Blu is definitely a leader in the new school of Los Angeles emcees. His pre… Read Full Bio ↴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. His delivery flows flawlessly, while his content reflects the joy and pain of working class youth everywhere. Exile is a producer, DJ and occasional emcee previously known for being a member of the duo Emanon, along with Aloe Blacc. His style of production is known for its "laid back soulful vibes" and is influenced by such producers as J Dilla and Madlib.

Blu & Exile's first album as a duo, 2007's "Below the Heavens", took LA hip hop back to the place where Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, and The Pharcyde left off. The album received much critical acclaim, with many considering it one of the best releases of the year.

In 2011, with surprisingly little publicity, the duo released the long-awaited sequel, "Give Me Flowers While I Can Smell Them". Recording sessions took place over the course of 2009, however the duo decided to keep the release on hold due to bad audio quality and officially re-released the album on September 4, 2012 with a new updated track listing. The album features guest contributions from Fashawn, Homeboy Sandman, Johaz of Dag Savage, Black Spade of Hawthorne Headhunters, and ADAD.

In 2020 the duo comeback with a new album called Miles.

the only one.
Blu & Exile Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was a nigga in my younger days
I even went through the phase as an angry ass black man
I played the pan-african for a week
Until I rocked up in Seattle when that racist shit ceased
I met some sisters out in Mozambique, who asked me
What part of africa was my fam tree
It would have to be Réunion
An Island on the coast that was conquered by the French a long time ago

A true foe like I'm Francois
I gotta stand by my blood like BLOOD
Though I am not them
I pretend to be me, every now and then
Even though some days I wasn't proud of kin?
I was childish then, found a style again
Lost my self trying to follow men
Reading books to fill this hollow skin
Couldn't swim till they found me in the shallow end
Used to win back when I didn't know how to win
And now I spend money, trying to get my smile grinning
Grim living foul feeling?
Not to sin, but religion isn't in me anymore
So the lord doesn't care if I'm sore
Sick of thinking what I'm here for
Trying to be content with that, but fuck that
I want my love back, my lust, my trust back
And keep this freedom I don't wanna rap
I'm trying to be alive again
Wanna feel like I can fly again
They say the limit is the sky, but I'm sick of getting high
I don't want to have to die, just to feel like I'm alive
I just wanna be I (I just wanna be)
I wanna see me in your eyes again
Put this love between your thighs wanna give another life
I don't want to have to die, (be)fore I get to feel alive
I just wanna live me life. (To the, to the)
I was a painter in my last lifetime
Now I write rhymes like I fight crime, living life blind
Trying to find peace...
This girl on my mind that can't find me
Watch Amelie
Hoping that I'm going to be the one that she finds
Can't keep living life in rewind
I used to fast on the hog, now I eat swine
And can't stop smoking (blunts)
Although I keep trying
In these times when the peace of mind is not a goal
I be racing to it holding hope. Rejecting change
Because the pain feels realer than the pleasure
Rocking sweaters when the weather's sunny
Funny fellow from the ghetto
I watch so many foreign films, I feel foreign
Every morning cooking four-course meals, like I'm starving
Hardly say grace or say "thanks for another day"
Even though I'm grateful I try to show it in other ways
I used to give bums change, til I changed
Kind of strange cause when I'm richer than I was when I gave
Got a gang of friends that I don't call or hang with
Even though I know they on that same shit... aimless
Shit, I must seem like I don't dream at all
My mom says that I should draw again
But I don't want to pen
I just want to live, have kids, buy a crib like the old days
Whatever happend to...
Wanna feel like I can fly again
They say the limit is the sky, but I'm sick of getting high
I don't want to have to die, just to feel like I'm alive
I just wanna be I (I just wanna be)
I wanna see me in your eyes again
Put this love between your thighs wanna give another life

I don't want to have to die, (be)fore I get to feel alive again
I just wanna live me life

Overall Meaning

The song "The Only One" by Blu & Exile is an introspective and reflective piece on the journey of the artist as a Black man. The beginning of the song touches on the phase of being an "angry ass Black man" and playing the pan-African role until the artist realizes the complexities of their ancestry. The artist mentions meeting sisters from Mozambique who inquire about their African heritage, leading to the artist acknowledging Réunion Island as a part of their family tree.

The track then delves into the artist's personal struggles with identity and belonging. The artist admits to not feeling proud of their kin at times and trying to follow men to fill a hollow sense of self. The song also touches on the theme of wanting love, trust, and freedom, and not wanting to rap just to maintain that freedom. The artist wants to feel alive again and live life on their terms.

Overall, the song speaks to the struggles that members of the Black community face concerning their identity and the obstacles that come with it. The artist opens up about their struggles with finding and maintaining a sense of self, and the desire for inner peace and happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

I was a nigga in my younger days
I used to identify as black when I was younger

I even went through the phase as an angry ass black man
At one point, I experienced the stereotypical stereotype of being an angry black man

I played the pan-african for a week
I pretended to be a Pan-Africanist for a short time

Until I rocked up in Seattle when that racist shit ceased
I went to Seattle and found a more tolerant environment that was free of racism

I met some sisters out in Mozambique, who asked me. What part of africa was my fam tree
While in Mozambique, some women asked me about my African ancestry

It would have to be Réunion
My family's ancestry links back to the island of Réunion

An Island on the coast that was conquered by the French a long time ago
Réunion was originally colonized and conquered by the French

A true foe like I'm Francois
Like Francois, I have my own obstacles to overcome

I gotta stand by my blood like BLOOD
I must remain loyal to my family

Though I am not them
Even though I am not the same as my family members

I pretend to be me, every now and then
Sometimes I put on a façade when dealing with others

Even though some days I wasn't proud of kin?
Sometimes I feel ashamed of my family

I was childish then, found a style again
In the past, I acted immaturely, but I have regained my sense of self

Lost my self trying to follow men
I lost my identity when trying to emulate others

Reading books to fill this hollow skin
I have turned to reading books to fill a void within myself

Couldn't swim till they found me in the shallow end
I lacked the skills to succeed until someone helped me

Used to win back when I didn't know how to win
I used to succeed when I didn't know the rules of the game

And now I spend money, trying to get my smile grinning
I invest money to improve my mood

Grim living foul feeling?
Is it wrong to feel bad amidst a grim living situation?

Not to sin, but religion isn't in me anymore
I don't practice religion anymore

So the lord doesn't care if I'm sore
God is indifferent to my pain

Sick of thinking what I'm here for
I'm tired of pondering my purpose in life

Trying to be content with that, but fuck that
I'm trying to be satisfied with my life, but it's not enough

I want my love back, my lust, my trust back
I want to reintroduce love, desire, and trust back into my life

And keep this freedom I don't wanna rap
I want to maintain my freedom and not be tied to making music

I'm trying to be alive again
I want to feel truly alive again

Wanna feel like I can fly again
I want to experience a sense of freedom and limitlessness

They say the limit is the sky, but I'm sick of getting high
People talk about endless possibilities, but I don't want to be high all the time to experience it

I don't want to have to die, just to feel like I'm alive
I don't want to feel truly alive only through the possibility of death

I just wanna be I (I just wanna be)
I just want to be myself without restrictions or obligations

I wanna see me in your eyes again
I want to feel seen and understood by someone else

Put this love between your thighs wanna give another life
I want to experience love and give life to another person

I was a painter in my last lifetime
In a previous life, I was an artist

Now I write rhymes like I fight crime, living life blind
Nowadays, I write music as a form of self-expression and rebellion, without a clear sense of direction

Trying to find peace...
I am constantly searching for inner peace

This girl on my mind that can't find me
I am thinking about a girl who cannot locate me

Hoping that I'm going to be the one that she finds
I hope to be the person that she discovers and falls in love with

Can't keep living life in rewind
I can no longer dwell on the past and must focus on the present and future

I used to fast on the hog, now I eat swine
I used to live more religiously, but now I am more open to vices

And can't stop smoking (blunts)
I am struggling to quit smoking marijuana

Although I keep trying
Despite my efforts to stop

In these times when the peace of mind is not a goal
It is hard for me to find peace of mind in current times

I be racing to it holding hope. Rejecting change
I am sprinting towards peace of mind, but I am hesitant to change

Because the pain feels realer than the pleasure
Sometimes, the pain seems more significant than the pleasure, which makes it harder to focus on improvement

Rocking sweaters when the weather's sunny
I prefer to wear clothes that don't match the weather conditions, which may be an act of rebellion

Funny fellow from the ghetto
I am an amusing person who grew up in a poor area

I watch so many foreign films, I feel foreign
I watch a lot of foreign movies, which makes me feel different from those around me

Every morning cooking four-course meals, like I'm starving
I cook large meals each morning, as if I have a great hunger to conquer

Hardly say grace or say "thanks for another day"
I rarely say grace or express gratitude

Even though I'm grateful I try to show in other ways
Despite being thankful, I communicate my appreciation in other ways

I used to give bums change, til I changed
I used to give money to beggars, but my attitude changed

Kind of strange cause when I'm richer than I was when I gave
It seems odd that I no longer give money to others, considering that I now have more wealth

Got a gang of friends that I don't call or hang with
I have many friends, but I don't keep in touch with them

Even though I know they on that same shit... aimless
Despite knowing that my friends are also lost, I don't want to continue being aimless

Shit, I must seem like I don't dream at all
My lifestyle makes it appear as though I don't have any aspirations

My mom says that I should draw again
Despite my lack of artistic aspirations, my mother encourages me to draw again

But I don't want to pen
I don't want to limit my creative expression to just writing

I just want to live, have kids, buy a crib like the old days
I want to live a simple life, have a family, and buy a home

Whatever happened to...
I am reflecting on what happened to the simpler times

I don't want to have to die, just to feel like I'm alive
I don't want to risk my life to experience the thrill of living

I just wanna live me life
I want to live my life on my own terms

Contributed by London N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS