As Blu told David Ma way back when: “Since the day I started this shit, I have not looked back once.” Even among the most ardent Below The Heavens fans, though, few appreciate how early he started: this cat was being scouted by major labels when he was still a teenager. Blu was battling across Los Angeles County for years before he connected with Exile & cemented his place in the pantheon. Steel sharpens steel, and Blu’s blade has always cut molecularly fine.
Since his breakout in 2007, Blu’s career has been a sine wave oscillating between floods and droughts. He is currently in flood mode, racking up four strong LPs in the span of the past two years. It looks like “Lost Angel,” a beautiful single with Evidence on the beats, is a one-off for now, but hopefully there is a larger project in the works.
Not that there needs to be. This song packs more punch than most rapper’s albums in 2024, a testimony of loss & redemption. It’s also a technical marvel of pure writing skill, packing emotionally raw lamentations into intricately constructed verses & a stainless steel hook. As ever, his delivery is perfectly calibrated, but there’s nothing else to expect from the man at this point. That’s always been the sole aim: kill it every time.
I love this video. That’s some shit I seldom catch myself typing. It’s a parade of unvarnished art, beautiful ugly shots of LA at street level, bereft of glamour. It’s the perfect compliment to the song, too, a visceral first-person look at the dead corners & sharp edges of a city that claims lives every day.
It’s also part of the ongoing Evidence renaissance that started with his solo LP Unlearning, Vol. 1 and escalated considerably with the release of Planet Asia’s masterpiece Rule of Thirds. His eye and his ear are both carefully tuned instruments.
Usually once rap legends hit a certain age, they settle into telling horseshit stories about the good old days. There’s a whole podcast circuit for that. Evidence opted to re-evaluate his entire approach and the dividends have most impressive. Since he launched Bigger Picture Recordings, he’s been doing the best of work of his long, distinguished career. You love to see it, and if you don’t, we’re not the same species, period.
This joint is a diamond, one of the best cuts I’ve heard from anyone this year. Five Dickies.
