Blu

No question about it: Below the Heavens was one of the best albums of 2007.

As far as MCs are concerned, Blu proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that he is one of the very few remarkable talents left standing in this ridiculous circus “Hip-Hop” has de-evolved into.

From what I gathered, a large majority of the readers already know this.

Why then, does no one speak of Below The Heavens beyond the short-lived, silent nods in the comment sections? Not even TSS reviewed the aforementioned album (Gotty™’s Note – Ahem). Was it not noteworthy? I pondered this while I hit play on Johnson & Jonson – Powers & Oils, a Mainframe collab with the man of the hour.

Initially, the production on this album seems less fancy and ultimately, less impressive than was his previous work with Ex.

And then Blu begins spitting.

3 words: Lyrically triumphant gentleman.

I was nothing short of awed by this man’s mastery of the mouthpiece and microphone. Like BTH, no notable featuring artists for support (unless you want to consider the John Lennon sample’ as ‘a featuring’); it’s composed of just straight Blu and a small dose of Mainframe over some soulful tracks.

The twosome create their own space to comfortably dwell in, and dominate from. The humorous and playful video to Bout it, bout it clearly reflects this. Just Blu’s boyish buoyancy and a zen laid back relaxing strumming of strings. Throughout the album it seems the beats and samples are tailored to the lyrics and not the other way around. This is especially visible in standout tracks like “Been such a long time”, “Hold on John”, “Wow” and the very innovative “The Only Way”. Even though it is projected to feel low quality, this submissive production style pans the focus onto Blu’s penmanship and creativity.

There’s a fluidity about the tracks that leads you to think that either Blu has exceptional cadence and versatility galore, that lift up and morph into an otherwise wack track or that the producer is a man of great foresight and skill or the eerie possibility that it may be the combined vision & aptitude of the two cohorts.

Not atypically, each track reflects an aspect of the different hues of Blu. Sincerely and with no filter, Blu bares his soul with no shame, staying true to his west-coast roots and soul influences. With each track, you get introduced to a new Blu at a different time – an old schoolboy at heart, with a very new school poise, and a fresh, innovative depth to his lyrics.

It’s like Lupe Fiasco meets ATCQ, no pun intended.

The feeling evoked by his catalog of work thus far is that Blu doesn’t care if he’s heard; he just wants to make good music and revive the culture he loves. He doesn’t need our reviews or our laurels, our praises or our nods. He just needs true supporters’ ears’ and studio time.

Johnson & Jonson – Powder & Oils