Blu & Exile
Album : Below the Heavens
Released date : August 28, 2007
Label : Sound in Color

It is not a stretch to say this album is on par with some of the best records released by those aforementioned artists. As is the case with all classic hip-hop albums, "Below The Heavens" has it all: cerebral lyrics, imaginative wordplay, humor, relationship talk, storytelling, battle rhymes and brilliant production. This is the album a lot of people hoped Lupe Fiasco would make and although Food & Liquor was decent, "Below the Heavens" is superior is every way.

Blu’s comparisons to Lupe Fiasco are fair since both artists represent hip-hop’s newest generation of talented, intelligent, positive, and thought provoking mc’s that the world doesn’t see enough of anymore. Released with little fanfare and hype, "Below the Heavens" is a sprawling 15 track classic full of hip-hop excellence in the form of that "straight out of the park" sound that is so rare to find nowadays. This is hip-hop the way its supposed to be done. With no MTV/BET nursery school rhymes to be found, Blu & Exile clearly poured their heart and soul into each track and have created the most complete and passionate hip-hop album of the year.

Each track is engaging and honest whether Blu is commenting on: religion & God (and his rejection of??— check Below The Heavens Part I w/ a sweet Nas homage), struggles as an underground mc (The Narrow Path), life’s challenges (Dancing in the Rain), his fiery contempt for commercial rappers and the state of hip-hop (Soul Rising), being a father (Good Life) or his candid brainstorm on how to go about winning a girl’s affection (First Things First). The entire vibe of this album is positive and the subject matter varied. I know its saying a lot but had a hard time comparing this to any recent releases so I had to think back to Nas’s "Illmatic" or Common’s "One Day It’ll All Make Sense," both of which are all-time classics.

"Below..." has a decidedly old-school feel that is owed to its soul samples and Blu’s obvious stylistic influences Pete Rock & CL Smooth & Nas among others. A Los Angeles mc, Blu’s flow could easily be confused with a kid staring out of his very own queens-bridge project window. And although he wears his influences on his sleeve, this is not a bad thing as the sound created here is his own and stays remarkably fresh and relevant due to the talented mc’s evolved flow, wordplay, and lyrics (you WILL wear out the rewind button to catch many of the punchlines).

Exile’s production is equally impressive, effortlessly matching Blu’s flow throughout with varied, earthy, & soulful soundscapes that never sound redundant. Some production highlights include: Dancing In The Rain, Greater Love, Good Life, Soul Rising, & Below The Heavens Part I.

"Below The Heavens" is an excellent album and should not be missed if you love hip-hop, particularly "hip-hip you can feel." It is a consistently focused, creative, and well executed and it also works as hip-hop commentary since its themes are an unabashed rejection of the materialism and violence that has over-saturated rap in recent years. Highly recommended!

1. My World Is...
2. Narrow Path
3. So(ul) Amazin’ (Steel Blazin’)
4. Juicen’ Dranks
5. In Rememberance of Me
6. Blu Colla Workers
7. Dancing in the Rain
8. First Things First
9. No Greater Love
10. Show Me the Good Life - Aloe Blacc, ,
11. Simply Amazin’
12. Cold Hearted
13. World Is (Below the Heavens...)
14. You Are Now in the Clouds With (The Koochie Monstas)

No profanity, or inaproppriate remarks.