Blu & Exile "Love (the) Ominous World" (Album Stream)

With the release of Love (the) Ominous World, Blu & Exile have returned with an album that brilliantly builds on their soulful, reflective foundation with stunning musicality and sharp songwriting. Their shared history as one of hip-hop’s best duos continues to grow, especially as they venture into new territory while embracing and refining what made them special. Man... Blu & Exile continue to inspire and keep me excited for music. Remember when a new album was an instant-purchase and you waited eagerly for it to drop? A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Lords of the Underground ... I couldn't wait. Blu & Exile give me that same feeling and they did NOT disappoint with their latest offering, Love (the) Ominous World. Definitely give the album a full listen below, as well as catching them on tour in your city. Gotta cop the physical releases too!

Blu & Exile "Miles" (Album Stream)

2020 marks eight years since Blu & Exile's last full length album 'Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them'. Now in an effort to make up for lost time, the dynamic duo are back to drop the double album 'Miles: From An Interlude Called Life' ('Miles' for short). Released through Dirty Science Records, the album includes features from Blu‘s childhood friend and now platinum recording artist Miguel, Exile’s childhood friend Aloe Blacc, Dirty Science alum Fashawn, along with several emerging artists like The Last, Artful Dodger, Choosey, Iman Omari, and more! 'Miles' is "coincidentally" released today, on the same day as their lauded debut 'Below The Heavens'. “We planted the seeds of creativity and grew about 40 plants,” Exile says of the release. “We picked the ones that we thought were the best for an album, but that didn’t mean that the other flowers weren’t beautiful.” Blu & Exile are ready to prove they haven’t missed a beat, as their undeniable chemistry is once again put on display. Blu & Exile are one of my favorite groups of all-time! "Troubled Water" is my favorite cut on the album so far, I've run it back like 6 times ... Listen to "Miles" below...

Blu & Exile "True & Livin" (EP Stream)

After 2017’s 10 year anniversary tour of Below The Heavens and a b-sides/rarities release in In The Beginning many wondered whether or not Blu & Exile would ever reunite for a proper new release or if that year was as much a curtain call as it was a celebration. Putting those questions to rest, Dirty Science Records is proud to announce the True & Livin EP – as Blu & Exile’s undeniable chemistry is yet again put on display. “True and Livin feels like a spiritual call to all that have honor and truth in their being. It sees how present day and beyond is always trying to calculate or monetize what comes from God or what comes from an artist’s spirit, but it also recognizes the truth that is inside of Blu and Exile's music and brags about it, even in a humble way somehow. This might be the first hip hop braggadocio song that invites us all to feel the same about themselves as long as they connect to the spirit and truth that is inside this song and inside us all.” Exile says about the EP’s title track. Positivity and strength remain a theme on this EP, in Spread Sunshine and the stand out posse cut featuring most of the Dirty Science crew in Choosey, Johaz, Cashus King, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn & Blame One on Power To The People. Blu adds, “"Power To The People” is a call to the people, a call for the people to unite. Unification is power, power in numbers.” The title track is incredible, so order the EP over HERE via Fat Beats and listen below...

Blu & Exile "In The Beginning: Before The Heavens" (Album Stream)

10 years after Blu & Exile released their magnum opus "Below the Heavens," the California duo have reunited to release 14 tracks from the original 2007 sessions. "In the Beginning: Before the Heavens" contains rare songs and unreleased gems – the best of the best chosen from over 40 songs in the vault. In The Beginning: Before the Heavens is made of up songs that are raw and untouched, keeping the authenticity of Blu and Exile’s creativity at the time. The album has guest appearances from familiar names like Dr. Oop, Donel Smokes, Aloe Blacc, and Blame One. While “Soul Provider,” “Another Day,” and “Party of Two” appeared on Blu’s Lifted EP, the majority of these songs showcase Blu rapping at his peak, maintaining his underground attitude as he dishes on reaching star status (“Constellations”), getting radio play (“On the Radio”), or opposing views in a problem-ridden world (“You’re Gonna Die Someday”). Exile, meanwhile, builds a golden hip-hop era feel with head-nodding samples and DJ scratches. Available below and on CD and Vinyl via Fat Beats.

Blu & Exile "Below The Heavens" (10th Anniversary)

Happy 10th Anniversary to arguably the best Hip-Hop album to be released in the last decade. I have no trouble saying it's my personal favorite, without hesitation. I drank the kool aid the first time I heard the Advance copy, which was slightly different (not better or worse) than the retail version. With less than 3000 copies in its original CD pressing, the scarcity of the album, coupled with the quality of the music, gave birth to an unofficial word of mouth campaign that gave the album its biggest push. It took a while, but it all added to the self-esteem value fans felt having been in the know, and they gladly spread the good word. I remember employees at Fat Beats pushed to have the album listed on year-end lists when labels and journalists would call the store asking what people were buying, even knowing there weren't many copies in circulation. By the time an official vinyl pressing came around, I was eagerly waiting at the Fat Beats warehouse for the hand-numbered LPs to arrive, lol. "Below The Heavens" should be the benchmark for collaborative efforts and for artists like Blu who wish to be transparent and tell their story through their lyrics. They successfully crafted one of the most relatable records, and I believe it'll find new listeners for generations to follow. Shouts to J.Kim, who was instrumental in its success, and Exile, whom I'd already been following through Emanon and Dirty Science, as well as his early Eksile mix tapes. 

Happy 34th Birthday to Blu!

Happy Born Day (34th) to the homie, Blu! Reppin' the West Coast, Blu is undeniably one of the most talented lyricists of the last decade. With a homerun on his debut album with Exile, 'Below The Heavens,' (2007) I've championed him for every minute of these last 10 years. It is easily MY favorite album to drop in that timespan. I know that sounds like a big statement, but from the first time I hit play on the advance, I haven't had the same excitement and feeling about an album since (excluding albums I personally worked on). Exile's production and Blu's versatility with flows, content and how he packaged 20 years of his life into that debut make it the benchmark for collaborative albums going forward. Sure, there's some stretch marks in his catalog, mostly in terms of audio quality, but I've never questioned his skill, and think another classic is just around the corner. Until then, show love and respect; HBD, Blu! Oh, on IG I posted the tail end of a convo and shout-out from Blu with a little advice on my name, lol. If u see the E drop it... (Hopefully the video works).

A post shared by Sav | Graig (@dj_sav_one) on Apr 7, 2015 at 6:22pm PDT

Blu & Exile "Give Me My Flowers..." (11/4/12)

Blu & Exile's "Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them" was released on this day in 2012. Definitely to be celebrated as another phenomenal album in their catalog, I wanted to share it since I didn't have the site back in '12. Fat Beats at the time shared the following in their press release: "Blu & Exile return to their collaborative origins with the release of Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them, the long-anticipated followup to the duo's landmark debut, Below the Heavens. Featuring Fashawn, Homeboy Sandman, Johaz of Dag Savage, Black Spade of Hawthorne Headhunters, and ADAD, the new album on Dirty Science / Fat Beats is both an evolution from and complement to their first: a cohesive, kicked back collection of hip-hop buoyed by Blu's gymnastic wordplay and Exile's soulful, sample-driven beats. While Blu's penchant for introspection and analysis remains intact, his perspective ebbs from the sun-soaked nostalgia of Below the Heavens to a more playful realm where raps about lost love and forgotten dreams find equal footing with those about Gondry films and delivery cheesecake. Together Blu & Exile have taken the raw materials of rap and crafted charmingly idiosyncratic, album-minded music that transcends coasts and continents alike."

Blu & MED "Bad Neighbor Tour" (Mixtape Stream)

If 25 minutes of choice, tasteful hip-hop is what your morning needs, then Blu and MED are your humble, happy suppliers. The two West Coast MCs combined their dynamic flows and tastes for last year’s Bad Neighbor Tour, and now some of the best material from both artists back catalogs have been seamlessly sewn into a brand new mixtape. Composed by Stones Throw Records affiliate DJ Romes, Bad Neighbor Tour CD, Part 1 is a half hour-long set is a trip through old school soul samples, dusty drums, airtight claps and (of course) both artists top-tier rhyme skills. The set opens with a remix of the duo’s cut “Peroxide” and rolls on through gems like Oh No‘s “Jones’s” and the Mayer Hawthorne/Madlib collab “The Buzz.” - via OKP. Dig into their dope tour exclusive below...

Superblenders "Blu & Exile + Fashawn" Mini-Mix

An excuse to revisit this mix is hardly needed, but when it came up in the shuffle today, I made it a point to make note and post about it. At the time, Blu, Exile and Fashawn were doing a short tour in Europe, so to promote their concerts and to get in the mood, Superblenders made a mixtape with their favorite music by Blu, Blu & Exile, Johnson & Jonson, Fashawn and C.R.A.C Knuckles. Unfortunately the popular streaming services won't do anything to remind us of the many classic artist mixtapes that were released over the years, so it's important to keep that culture alive, too.