| Now on vinyl! The now out of print Below The Heavens was heralded as a contemporary classic only a year after its release, and paired upcoming emcee Blu with widely respected producer Exile for a soulful, honest and introspective album. As fans eagerly anticipated some kind of follow up, early on this year we were met with the somewhat misunderstood C.R.A.C Knuckles, a collaboration Blu started with Detroit producer Ta'Raach, an album he'd already started long before his heavily delayed debut became a hit. Johnson&Jonson re-visits Blu's producer specific approach, teaming up this time with Mainframe, who provides a lush new pallet of beats for the emcee to experiment with. I'd say this actually combines my favorite things about Below The Heavens with that of C.R.A.C. Knuckles, the mellow vibes with heavier drums of Heavens and some of the more upbeat playfulness of Knuckles. One thing's for sure...this one is hot right now and will probably be talked about for the remainder of the year as proof of Blu's ever increasing popularity. | |
