1. An American rapper and produce… Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 artists with the name Blu:
1. An American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California.
2. An ambient drum and bass musician located in the United Kingdom.
(1) Johnson Barnes (born April 15, 1983 in Inglewood, California), better known by the stage name Blu, is an American rapper and producer. In 2007 he released his debut album, "Below the Heavens", which was produced entirely by Exile, one half of Emanon. Since then he has collaborated with Mainframe under the name Johnson&Jonson, and with Ta'Raach under the name C.R.A.C. Knuckles. He has also released several solo albums, most notably "HerFavoriteColo(u)r" (2009), "j e s u s" (2011) and "No York!" (2011). Furthermore, in 2009 he produced the Sene & Blu album "ADayLate&ADollarShort" and in 2011 he released a second album with Exile, "Give Me Flowers While I Can Smell Them".
Blu is definitely a leader in the new school of Los Angeles emcees. His presence is undeniable, while his music captivates audiences regardless of race, class, and gender. He has been credited with taking LA hip hop back to the place where Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, and The Pharcyde left off.
With his cool-headed SoCal demeanor and everyman charisma, Blu was championed at the onset of his recording career when he collaborated with Emanon DJ/producer Exile for the highly acclaimed LP Below the Heavens (2007). Born Johnson Barnes in Inglewood, California, Blu, whose stepfather was a pastor, was very influenced by gospel and Christian rap when he was developing his MC skills in middle and high school. His musical turning point came when he first heard the Common classic "I Used to Love H.E.R." (1994), as well as the Chicago MC's third album, One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997). From then onward, Blu abandoned his schoolyard freestyle frame of mind and dedicated his abilities to crafting well-written songs. As he started doing live performances, he paid his dues working as a hype man for several underground rap and soul artists, including Slum Village, Steve Spacek, Platinum Pied Pipers, and, of course, Emanon. His relationship with Exile and newfound mindset in making music pointed him toward signing with L.A. independent Sound in Color in 2004, which for the young MC meant brushing off interest from Interscope and Death Row.
Subsequently, he cut a few records for Exile's Sound in Color album, Dirty Science (2006), recorded features for other L.A. artists, and self-pressed his Lifted EP in 2006. When Below the Heavens first hit shelves in August 2007, Blu and Exile were virtual unknowns in underground hip-hop, but Blu's deft songwriting and Exile's soul-drenched, Jay Dee-influenced production quickly amassed them a national audience. Below the Heavens ended up on many critics' year-end lists and, particularly, launched Blu into the public hip-hop eye. Remaining independent, Blu later turned to Sound in Color labelmate and L.A.-via-Detroit MC/producer Ta'Raach (formerly known as Lacks) for the collaborative project C.R.A.C. Knuckles. Over the next five years, Blu released a total of seven albums and mixtapes, including 2011's Open and Blu & Exile's Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them in 2012. The previously unreleased albums Her Favorite Colo(U)r and NoYork! also finally saw proper release in 2013. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi
The underground Los Angeles-based duo of MC Blu (b. Johnson Barnes) and DJ/producer Exile (b. Aleksander Manfredi) earned widespread acclaim right out of the gate with their debut album, Below the Heavens (2007), which critics crowned as the seemingly perfect marriage of Blu's everyday-struggle raps and Exile's Pete Rock- and J Dilla-inspired production. Blu, struggling to make ends meet at the time, first crossed paths with Exile in the early to mid-2000s, while the rapper earned gigs as a hype man for various soul/hip-hop outfits like Slum Village, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Exile's own duo, Emanon. In fact, Blu knew the other half of Emanon, MC/singer Aloe Blacc, who then introduced the two to each other. Deciding to sign to L.A. independent label Sound in Color, Exile's label home, in 2004, Blu began cutting a few records with the DJ/producer and assisted him with his solo LP, Dirty Science (2006). Blu was still trying to break into the industry, but Exile was enjoying production credits for the likes of Jurassic 5, Kardinal Offishall, and Mobb Deep. The release of the soul-entrenched collaborative effort, Below the Heavens in August 2007, put them both in the limelight and had fans of the alternative rap scene buzzing; however, it specifically garnered Blu many "Artist to Watch" features in various magazine and online publications throughout the year and into 2008. During subsequent years, they worked apart more than together; nevertheless, 2012 brought another co-billed LP, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi
Roots of Blue
Blu Lyrics
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After beating an ape claiming the land
Taking the stand and feeding my fam
Back when man ate they children
I'm killing other animals just to nurture them
I journey further from mine my people into another culture
Not knowin' my brothers 'bout to come and take over
We made it all the way to Asia and to Australia
Came home and they started makin' homes outta stone
Showin' tribes around 'em how much they've grown
Yo I'm Norma at the end of the of start of civilization
I'm shuttin' it down I'm settin' out to build a nation
I'm the son of Rah the son of Cah, father of Africa
King Kahfre, and King Khufu blood of the Zulu
Osiris Isis Horus Anbuis the Royal family
Akhenaten Tutankhamun and all the Ramesses
Amam and Hotep, mental Hotep, to Moses
Osmosis 'cause Moses etymology and Moses
I'm the kings of Egypt kings of Nubia Mesopotamia
Mediterranean Babylon Saudi Arabia
I'm Muhammad comin' outta the Middle East after the Romans
Reclaiming their gold homin' their throne 'cause they own it
I'm on the first boats to reach America
We all African we sold you to America we not coming back
Ayo I'm Adam the original man banned from the garden
I'm Noah pardon the flood after the revolution started
I'm, I'm Abraham Ozzy and Jacob in the motherland
I'm Moses posin' against the king freein' his people
I'm Babylon tryna reach God by buildin' a steeple
I'm the strongest man Samson
I'm the first king Samuel
The prestigious king Saul
Son of King David I'm Solomon
I'm preachin' to the choir like Elijah
Isaiah Jeremiah and not a king higher than King Hezekiah
I'm on fire like Chiraq
I'm Jonah and the whale
Daniel in the lion's den
I'm Job with just a little hope
I'm John The Baptist the messiah's comin'
God's son, Jesus Christ of Nazerath
Thank Matthew Mark Luke and John for the narrative
And Paul for all the passages
Apostolic, episcopal before Constantine
Constant persecution first century
Eventually revolution
Islam sixth century and on and on
Slavery where are you takin' me too huh America
Yo I'm Kunta Kinte 'fore he was enslaved by America
Picture the freedom before the terror
Who had to carry the black burners to Nat Turner
During a slave revolt we came before Columbus dumped us
Off the slavery boat, the underground railroad Harriet Tubman
Yeah we probably would still be slaves if it wasn't for Fredrick Douglas
I'm up in his government before all them like Booker Washington
With all his boys like, W.E.B. Dubois and Marcus Garvey
Takin' us to Africa like Chancellor Williams Chandler Owens
Master Muhammad the honorable Elijah Muhammed Louis Armstrong
Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall
Richard Wright Rosa Parks and Gordon Parks
Joe Lewis Jackie Robinson and John Henrik Clarke
Alex Haley James Baldwin
Malcom X Martin Luther King Jr Clarence 13X
Maya Angelou Ray Charles, Minister Farrakhan
John Cochran Stokely Carmichael, Emmett Till Eldridge Cleaver Bobby Seale
Huey Newton Muhammad Ali and even Gil Scott-Heron
Al Sharpton Fred Hampton Oprah Winfrey
Barack Obama Assata Shakur 2Pac Shakur Biggie
And everyone else creating black history
That lives with me everyday until I'm gone
Yo, I'm Duke Ellington Charlie Parker Dizzy Gillespie
Miles Davis John Coltrane Eric Dolphy
Sun-Ra orchestra, Charles Mingus, Ahmad Jamal
Milt Jack, Westmont, Herbie Han cannonball
Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters Screaming Jay, Howie Wolf
Chuck Berry Jimi Hendrix B.B King Sam Cooke
Billie Holiday Ella Fitz Nina Simone
Aretha Franklin Etta James Diana Ross
Chaka Khan Tina Turner and Roberta Flack
Al Green Marvin Gaye James Brown Michael Jack
Prince Sly Stone Curtis May
Roy Ayers Temptations 5th Dimension
OJ's Ohio Players
Earth Wind and Fire Funkadelic
Parliament Stevie Wonder Ray Charles
Otis Redding and all the shit from the nineties
Eighties seventies and sixties
The fifties forties thirties and all the twenties
All the armies the Black Panther party the nation
N double A C P organizations
All the black NBA NFL and MLB players
And we can't forget Shaka Zulu
We see you brother Mandela
The song "Blue" by Blu & Exile is a historical narrative of the human journey from the stone age to the present day, including significant events and personalities that shaped human history. The first verse describes the dawn of humanity, where the first man claimed the land against the apes, and how the humans evolved by killing other animals to nurture themselves. The verse also describes the human diaspora into other cultures that led to the takeover of land by brothers.
The second verse tells the story of major events and personalities in biblical history, from Adam to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The verse also highlights figures like King David, Solomon, and influential writers like Mark, Luke and John, and their impact on Christianity. Then it describes the Islamic Revolution and how it shaped Arab history.
The third and last verse portrays black history, including slavery, the underground railroad, and significant figures that highlight African American history like Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglas, Langston Hughes, Malcolm X. It also illustrates significant music personalities and genres, from jazz pioneers like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, to soul and funk stars like James Brown, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Parliament Funkadelic. The mention of organizations like the Black Panther Party and NBA, NFL, and MLB players put the focus on the enduring struggle of black Americans against racism.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Aleksander Manfredi, John Barnes III
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alias Here
Top five Blu tracks, easy.
Exile, just score a film already. Good lawd!
The amount of effort, time, study, etc., to string this lyrical survey of the history of (_____) merits its praise. ππ½
This a different type of dedication. ππ½
"...and if you see the E, drop em'."
Alias Here
Top five Blu tracks, easy.
Exile, just score a film already. Good lawd!
The amount of effort, time, study, etc., to string this lyrical survey of the history of (_____) merits its praise. ππ½
This a different type of dedication. ππ½
"...and if you see the E, drop em'."
Ribling Krisztian
Album of the year...for real! They just did it again.
Class of '97
Alfredo is aoty
Joe Dorben
@M.T AXSENT As in Nickelus F's Trick Dice from like 5 years ago? Is it that good? Ive heard about it here and there but the only Nickelus F project Ive listened to was Stuck and it was kinda underwhelming ngl
M.T AXSENT
TrickDice holds album of da yr till yall aknowledge it for the masterpiece hit is.
Sina Soheili
For sure. RTJ 4 is up there too!!!
Yeehee
@Joe Dorben Yeah it depends on the mood too. I play a lot of Kota because I personally relate to his lifestyle, etc. Same with alot of Larry June. But if I want some top tier lyricism im playing Mick Jenkins, Denzel Curry, Malz Monday, CalenRaps. I highly recommend "Rebellion" by Malz Monday. I think he's the most talented rapper no ones really heard of yet.
elcochiloquito0426
In the era of the slept on emcee, where everyone is a WorldStar rapper... Blu is top 5.
Been a fan since Below the Heavens, 13 short years ago.
Criminally underappreciated.
Amantle Gabaatlholwe
Yeah simply a rop five emcee. Been a fan for that long too...
Nancy Hooper
Same with Exile. Criminally under appreciated.