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...

Choosey & Exile "Black Beans" (Album Stream)

"Hailing from LA by way of San Diego, Choosey uses Black Beans to make important statements in favor of black and brown unity at a time when his voice is most needed. Autobiographical moments like “I Did” follow in the footsteps of Exile produced masterpieces including Blu’s Below The Heavens and Fashawn’s Boy Meets World, as his soulful beats have always brought honesty and introspection out of the Dirty Science crew. Black Beans captures the feeling of the beautiful struggle while navigating life’s potholes throughout sunny Southern California. Taking the good with the bad, Choosey honors family and his significant other while attacking society’s ills including police brutality and gentrification. Though Black Beans is consistent with Exile’s sound, with this effort, he sampled from a number of sources and an era that best reflects Choosey’s story personally. Combining street smarts and book smarts, the album is sure to impact listeners as he’s a testament to following his dreams while surviving everything from the daily rat race to coming up in territories surrounded by gang activity." Black Beans is a really dope album, sit and digest this one below...

Dag Savage "Furnace" (EP Stream)

"This EP is a kind of juxtaposition between what we want to hear and what we need to hear,” Exile tells HipHopDX. “The song ‘Furnace’ featuring Fashawn and The Last Artful, Dodgr is just a fun weed song to help give us a smoke break from the state of the world. However, the B-side is quite the opposite. 'If You’re Down’ featuring Blu and Cashus King is very much a discussion about the ills of this world but also a call for unity of all races and religious beliefs to stand up for humanity and social justice. Be on the lookout for this and more on the Dag Savage sophomore album due out in late 2019." I'm here for whatever Exile puts out, so I'm sharing even though I haven't peeped it YET!

Exile "Baker's Dozen" (Instrumental Album)

Fat Beats Records presents volume eight in their Baker’s Dozen series, an exclusive series that shines a light on the best minds of instrumental hip-hop, ambient, and electronic music. Each installment gives one artist carte blanche to capture their signature sound. Volume eight highlights LA producer Exile, who breaks down his creative process saying, "Making music from nothing, pre-internet you had to teach yourself or make homies with the local legend to drop gems on their process of making beats. Now you can take classes on how to make beats. It doesn’t matter if you use a Roland MS1 or MPC 2000XL, sampling records or sampling yourself playing the keys… get lost in the music, stay thankful, and remember the feeling of why you do this. That is my process." Every volume’s limited vinyl pressing features one artist and twelve tracks, and comes equipped with a 5x7” postcard insert that features a photo of the artist’s workspace along with the equipment used in their music-making process. Visually cohesive and packaged with the utmost attention to detail, Baker’s Dozen is a series that speaks up for artists whose craft renders voices superfluous, whose instrumentals alone suffice to make a statement. Peep Exile's Baker's Dozen...

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. 

Exile & Sirplus "A Dirty Science Christmas" (Instrumental Mix)

The 18-track effort, "A Dirty Science Christmas," features both new and already-released songs, instrumentals, vocal skits, antics ... and a whole more from Exile and Sirplus. A nice treat for the Holiday Season compliments of Exile's Dirty Science Records, thank you! Exile is one of the most talented and most creative producers, and his roll in the classic Below The Heavens can never be overstated, so we continue to give that man his flowers. In the meantime, stream this for the holidays, and if your family doesn't have at least one Christmas portrait of you as a child looking like the artwork, then I don't even know what to say! My Christmas photo-album is filled with them, lol.

Dag Savage "Salvation" (Mixtape)

Back in 2012, Exile and Johaz aka Dag Savage, dropped their Salvation mixtape. The 12-track mixtape features Fashawn, Blu, Gonjasufi, Blame One, Turtle, Aloe Blacc, ADAD, Brea, Justin Taylor and J. Mitchell. Basically a showcase of artists that you typically hear on Dirty Science releases, this mix is just a nice project to revisit from time to time. Since it's in rotation today, I thought I'd re-share it for you to listen to, as well. If you give it a listen below, let me know what you think... and also dig back in the archives for their debut album and another mixtape I'd shared in 2014. Dig into it below...

Co$$ "Before I Awoke" (Album Stream, 2011)

"Long on the humble rise through the mixtape world, with notable verses gracing the efforts of esteemed affiliates Blu, Exile and Seen along the way, Cali representative Co$$ finally slips into his own prime time slot with stellar debut long player Before I Awoke. Showcasing an equally impressive penchant for free-flowing battle rhymes and thought-provoking message raps, the seasoned wordsmith bristles with character as he transitions from the slicked-out mind trips and on-his-grind lyricism of the early going to more pointed discussions of life's meaning and faith on cuts like "What It Is?" and "No Allah." The accompanying team of multi-stylistic beat smiths, among them Fonetik Simbol, Chief and the aforementioned Exile, deliver a no less inspired sonic component, carrying the groove from the modernized West coast funk and electronic chaos of "Da Meanest" and "10-4," respectively, to the late night jazz of "Pot Ash" and broken heart ode "Love Is." The resulting word-sound combination makes for a solid listen, revealing yet another left-coast MC worth watching for." - Exclaim. Released on this day 5 years ago, and it still sounds great!

Exile "Tears For A Prince" (Instrumentals)

With sad news of Prince’s passing, Dirty Science's Exile put together a 3-song EP called "Tears For A Prince" to pay homage to the great, late musician. Using Prince samples as his foundation, Exile re-works the original work for a limited purple vinyl release. Only 300 made and part of the proceeds will go to the Hearts of LA children’s music program. Exile says, "I woke up April 21st to the news of Prince’s passing. Before I could fully digest the news I receive numerous text from friends about his passing and how I should honor his passing with making music with Prince samples, in honor. I thought to myself I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to ride Prince’s legacy to gain fame. As time passed, drinks were sipped and again I’m asked the question, “How are you going to respond, musically to his passing?” I went home faded, turned on the stereo and started banging Prince. As I’m listening, I’m realizing all the emotion of mine that is stored in his music. I’m realizing how much of his music my mom would play loudly in the house. My mother’s face happy as she would dance in the house. I mean she would be busting! Dancing like she’s in the club! She was good too! I began to cry and think about my own life, my mothers passing and Prince’s passing as a symbol of this wonderful journey. A sign of the times of my own life to witness the death of my mother to know the the death of a prince that represents almost a farewell to a childhood that made the manhood of who I am now. The creativity I fight viciously for, and the inspiration I find along the way that keeps on track with the God energy means everything to me. All the summers that passed with this amazing inspiration, creativity and emotion that is Prince to me. I realized I have no choice but to honor his creative life by honoring my own by taking my good friends advice with these 3 simple beats and this hip hop I’ve been working on my whole life. This is what makes me happy. Inspiration turned to creation. With heart and with love. Rest in Peace Prince." - Exile. R.I.P. Prince.

Exile & Choosey "Ode To The Greatest: J Dilla"

The Los Angeles-reared producer also hosts his own Dirty Science Radio series, and for the latest installment, Exile has decided to pay tribute to one of his greatest influences — J Dilla. DS Radio Vol. 2 sees the production maestro flip samples made famous by Dilla on the MPC — with no loops, as San Diego's emcee Choosey flexes his best bars over the live beats. Listen to it below. - via 2DBZ.

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."

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.

Choosey "Left Field" (Album Stream/Download)

SD born, Los Angeles based artist Choosey makes his Dirty Science debut in this free album titled Left Field. With beats by Exile, Like (of Pac Div), Knxwledge (Stones Throw) and Abjo (Soulection), you're sure to be bangin' this in your whip, laptop or headphones. Left Field features Dirty Science crew mates Blu, Fashawn, Dag Savage and more. Stay tuned for his follow up albums produced Exile, this is just the beginning of whats to come from Choosey. Free download, and stream it below...

Dag Savage "E&J" (Album Stream)

Exile has teamed up with Johaz - another fresh voice from Cali - under the monicker DAG SAVAGE. The album features appearances by the Dirty Science family Blu, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn, Co$$, Choosey and more. After classics in "Below The Heavens" with Blu, and "Boy Meets World" with Fashawn, the stage is set for Exile & Johaz as Dag Savage, stream their DOPE debut album "E&J" below...

Dag Savage "The Warning Tape" (Mixtape)

Dag Savage might sound like it's a death metal band, but stop what you're doing and give a listen to Dirty Science's Exile & Johaz as they release "The Warning Tape," a prelude to their E&J album. The Warning Tape features Blu, Aloe Blacc, Blame One, Denmark Vessey, Co$$, TriState, Choosey & more on this compilation of unreleased cuts. Exile is one of Hip-Hop's most innovative producers & his track record of selecting incredible MCs to pair with includes Aloe Blacc, Blu, & Fashawn, so let's go ahead and give the man the benefit of the doubt; click play and stream"The Warning Tape" below...