As Johnson & Jonson, Long Beach rapper Blu and producer Mainframe have made an album that will warm the hearts of old Native Tongues fans and early Rawkus heads alike: music whose generous samples include bits ranging from Hugh Masakela ("Long Time Gone") to John Lennon ("Hold on John" utilizes the Plastic Ono Band cut of the same name) and whose beats amble more than they push. Though we count ourselves among Blu and Mainframe's biggest fans, by no means was Johnson & Jonson's success assured: Blu is the kind of dude who could not be more nonchalant about his obvious rhyming skills, and Mainframe — despite working on some posthumous J Dilla releases — has yet to make a signature work. Until now, anyway.

Mainframe's aesthetic works perfectly for Blu's stories — often funny, always rooted in the everyday. Take "Mama Always Told Me," whose sharp organ whirls and '70s-game-show horn fanfares are like TV in the background, while Blu boasts in his living room: "We made a classic cause our shit pumps/ Changed the game in six months/ Gave them what these kids want." "Go for the Gusto Room" is a funky visit to the… read more »