Does Blu Need Below The Heavens 2 to Rejuvenate his career?

RuffDraft
RuffDraft Members, Writer Posts: 4,753 ✭✭✭✭
edited December 2011 in The Essence
With Blu's mixed reviews since BTH and perhaps never reaching the heights of BTH since, does Blu need the rumoured follow up 'Memoirs' to reach the heights of his popularity once again? Originally completed in 2009 as a personal offering, it seems Exile wants to add more tracks and quality to the release, where as Blu just wants to leak it… as we've come to expect from him in recent years… he's the complex genius in my eyes, someone who wants the next thing before the first is completed… moving too fast for his craft and thus lacking in terms of overall quality.

There was a time when Blu was quickly becoming one of THE artists to watch regardless if you was a commercial or underground listener… however, with recent releases lacking CD quality (something that Blu continues to do) and perhaps the replay ability that came with his earlier releases (NoYork came and went unfortunately, it's not really debated on here…), does Blu need Exile to really bring that soul and perhaps completeness to Blu's product in order to rejuvenate a career?

Does he need a rejuvenation at all? Debate!!!

Early Blu:

New Blu:

Comments

  • stupot0607
    stupot0607 Members Posts: 1,914 ✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    He definitly needs Rejuvenated.

    Not a sequel to Below the heavens, it was a complete package for me. And it annoys me when rappers make sequels (with the exception of Stillmatic & OB4CL 2).

    What he needs is another Exile produced album, with maybe a different theme.

    NoYork i was hyped about, the album cover although never really makes a difference got me even more hyped cause it looked the part. But the beats sounded like Sega Megadrive games throwaway music. He's trying too hard to find "A Different Sound". The sound quality of Her favorite color ? me off so much i deleted it, and there were too many skits.

    So basically he needs Exile Beats.

    Not even Exile beats, just Hip Hop beats....
  • RuffDraft
    RuffDraft Members, Writer Posts: 4,753 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    stupot0607 wrote: »
    He definitly needs Rejuvenated.

    Not a sequel to Below the heavens, it was a complete package for me. And it annoys me when rappers make sequels (with the exception of Stillmatic & OB4CL 2).

    What he needs is another Exile produced album, with maybe a different theme.

    NoYork i was hyped about, the album cover although never really makes a difference got me even more hyped cause it looked the part. But the beats sounded like Sega Megadrive games throwaway music. He's trying too hard to find "A Different Sound". The sound quality of Her favorite color ? me off so much i deleted it, and there were too many skits.

    So basically he needs Exile Beats.

    Not even Exile beats, just Hip Hop beats....

    Nice Av :tu

    Yeah, by Below The Heavens 2 (as it's always been coined - the follow up to their debut - not necessarily the same theme - I don't mean that).

    What type of theme would you be interested in hearing? I think if Kay wasn't involved in Time:Line (although he did a great job) and Blu was given that role to craft a track about life from birth until death, we would have seen a multi-faceted Blu crafting a concept, I think that would have catapulted him at that time of release…

    Her Favorite Color eventually got a CD quality release though, am I wrong?
  • Lou Cypher
    Lou Cypher Members Posts: 52,521 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    It was a CD release still wasnt the best of quality imo.

    Blu does need to rejuvenate, I wish i knew what was going thru this guys head with his music releases. He sounds more like a "netcee" than a rapper who puts good effort into his albums. All the albums ive heard besides below the heavens from him just seemed so rushed and ? . He needs to sit down craft the good album i know he can make, and get the right people to master it. Instead of ? on me with release after release of this static filled ? or throw away arcade noise.
  • satyrone
    satyrone Members Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    i dont know. i think that people are getting put off by his more experimental ? . i think thats why he gets alot of flak. i like most of his stuff that came out after BTH. i think his next "proper" album will be on some hip-hop ? and i nkow that exile will be on the boards,but as far as exile doin the whole album its still yet to be seen. but i know they are gonna be working together.
  • RuffDraft
    RuffDraft Members, Writer Posts: 4,753 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    Lou Cypher wrote: »
    It was a CD release still wasnt the best of quality imo.

    Blu does need to rejuvenate, I wish i knew what was going thru this guys head with his music releases. He sounds more like a "netcee" than a rapper who puts good effort into his albums. All the albums ive heard besides below the heavens from him just seemed so rushed and ? . He needs to sit down craft the good album i know he can make, and get the right people to master it. Instead of ? on me with release after release of this static filled ? or throw away arcade noise.

    Well said, I think that a lot of people who are underground based are very forgiving for artists, but when you have artists like Kendrick Lamar putting out releases that are so complete and with beats that really could break the mainstream, then you really need to ask yourself, 'Is this really your best?'
    satyrone wrote: »
    i dont know. i think that people are getting put off by his more experimental ? . i think thats why he gets alot of flak. i like most of his stuff that came out after BTH. i think his next "proper" album will be on some hip-hop ? and i nkow that exile will be on the boards,but as far as exile doin the whole album its still yet to be seen. but i know they are gonna be working together.

    Yeah, apparently the release - 'Memoirs' is coined for a 2012 release, Blu says it's a complete album with Exile on the boards and was recorded in 2009 (he wants to leak it now lol). Exile says it's nearly finished but that he wants to master it and maybe add 2 or three tracks.

    It's an interesting release given that it's old and a personal effort, but I just want them to get in the studio and get it poppin' 'cos we need a new effort from Blu & Exile!!!
  • ustreet_monsta
    ustreet_monsta Members Posts: 2,536 ✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    Blu needs someone to do quality control on what he releases. He's been struggling ever since he lost the masters to Godlee Barnes.

    I dont know if that person is Exile or not, but linking up with someone to challenge him would help out.
  • RuffDraft
    RuffDraft Members, Writer Posts: 4,753 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    Blu needs someone to do quality control on what he releases. He's been struggling ever since he lost the masters to Godlee Barnes.

    I dont know if that person is Exile or not, but linking up with someone to challenge him would help out.

    Most definitely true… I think if The Roots got together and made a collab album with him it would be outstanding… him and Thought at the forefront… following their collaborations on HIGO, I really think they were made for one another…
  • bdbdbd
    bdbdbd Members Posts: 3,168 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2011
    man i like most of the stuff he releases, im not sure if thats because its good or because im a ? fan, but i mean the sparsity in the music he releases and the" i dont give a ? about "hollywood quality"" attitude he has fits his enigmatic style, similar to that of MF DOOM, i mean i definately understand why people dislike it, ? i barely listen to the jesus LP and open LP (the latter moreso ? of the lack of lyrics) ? the quality is bad (thought there are 3 or 4 tracks which i love and listen to regularly but herfavouritecolour gets constant rotation...i dont even hear the bad quality that every one complains about...

    i dont think dude needs reinventing/rejuvinating at all.... when you listen to blu you already know what you are going to get. sometimes ? quality sometimes a lot of skits but its still better than a lot of stuff out there.

    but i think maybe BTH set a standard so high for him that anything he releases after that will always be compared to that and will alwyas fail in comparison as it is a near perfect album...barring juice and dranks....i never understood why that song was on the album
  • Sep-00
    Sep-00 Members Posts: 210
    edited December 2011
    maybe not a part two but an exile produced album will be cool. i honestly tried one of the cds (not sure which one) after below the heavens and haven't checked for him since.