The Weekly Coos

When Blu and Exile connect for an album, I expect something fantastic; each time it has delivered on those expectations, including their latest album, Love (The) Ominous World. Conceptually it’s an homage to Los Angeles through a lens showcasing his life on the come-up, expressing what made him the rapper he is. It’s not all from his perspective, as Los Angeles has others who have experienced similarly. It isn’t central to LA as Blu reflects on ventures that presented new perspectives. It makes the journey taken with it more rewarding, especially when the production remains with the consistent quality Exile brings behind the boards. Unfortunately, some rap features make some songs dwindle; it is all before ending on a momentous run of verses. In content, there isn’t anything new in a vacuum, but how he maneuvers and delivers his bars with creative flows and perspectives to keep you hooked, especially when most features match the quality expected from someone choosing to have them on. Though not all do, what you get is enough to justify listening to the fantastic work from Blu & Exile as presented.

Blu & Exile sets up the landscape from the jump with the intro and from there the content you get carries variety, adding more intrigue without too much overlapping. Hence, he talks about the ugliness in the world, hand-me-downs (“Homies”), early careers (“Suge Knight” and “Chucks”), and flexing status (“Undisputed” and “Gold”), which comparatively is high as far as underground rappers go. Blu is in his natural habitat, feeling refreshed and ready to keep it real, even if he puts out projects more frequently than most. Still, his peak has always remained with Exile behind the boards and the fluidity from track to track, which isn’t as potent on two occasions. It’s why the standouts are mostly from tracks where Blu is running the mic for the verse solo, and that is no shade at some fantastic verses from artists like Fashawn, RBX, and Kurupt; however, the steady flow of unique perspectives from him is about loving through the faults. There is a clear thread he is walking from “Hello LA” to “Love Is Blu,” and his inner consistency keeps the listener focused on his words, especially with the West Coast flavored boom bap tinges in the production.

Exile’s production is as expected, fantastic. It has this smoothness to his scratches and percussion patterns imbues musical density, creating a boosting parallel to the tone taken by Blu and the featured artists. The first half contains most rap features, and the overcrowdedness gets displayed when not all land, like the “Suga & Buttaz” and “The Ominous World.” The former suffers from being more of a nothing burger as it focuses on relationships but in a non-creative fashion,  Ahmad Amwar seems to have one melody that works on others but not on the former, which comes with an unenthusiastic delivery from Rae Khalil; the latter blue balls an RBX feature that I was excited to hear, it’s more disappointing than anything else since Blu delivers, but the whataboutisms come on strong. KXNG Crooked, Kurupt, Fashawn, and Aloe Blacc are welcomed high points regarding features since they bring the sauce, especially the rappers. But the heroes are Exile’s production, which never feels like it’s retread simplicity, keeping the sounds focused on matching the content and giving us these highs like the bass grooves on “Chucks.” Blu sounds like he has the pen working overtime without feeling much carpel tunnel.

Thematically, it’s all resonant toward Blu the person and rapper—more so 50/50; however, they co-inhabit with each other because rap comes from the essence of his soul and it reflects the nature of his name, as part of his construct consistently sounds influenced by the blues. However, that feeling brings out more than just the apropos, as Blu can remain nuanced with the braggadocio nature he’s earned, and it’s not overstimulating here. “Smack” with Fawshawn speaks about the life that comes with slangin’; “Suge Knight” reflects on Blu’s early career, where he had a chance with Death Row Records; “Gold” is humbling in it that Blu isn’t allowing himself to feel confined to be a fake when it comes to fame and riches, he’s earned it—he isn’t selling Future numbers, even though he sure ain’t slumming in sales. But there is more in other tracks that push it further and make them stand out like “Undisputed,” a predominate braggadocio track that precedes the incoming reasons why he feels so headstrong—similar to “Chucks,” where reflections are of times they took the next step in confidence, using the popularity Converse Chuck Taylors had in the zeitgeist; still do.

Love (The) Ominous World isn’t the best project from the two, or up there with Below the Heavens and Miles, two perfect albums, but it’s far from unlistenable. It’s smooth and filled with great bars and flows you’ll find the time to replay many of these hits. There is an insane synergy when these two connect and even with some of its faults, it still shines through them without accepting defeat in what could have been a stop-gap feeling in the pacing. Though I wasn’t high on his relationship-centric song or the lack of emotional emphasis from Ahmad Amwar, sounding basic in all but “Gold,” it’s a far cry from bad, and frankly, it’s one of the better Hip-Hop projects of this year. I’m a fan, so give it a spin, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.