I'm not even gonna front, I slept on Blu's 2007 debut release Below The Heavens (Produced by Exile) for a good year before I heard it. Not having heard this album is a SIN, seriously the rhymes and feel that Blu brings for a debut album are remarkble and reminiscent of NaS on Illmatic. The lyrical content is maybe not original, the struggle of a young man has been chronicled by almost every rapper, but the way Blu presents his life over beats is beautiful, its why i love Hip-Hop. The simplicity and honesty behind his rhymes is something that is SEVERLY lacking from the current rap "game", its refreshing to hear universally relatable music instead of "rapper's" talking about BS. The great thing about this album is that not only is Blu amazing on the mic, but that Exile matches him on the boards sampling great Jazz, Soul, Funk, R&B and acoustic guitar songs. The beats on this album are really nice and laid back, and mix flawlessly with Blu's rhymes and flow. Blu and Exile have chemistry that if they keep working on may some day rival that of Pete Rock and CL Smooth... Exile manages to maintain and establish a distinctive sound too without being monotonous, something rarely acheived nowadays. Below The Heavens is arguably the best release of the past 5 years. Blu is also part of a group called Johnson & Jonson, so check them out too.
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