Reviews Blu & Exile - Below The Heavens

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"And they still spell my name fucked up on they flyers / It's B-L-U..."

THERE ARE A CERTAIN TYPE OF PEOPLE who come from the City of (Lost) Angels as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Before I tell u what kind of person that is, take this little test. When you hear Los Angeles do you think dirty ghetto kids or big white hill top letters? Sunset Blvd or Crenshaw? Bullet wounds or huge tits? Stripper dancing or strip poles? (What's the diff? Exactly) When you see a Dodger hat do you think about baseball or Gang Bangers? Even the Raiders and the Kings are synonymous with NWA. The point is when it comes to Los Angeles it's either-or with anyone who doesn't call California home. 22 year old John Barnes aka Blu is an exception to this stereotypical view of the Land of the Lost. Neither Hollywood, nor Tookie Wiliams he's just an everyday young man with a voice and lyrics to go with it.

His creativity and quest for originality are astounding. His honesty is commendable. His place in Hip Hop is being carved out as we speak. His name is Blu and his album Below The Heavens (Sound in Color) was one of 2007's best. Although this album has been out for sometime the material is very new to a lot of hip hop heads (including me) and that's very disappointing. The problem is not really the promotion, it could have been better but the kid was actually a featured artist on myspace for sometime when the album dropped. The problem is that many hip hop consumers are frustrated with rap and have no interest in discovering new music because most of the time the media "experts" make bad decision after bad decision on what's good music (it's like the BCS for the underground). So when new music is presented to us we turn from it. I myself felt like an ass when searching for the cover art for this CD that a friend of mine hit me in the head with (what's good JayRell) only to realize i had been staring at this kid for some time and had actually prejudged him as a corny R&B artist. How the tables have turned.

Fortunately this does not happen frequently throughout the album. It is so hard to judge creative expression coming from someone who seems to take their craft very seriously, if you don't like something on this album it's either because you don't understand or don't relate to it, take "Juice N Dranks" Ft. Ta'Raach for example. This ain't a bad song but I'm from New York and this track is so Cali. Had the beat been different (more uptempo... I'm a city boy) I might bump it more but I just can't get with it on a regular basis 'cause its sooo laid back. "Simply Amazing" on the other hand is something I can nod my head to. Blu stands out so much on his own that his features good or bad, seem to bring the mood down. Being that Blu is so consistent with his work that you can't help but wait to hear what he'll say next and any interruption is one verse too long. Lyrically, Below The Heavens is a biography of the artistic youth in america. Blu tells easy to relate stories with the voice of a lost big brother. He has officially planted the flag for the 80's babies and could possibly become the orator of this generation if he keeps it up.

Exile is the main producer on this album and his beats aren't breathtaking but they are very good backdrops to Blu's in depth conversation. There is an obvious chemistry between Blu's words and Exile's beats, and it translates well over the course of the album. Rarely do they outshine each other. There can be something said about the length of the album (17 tracks in all including bonus songs) but it's understandable that Blu may have wanted to release as much as possible to the world on his first go round. Exile has beats for days though so this is not a problem for him. He also has a discography that could classify him as a veteran producer. Supplying tracks for artists like Mobb Deep, Ghostface, Slum Village, Jurassic 5 and his own under the radar group Emanon, Exile is not new to this game. There are a few songs ("My World is...", "No Greater Love") where Blu plays off of the vocal samples to help his rhyme and while this is not groundbreaking in hip hop for MC's or producers, he does it at the most unanticipated moments. This can probably be accredited to casual brainstorming between creative artistic partners but, if you listen to "My World is..." in comparison to other songs which have used the same sample (The Dells "I can sing a rainbow...") it's obvious that Exile as a producer is on his job as far as pushing the artist (in this case Blu) in the proper direction to start off.

Sonically, Below The Heavens is an emotional road trip. The appeal to these sounds that carry this album may vary depending on the type of day you're having. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Play, "Dancing In The Rain". Feelin good about yourself? "Blu Colla Workers" is the joint for you. Feelin romantic? "No Greater Love". Reflective? "Narrow Path". Even if you're not paying attention to the words it's easy to get lost in the music alone. Exile's faults (if any) may be his sample selection. There's nothing wrong with soul but there's nothing wrong with crate diversity either. I look forward to hearing more from both of these cats in the future whether together or separate. Overall this was a superior release. illmuzik.

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