Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
All Music Guide:
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, CA, 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.
Wikipedia:
Blu & Exile refers to an American hip-hop duo that consists of rapper Blu (Johnson Barnes) and hip-hop producer Exile (Aleksander Manfredi). They rose to their fame through the release of their first album in July 2007 called Below the Heavens. This album was dubbed as the continuation of hip hop legacies such as Jurassic 5 and Pharcyde and was given much praise.
Blu and Exile first met in the mid-2000's while Blu served as a hypeman for various hip-hop groups such as Slum Village, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Exile's own group, Emanon. He was personally introduced to Exile through Emanon's other member Aloe Blacc. Through that, Blu signed to Exile's independent label, Sound in Color, and a dynamic hip-hop collaboration was formed. Blu would cut records for Exile and they eventually released their laid back, soulful album which received a lot of buzz from the underground hip-hop scene. Since then, Blu & Exile has been a collaboration to keep up with.
