Damu the Fudgemunk-produced Ground & Water. But with the 1-year anniversary of the 3rd Blu & Exile album Miles: From an Interlude Called Life passing by over the summer, Blu is enlisting Nature Sounds to back up his 7th full-length solo outing right here.

“I Am Blu(e)” starts off the album with some keyboard embellishments going on about how magnificent he is whereas “Everyday Blu(e)s” has a bit of a jazz flare to it saying he shakes off negativity every day. “People Call Me Blu(e)” incorporates an ill ass blues sample reminding everyone who the fuck he is, but then “Because the Sky’s Blu(e)” harmoniously proclaims himself as a reflection of God.

Meanwhile on “You Ain’t Never Been Blu(e)”, we have Blu jumping on top of some pianos to get conscious leading into “I Was Born to Be Blu(e)” flipping the Ella Fitzgerald cut of the same name telling us he was destined for this. “Blu(e)r Than Blu[e]” fuses orchestral & boom bap bragging about himself just before “We’re Darker Than Blu(e)” serves as a heavenly pro-black theme.

The song “Mr. Blu(e) Sky” is an upbeat ode to living in the moment while the penultimate track “Mr. Blu(e)” has some crooning vocals & trumpets sending a message to the youth. “Blu(e) World” ends the album with an angelic sample & paying tribute to the coolest kid in his city named Ricky.

This dude’s been in the game for nearly 15 years at this point & still come together with incredible music like it’s nothing because I think The Color Blu(e) is amongst his best solo efforts. Blu’s jots down some of the most personal lyrics of his entire career & the production is very creative.

Score: 4/5

Blu & Mickey Factz – “The Narrative” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between underground veterans Blu & Mickey Factz. One hails from the City of Angels & the other coming out of the City of Dreams. The pair have worked with one another countless times in the last decade & they were even apart of the 2009 XXL Freshman Class together, but are teaming up for The Narrative produced entirely by Nottz.

“Stay Down” starts things out with a soulful tribute to those who stuck with them up to this day whereas “Freedom” with Kota the Friend talks about what the title means to them on top of some synths & heavenly background vocals. “Roll Up” an eerie boom bap cut up about how rough 2020 was just before Asher Roth tags along for the churchy “Reign” saying they’re taking the through. The penultimate track “1” with Fashawn continues the gospel-influenced production saying they’re one with the moon & stars, but then the Sy Ari da Kid-assisted closer “Dark Souls” is a melancholic piano ballad talking about someone abusing their power.

If you’re a longtime fan of either one of these guys like I am, then you’re gonna love this EP because this was exactly what I expected from it & I mean that in a good way. Both emcees do a great job at bouncing off each other, Nottz’ traditional production is a great addition & almost every feature rips it up on their own right.

Score: 4/5

Blu & Exile – “Miles: From an Interlude Called Life” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from the critically acclaimed California hip hop duo Blu & Exile. Their 2007 full-length debut Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend is rightfully regarded by many to be one of the best hip hop albums to come out within the past 15 years. This was followed up in 2011 with Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them & then the 2017 rarities compilation In the Beginning: Before the Heavens. But as we enter the 2nd half of 2020, they’re returning with the double-disced Miles.

Things starts off with “Blue”, where Blu makes a bunch of witty references to the titular color on top of a heavenly beat from none other than Exile. The next song “When the Gods Meet” tells the story of an African American meeting a caucasian on a Saturday over a hypnotic instrumental while the track “True & Livin'” sends an impassioned message to the people over a soulful beat. The song “Miles Davis” speaks on how his opponents are washed up & his crew is superior over a jazzy boom bap beat while the track “The Feeling” talks about hope over a gorgeous piano instrumental.

The song “Music is My Everything” with Choosey of course is about how hip hop is their #1 passion over a soothing instrumental while the track “Bright as the Stars” with Aceyalone touches down on their earliest memories in the culture over a delicate beat. The song “Blue as I Can Be” of course talks about how unique he is over a forlorn keyboard instrumental while the track “You Ain’t Never Been Blue” is pretty much Blu talking his shit over a minimalist boom bap beat.

The song “Miles Away” talks about touring over an upbeat instrumental while the track “Troubled Water” comes through with some fiery bars over a harmonious soul sample hanging in the background. The song “Roots of Blue” is an amazing 10-minute black power anthem while the track “African Dream” talks about Africa being “the motherland” over a tribal instrumental. The song “Requiem of Blue” reflects on 2 points in his life in ’83 & ’88 over a flute-tinged beat whereas “The American Dream” talks about wanting it all over a luscious boom bap beat.

The song “Dear Lord” talks about a dream he had where everyone was united backed by a gorgeous horn section while the track “To the Fall, But Not Forgotten” pays tribute to a bunch of famous celebrities who’re no long with us & I really dig the Saloon-style piano chords on here. The song “All the Blues” tells the life story of Miles Davis over a jazz-flavored beat while the penultimate track “Spread Sunshine” talks about positivity over a joyous instrumental. The album then finishes with “The End”, which is a decent Dirty Science posse cut.

Double albums are usually hit or miss with me personally because many of them are just bombarded with filler cuts, but the duo manage it to pull it off very well. For this to be their first release of original material in almost a decade, it’s almost like they never left. Blu reminds us of his place as a West Coast underground titan & Exile’s extravagant production fitting his conscious lyricism like a glove.

Score: 4/5

Blu – “Ground & Water” review

Blu is a underground titan from Los Angeles, California that rose to prominence with the seminal 20017 album Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend. The man would go on to release a slew of projects with different producers since from a duology EP series with Nottz to his latest album with Oh No & now he’s adding onto that as Redefinition Records founder Damu the Fudgemunk is producing his 5th EP right here.

The opener “Both of Them” starts off with some old fashioned turntablism, but then Blu comes in to reclaim his prowess out comes in during the last minute or so. The next song “Feet on the Ground” is a party cut with a funky boom bap beat while the track “Beast Mode” is an average posse cut with an orchestral boom bap beat.

The song “Share the Love” with Raw Poetic finds the 2 talking about the industry over a somber boom bap beat & after the jazzy “Get on Down” interlude, the title track pays tribute to his hometown over a sample of Leon Haywood’s “I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You”. The song “Rhymes & Gemstones” gets insightful over an Indian sample & then the EP finishes with “Grey Heaven”, where Blu gets spiritual over some a beat with some shaking bells.

This was a pleasant surprise to me. Blu continues to show how much of a sharp lyricist he is & Damu maintains to be one of the best producers that the underground has seen all decade.

Score: 4/5

Blu & Exile – “In the Beginning: Before the Heavens” review

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To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of their classic debut Below the Heavens: In Hell Happy with Your New Imaginary Friend, Blu & Exile are returning with their 3rd full-length album & it happens to be a prequel to that debut. The opener “Soul Provider” gets braggadocious & Exile’s production enhances the happiness of Blu finally making it. The next track “Another Day” vividly talks about a day in the hood over a lush boom bap instrumental while the song “Constellations” gratefully speaks on success & the hook on there is just as beautiful. The track “All These Ladies” talks about gold diggers over a funky yet smooth instrumental & the song “Party for 2” gets romantic over a jazzy instrumental.

The track “Back to Basics” tells the listener what he’s gonna do for the culture & gets vividly reflective over a laid-back instrumental. The track “On the Radio” vents about wack shit getting mad radio play over a hard boom bap instrumental & his hook is super catchy. The song “You’re Gonna Die Someday” gets vents about the current state of over a soulful instrumental that actually has an amazing J Dilla vibe to it. The track “Life’s a Gamble has some decent verses from Blu & the 3 artists that’re featured & I love how the beat starts off with some spacey synths & a fitting Marvin Gaye sample during the first half, but the switches up during of the second half was unnecessary to me. The song “Things we Say” with Emanon sees Blu & Aloe Blacc both rapping about the stuff they say hypothetically coming to life over a soulful piano boom beat.

The track “Hot for Y’all” has a joyous instrumental & for some reason unlike “Life’s a Gamble”, I think Blu & Donell Smokes compliment each other very well on here. The song “Hard Workers” with Blame 1 gets insightful (especially the latter) over a funky boom bap instrumental & the scratch hook hits the nail on the head. The penultimate track “Sold the Soul” has a nice smooth boom bap beat, but I was Blu was actually rapping over it rather than just talking & then later singing on it. The album closes out with “Stress Off the Chest”, where Blu’s talking about keeping his head up despite the bullshit around him over a nice Latin sample.

This definitely feels like a Below the Heavens b-sides compilation with some of the tracks already being previously released, but it’s a well put together thank you to the fans for supporting them for the past decade

Score: 4/5