Blu | |
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Blu performing on the 2011 Natural Selection Tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Johnson Barnes |
Born | April 15, 1983 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ,
Origin | San Pedro, Los Angeles, California |
Genres | Underground hip hop, alternative hip hop |
Occupations | Rapper, record producer |
Years active | 2006-present |
Labels | Sire/Sound in Color Records/Warner Bros. Records |
Associated acts | Exile Mainframe Ta'Raach Sene Pac Div Lupe Fiasco Fashawn Asher Roth |
Website | MySpace Twitter Tumblr |
Johnson Barnes (born April 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Blu, is an American West Coast rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California[1]. Following the major success of his 2007 debut album, Below the Heavens, Blu was named HipHop DX's "Rookie of the Year" [2]. Since then, Blu has become one of the most prolific underground artists in the Los Angeles area, releasing "six full-length albums, and countless other projects and mixtapes" since his emergence on the rap scene [3] . Blu has also become as proficient a producer as he has a rapper. In September of 2011, Blu released his commercial album Open, his 4th solo project [4] which features tracks all produced by the West Coast emcee.
Contents |
Johnson Barnes was born on April 15, 1983 in San Pedro, California. Raised by his mother and stepfather who was a pastor, Barnes was highly influenced by gospel and Christian rap when he was growing up.[1] However, Barnes' was also influenced by gangsta rap that he received from his father, contributing to his delivery of conscious yet raw lyrics. In his early days in the music business, Johnson worked as a hype man for underground rap and soul artists such as Slum Village, Steve Spacek, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Emanon.[1] However, taking influence from Common, Barnes began turning from freestyle rhyming to crafting songs.[1] In an interview with HipHopDx, Barnes talks about what it was like to listen to Common's 1994 song I Used to Love H.E.R.:
"When I heard it, it really changed my life. I felt like I had heard Hip Hop for the first time. It made me change my content and my whole approach. It made me serious about writing and wanting to say something."[5]
Some of the earliest tracks by Blu can be found on the 2003 mixtape Bruised Brothers, done with fellow L.A. emcee Blacc also known as Jac Spade[6]. Spade is also a producer and has worked with the likes of Planet Asia and Charlie Tuna.
Blu signed to L.A. independent label Sound in Color in 2004, choosing the label ahead of other big name companies such as Interscope Records and Death Row Records.[1] After Blu was introduced to Los Angeles based producer Exile by Aloe Blacc[5], Blu released his debut album Below the Heavens in August of 2007. New York weekly newspaper The Village Voice called the album "one of the most thoughtful indie-rap releases in some time"[7]. Following the album's success and Blu being named as Rookie of the Year by HipHopDX[8], the rapper began working with Detroit rapper-producer Ta'Raach, releasing the collaborative album The Piece Talks under Tres Records in April 2008. In September of that same year, the company released Blu's collaborative album Johnson&Jonson with producer Mainframe [9]. In an interview with HipHopDX, Blu talked about his work in the underground scene and what motivated him to continue writing:
"The game in 2008 is not perfect and people complain and complain about how wack music is, but there's so much dope shit out there if you just turn the radio and TV off. I find ill shit all the fucking time and I'm like there's way too much music out there"[2].
Following the reception of Johnson&Jonson, Blu and Mainframe formed their joint company New World Color. In celebration of the move, the two released their EP E.Q.E.P.; featuring rappers such as Gonjasufi and Dirty Paper[10]. Aside from these commercial projects, Blu also released his second solo project (So)ul Amazing.
In 2009, Blu released his third solo album entitled HerFavoriteColo(u)r. Although the album was originally released as a free mixtape, the tape was re-released as in album in conjunction with Nature Sounds in 2011[11]. The album is known for its jazz, neo soul feel as well its samples of artists such as Billie Holiday and Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Mayfield. During this year, Blu also released his mixtape (So)ul Amazing II with DJ Heat. The tape features a wide variety of artists including Talib Kweli, Will.i.am, Kid Cudi, Evidence, The Alchemist, and Co$$.
In 2009, hip hop magazine XXL named Blu as one of their Top 10 Freshmen of 09'[12]. That same year, Blu also began experimenting with production, releasing his 8 track instrumental NoSleepForADay. The year also found Blu signed to major label Warner Bros.[13].
The following year, Blu released his lyrical/instrumental full length LP theGodleeBarnes[3].
2011 has been one of the biggest years for Blu thus far in terms of music production. In January, Blu released And If You See The E Drop Em, a title taken from a line on his first track on Below the Heavens [3]:
“I don’t pack stadiums yet, I still rock em/ and they still spell my name fucked up on they flyers/ it’s B-L-U, and if you see the E drop em”
Blu has proliferated highly in terms of commercial releases this year, producing three albums titled Jesus, NoYork!, and Open with Nature Sounds; the latter of which features a variety of artists with tracks all produced by the emcee. While the album Jesus was released independently under New World Color in July, NoYork!, a project that was supposed to be Blu's major label debut, was not. Initially planned for release under Warner, Blu later dropped from the label in October[14], deciding to release it for free over the internet instead.
In an interview with Above Ground Magazine, Blu expressed his future intentions with music, specifically on his notion of retiring from rap.
“I’ve never seen myself rapping after 30,... I’ve always seen myself doing film. I have like three films I would love to shoot. But I would need a budget for it.”[14]
The rapper is currently working on several projects, one of which includes another link up with producer Exile on Memoirs, a record projected to be out by the end of 2012. Ucla is another tape in the works, set to be a collaborative album produced by critically acclaimed LA producer Madlib.
Year | Album Artist | Album | Song |
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2007 | Move.Meant | The Scope Of Things | Git It Now (also featuring Trek Life) |
2008 | Shingo Suzuki | The Abstract Truth | Hi(gh) Music |
Evidence | The Layover EP | For Whom The Bell Tolls (also featuring Phonte & will.i.am) | |
Presto | State of the Art | Pour Another Glass | |
DJ Cadik | Basic | Hard Times | |
Freddie Joachim | In With Time | Mars (Remix) | |
2009 | Bembe Segue & Mark de Clive-Lowe | The Politik | Moonlight |
J.Period & Q-Tip | The [Abstract] Best | Jazz (Tribute Remix) | |
Dela | Changes of Atmosphere | Vibrate | |
Atmosphere Airlines Vol. 2 | Mars | ||
Sepalot | Red Handed | Surrender | |
Blame One | Days Chasing Days | Wonder Why | |
The Grouch & Eligh | Say G&E! | Old Souls (also featuring Flying Lotus) | |
Keelay & Zaire | Ridin High | The Times | |
J Dilla | Jay Stay Paid | Smoke | |
Waxolutionists | We Paint Colors | Steel Remains | |
Tanya Morgan | Brooklynati | Morgan Blu | |
Fashawn | Boy Meets World | Samsonite Man | |
The Alchemist | Chemical Warfare | Therapy (also featuring Evidence, Talib Kweli & Kid Cudi) | |
Andy Allo | Unfresh | DreamLand | |
2010 | All City Chess Club | I'm Beamin' (Remix) | |
TiRon | MSTRD | The Richers (also featuring Asher Roth) | |
The Roots | How I Got Over | Radio Daze (featuring P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw) | |
The Day (featuring Phonte & Patty Crash) | |||
Mumbles | Transformations/Illuminations | Never Ending | |
2011 | Dela | Translation Lost | Lucy's&looseleafs |
Dela | Translation Lost | Whatuwanna | |
Co$$ | Before I Awoke | Born Again (featuring Sene) |