Description
BLACK DOUBLE VINYL
This special edition reissue is presented for the first time in a gatefold jacket, and features a stunning, previously unreleased image of Blu & Exile taken from the album’s original photo shoot.
The world received a true hip-hop classic with 2007’s release of, Below The Heavens. And with Blu & Exile’s recent acquisition of the album’s master rights, the duo is pleased to join forces with Coalmine Records for a special, deluxe edition reissue!
Throughout the album’s 15 tracks, you can hear Blu & Exiles shared intent, which was to create something that was distinctly their own. They were young, hungry artists with gifts they wanted the world to hear, not only to showcase their abilities but to also reveal another side of West Coast rap. The early to mid-aughts was a dichotomous time for L.A. hip-hop especially. The underground was brimming with creative releases from acts like Freestyle Fellowship and Living Legends, but to the rest of the world, gangster rap remained the city’s calling card. Before there was even a Blu & Exile, the producer kept hearing about this up-and-coming rapper named Blu who was performing at venues throughout the city. And it was one of Exile’s other collaborators, Aloe Blacc (who formed Emanon with Exile), who helped bring the duo together. The two immediately hit it off, and embarked on a recording spree where the blueprint for Below The Heavens began to take shape.
The duo laid down more than 50 tracks steeped in lived truths and tack-sharp writing from Blu as well as Exile’s jaw-dropping sample flips and drums. Through painstaking decisions and track sequencing, the end result was a modern classic in the style of Blu’s biggest influences—Nas, Common, Planet Asia, and DMX.
Below The Heavens beautifully captures a special place and time for the then fledgling duo, while remaining a timeless piece of art. It’s shivers-inducing nostalgic, but also modern in its sentiments and voice. It’s a classic.
Side A:
01. My World Is…
02. The Narrow Path
03. So(ul) Amazin’ (Steel Blazin’)
04. Juicen’ Dranks (feat. Ta’Raach)
Side B:
05. In Remembrance Of Me
06. Blu Colla Workers
07. Dancing In The Rain
08. First Things First (Miguel)
Side C:
09. No Greater Love
10. Show Me The Good Life (feat. Aloe Blacc, Joseph)
11. Simply Amazin’
12. Cold Hearted (feat. Miguel)
Side D:
13. The World Is… (Below The Heavens)
14. You Are Now In The Clouds With (The Koochie Monstas)
15. I Am…
Press Quotes:
“Before there was Kendrick Lamar, there was Blu, nee Johnson Barnes III, whose debut album reconfigured the idea of what contemporary West Coast hip-hop could sound like.” -LA Weekly
“…an enchanting hip-hop classic with an almost mythological history.” -Pitchfork
“Blu and Exile were a combustible duo: a battle-rapper with a spiritual streak set ablaze by a producer operating halfway between boom-bap revivalism and beat-scene psychedelia.” -Rolling Stone
