Blu & Exile

Last updated
Blu & Exile
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States [1]
Genres Hip hop
Years active2007–present
LabelsSound in Color, Fat Beats, Dirty Science
Members Blu
Exile

Blu & Exile are an American hip hop duo, formed in 2007, composed of rapper Blu and hip hop producer Exile. [1]

Contents

History

Blu and Exile first met in the mid-2000s while Blu was serving as a hype man for various hip hop groups including Slum Village, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Exile's own group, Emanon. [1] He was personally introduced to Exile through Emanon's other member, Aloe Blacc. [1] In 2007, Blu & Exile released their debut album, Below the Heavens , which was described by XXL as "one of 2007's most celebrated hip-hop releases". [2] In 2012, the duo released their second album, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them . [3] In 2017, the duo released In the Beginning: Before the Heavens, deleted tracks from Below the Heavens. [4] Their next release, the True & Livin' EP was released May 24, 2019. [5] On July 17, 2020, Blu & Exile released their third album, Miles: From An Interlude Called Life (or Miles for short), coinciding with the 13th anniversary of Below the Heavens.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Compilation albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakim</span> American rapper (born 1968)

William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim, is an American rapper. He is one half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: Paid in Full (1987), Follow the Leader (1988), Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990), and Don't Sweat the Technique (1992). He also released four solo albums: The 18th Letter (1997), The Master (1999), The Seventh Seal (2009), and G.O.D.'s Network: Reb7rth (2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alchemist (musician)</span> American hip-hop producer & DJ

Alan Daniel Maman, known professionally as The Alchemist, is an American record producer and DJ. Critically acclaimed for his sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and underground rap. His frequent collaborators include Eminem, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Boldy James, and Earl Sweatshirt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prodigy (rapper)</span> American rapper (1974–2017)

Albert Johnson, better known by his stage name Prodigy, was an American rapper and record producer.

Bronze Nazareth is an American record producer and rapper associated with the Wu-Tang Clan. He has a solo career as an emcee and is also a part of the hip-hop group Wisemen along with his brother Kevlaar 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aloe Blacc</span> American singer (born 1979)

Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, known professionally as Aloe Blacc, is an American singer and rapper. He is best known for his guest performance on Avicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up", which peaked on the charts in 22 countries, including in Australia and the UK. As a lead artist, he is known for his singles "I Need a Dollar" and "The Man", the latter of which topped the UK Singles Chart. Aside from his solo career, Aloe Blacc is also a member of the hip hop duo Emanon, alongside American record producer Exile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exile (producer)</span> American rapper

Aleksander Thomas Manfredi, better known by his stage name Exile, is an American record producer, disc jockey and occasional rapper. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the musical groups Emanon alongside Aloe Blacc, as well as Blu & Exile.

Tanya Morgan is an American hip hop group, which consists of MC William Donald "Donwill" Freeman and MC/producer Devon "Von Pea" Callender. Donwill is from Cincinnati, Ohio, while Von Pea is from Brooklyn, New York. Their fourth studio album, YGWY$4, was released on July 28, 2017.

<i>Below the Heavens</i> 2007 studio album by Blu & Exile

Below the Heavens is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Blu & Exile. It was released by Sound in Color on July 17, 2007. It serves as Blu's debut album, while Exile had previously released his solo album Dirty Science and two albums as a member of the duo Emanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blu (rapper)</span> American rapper (born 1983)

Johnson Barnes III, better known by his stage name Blu, is an American rapper and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He performs as one half of the duo Blu & Exile, which was formed in 2007 and whom released their debut studio album, Below the Heavens in July of that year. He is also the forefront member of the California-based collective, Dirty Science. He is recognized for his collaborative albums with record producers Mainframe, Ta'Raach, Bombay, Damu the Fudgemunk, Madlib, Nottz, and Union Analogtronics.

U-N-I are a hip hop duo from Inglewood, Los Angeles, consisting of Y-O and Thurzday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Termanology</span> American rapper

Daniel Domingo Carrillo, better known by his stage name Termanology, is an American rapper and record producer. He first gained major attention with the 2006 single "Watch How It Go Down". A solo album, Politics as Usual, was released in 2008. He has made a number of collaborative albums, such as 1982 and is known also for his prolific mixtape output. He is of Puerto Rican and French descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashawn</span> American rapper

Santiago Leyva, known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American hip hop recording artist from Fresno, California. He first gained major attention after releasing his debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, which was produced entirely by Exile. The album received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. Since then, Fashawn has collaborated with other artists and producers such as Nas, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Evidence, Murs, Aloe Blacc, Blu, Big Mike, Brother Ali, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder. In 2014, Fashawn performed the entrance theme to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley's rematch against Manny Pacquiao.

<i>Boy Meets World</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Fashawn

Boy Meets World is the debut solo album by American rapper Fashawn, with all songs produced by Exile. It was released by the independent record label One Records on October 20, 2009.

<i>Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them</i> 2012 studio album by Blu & Exile

Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Blu & Exile. Originally recorded in 2009 and leaked online in 2011, it was released by Dirty Science and Fat Beats on September 4, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Chainz</span> American rapper (born 1977)

Tauheed K. Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside hometown rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo signed with fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label and became best known for their 2007 debut single "Duffle Bag Boy".

<i>The Nacirema Dream</i> 2013 studio album by Papoose

The Nacirema Dream is the debut studio album by American rapper Papoose. The album was first announced to be released under Jive Records in 2006, but after many delays and label issues, it was released on March 26, 2013, through Honorable Records and Fontana Records. The album features guest appearances from Mobb Deep, Erykah Badu, Jim Jones, Jadakiss, Remy Ma, Mavado, DJ Premier and Ron Browz among others. The album was supported by the three singles "On Top of My Game" featuring Mavado, "What's My Name" featuring Remy Ma, and "Get At Me" featuring Ron Browz. Upon release the album received generally positive reviews and debuted at number 97 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike & Keys</span> Production duo

Mike & Keys are an American hip hop production and songwriting duo from Los Angeles, California that consists of Money Mike and J-Keys.

<i>Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...</i> 1995 studio album by Raekwon

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, released on August 1, 1995, by Loud Records and RCA Records. The album was loosely composed to play like a film with Raekwon as the "star", fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah as the "guest-star", and producer RZA as the "director". It features appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The album also features debut appearances from affiliates Cappadonna and Blue Raspberry, and an acclaimed guest appearance from rapper Nas, which marked the first collaboration with a non-affiliated artist on a Wu-Tang related album.

<i>True to Self</i> 2017 studio album by Bryson Tiller

True to Self is the second studio album by American singer Bryson Tiller. It was released on May 26, 2017, by RCA Records. Recording sessions took place from 2016 to 2017, while the production was handled by several producers from Teddy Walton, J-Louis, Mahxie, NES, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, Illmind, Hollywood Hot Sauce, Keyz, Soundz, T-Minus and Wondagurl, among others.

<i>Miles: From an Interlude Called Life</i> 2020 studio album by Blu & Exile

Miles: From an Interlude Called Life is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Blu & Exile. It was released on 17 July 2020 through Dirty Science Records and is their first full-length album since their 2012 album Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them. The release coincides with the 13th anniversary of their debut album Below the Heavens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cordor, Cyril. "Blu & Exile - Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  2. Cho, Jaeki (July 18, 2012). "The Making of Blu & Exile's Below the Heavens". XXL . Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  3. Bromwich, Jonah (August 30, 2012). "Blu & Exile: Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  4. Diep, Eric (October 19, 2017). "Blu & Exile Talk Comeback Album 'In the Beginning: Before the Heavens,' Stream New Project: Exclusive". Billboard . Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  5. "Blu & Exile True & Livin'". Dirty Science. May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.