Blu

Blu & Shafiq Husayn Drop Off A Hazy Three-Pack With Their “Roll Up” EP

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Blu, one of the most talented rappers when it comes to both flow and writing, is back with a new trio of cuts for us. 2024 has proven to be a busy one already, as the Los Angeles California artist has dropped a single, an EP, and a collaborative album. Going back to that EP for a second, that was also a team effort. He worked with producer Shafiq Husayn to bring along We Bang. Similar to Blu and Shafiq’s newest set of tracks, Roll Up, We Bang included three recordings as well.

According to Blu and Nature Sounds’ Instagram accounts, both of these small care packages will be a part of something larger. “Blu and Shafiq Husayn are now announcing Out Of The Blue, a new album set for release on March 29th.” This will mark their second tape together, going back to the 2018 mixtape The Blueprint. While “We Bang” was the lead single, that drop also had its instrumental and “Brains Blue” paired with it.

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Listen To Roll Up By Blu & Shafiq Husayn

“Roll Up” does the same thing, as Blu and Shafiq have given us “Very Amazing” too. The first of the two is very chill with excellent rhymes from Blu over a bassy beat. “Very Amazing” is a different vibe, as the instrumental is more scattered and unorthodox. Be sure to check out the tracks above.

What are your thoughts on this brand-new EP, Roll Up, by Blu and Shafiq Husayn? Is this their best set of tracks together, why or why not? What was your favorite track in this three-pack and why? Who had the strongest verse and why? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Blu and Shafiq Husayn. Finally, stay with us for everything the most informative project posts throughout the week.

Roll Up Tracklist:

  1. Roll Up with Shafiq Husayn, Jimetta Rose, Donel Smokes, & Tiron
  2. Roll Up (Instrumental)
  3. Very Amazing with Shafiq Rusayn

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The post Blu & Shafiq Husayn Drop Off A Hazy Three-Pack With Their “Roll Up” EP appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Blu & Roy Royal “Royal Blu” Review

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Blu has been a prolific fixture in hip hop’s underground for over two decades now, with landmark records such as 2007’s Below The Heavens alongside Exile making waves with fans across the globe. Though he may not have millions of monthly Spotify streamers, the 40-year-old spitter has a dedicated and loyal fan base excited to see where his career takes him next. Conversely, producer Roy Royal is an emerging newcomer to the boom-bap hip-hop scene, also hailing from the heart of Los Angeles.

Blu and Roy Royal have teamed up for a brief but exciting LP, aptly titled Royal Blu, which showcases the “Knock Knock” vocalist’s lyrical versatility over Royal’s old-school instrumentation, complete with several well-placed sample scratches and pitched vocal passages. Royal Blu marks the third consecutive release from Blu which showcases the rapper locking in with a single producer to craft a full-length project, following efforts such as Bad News with Real Bad Man and Afrika with Nottz. The latest project is one of the most exciting collaborative efforts in years. Here’s a brief look at Royal Blu, and a review of the material within.

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Blu & Roy Royal Are In Rare Form On This Brief But Effective Release

Despite the album containing only 8 tracks spread across 19 minutes of material, Royal Blu features some of the best work from either of the musical duo thus far. Blu glides over the boom-bap production provided by Roy Royal with the control and experience reserved for veterans, while still showcasing his hunger to take his career to the next level. Though the project is quintessentially Californian, the razor-sharp drum and piano-heavy beats, accompanied by powerful scratches and interspersed vocal samples have a clear Wu-Tang influence.

Blu confirms this East Coast influence on the track “The Royal” when he raps “My favorite album is Nas’ Illmatic/ It’s almost been 30 years since it dropped and the God is still at it.” This lyric serves as something of a thesis statement for the record, as Blu explores the future and past of his career, and pontificates about the possibility of becoming a revered legacy artist like Nas has with his King’s Disease and Magic album trilogies. It should also be noted that Nas found major success with these 6 recent albums in large part due to the close collaborative relationship he formed with producer Hit-Boy.

The Album’s Influences Showcase Some Of Hip Hop’s Finest Artists

The following tracks on the Blu and Roy Royal collaboration show clear Kanye West influences as well. Songs like “The Same OG” and “The Priceless” each provide a backdrop composed of pitched-up soul samples, chopped in the style of College Dropout-era Kanye. This is especially clear in the latter track, as Blu takes a specific lyrical focus on praising God for the professional heights and personally blessings he’s seen in his life. The album’s lone feature, Cashus King, joins in on “The Priceless” to echo these sentiments, rapping, “Hood wars set up kids for early graves and pearly gates/ Hell on earth is heavenless, yet I win/ God or Satan, I’m a travel agent/ These rhymes took me to some places that I never been.”

The best track on Royal Blu is the penultimate song, “Before I Go.” The track offers sparse production with plucky piano tones and stabbing vocal samples, as Blu raps about accomplishing his goals and passing the torch to his children before his eventual death. The track also highlights the highs and lows of his life, from dropping out of high school to mastering the rap game. Lyrics such as “I gotta put my children on before I’m gone” prove that the rapper has a deep desire to continue pushing his sound to the next level for the foreseeable future.

Read More: Blu & Exile Share “In the Beginning: Before the Heavens”

Conclusion

While the album’s very brief run time offers listeners little time to ruminate on the themes and topics provided in the body of work, Royal Blu serves as a showcase of some of Blu and Roy Royal’s finest work. While comparing the duo to the likes of MF DOOM and Madlib would certainly be overselling it, future collaborations between the rapper and producer could certainly yield a bonafide classic. This project is probably the best rapper and producer duo project since Joell Ortiz and L’Orange locked in for Signature last Summer. Blu has made it a habit to collaborate with several producers in the last year or so, but fans would certainly welcome a second joint venture with Roy Royal in the future.

The post Blu & Roy Royal “Royal Blu” Review appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Blu & Roy Royal Bleed L.A. On “Royal Blu”

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Underground hip-hop has produced some of the greatest lyrical talents in the 50-year history of the genre. Blu, the sure-fire MC from California has been dropping some of the best material from the West Coast since the early 2000 decade. In fact, his 2007 record, Below The Heavens, is widely seen as one of the best rap records from that time period. Blu’s prowess lies in his lyricism and good ear for production, both of which are blatantly obvious on his newest record.

The 40-year-old prolific spitter is following up a duo of projects in 2023. Bad News was the first of the two releases and that went down in August. That was a venture with Real Bad Man, a production and streetwear company that is on the rise. Then, in early December in 2023 Blu linked with Nottz for another concise listen called Afrika.

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Listen To Royal Blu By Blu & Roy Royal

Now, he is back with another producer, this time with a fellow Californian Roy Royal. This is their first project together and it an entertaining listen. Roy brings some great soul chops and disc scratching into the fold and Blu raps with conviction. It feels as if they are repping L.A. like their lives depend on it. If you want passionate performances check this out.

What are your thoughts on this brand-new album, Royal Blu, by Blu and Roy Royal? Which songs are you gravitating toward the most so far? What song has the best beat and why? Is this Blu’s best album to date, why or why not? Do they need to work together more often, why or why not? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to tell us in the comments below. Additionally, keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Blu and Roy Royal. Finally, stay with us for the most informative project posts throughout the week.

Royal Blu Tracklist:

  1. L.A. Blue
  2. The Royal
  3. The Same OG
  4. The Priceless (feat. Cashus King)
  5. The Living God
  6. The Legendary
  7. Before I Go
  8. Outro

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The post Blu & Roy Royal Bleed L.A. On “Royal Blu” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

McKinley Dixon Updates “Run, Run, Run” By Adding Blu To The Mix

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We have another newcomer to the HNHH website! Welcome in multi-talented artist and rapper, McKinley Dixon. He was born on October 28, 1995, in Annapolis, Maryland. A happy belated 28th birthday to him, Dixon went to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. He has been releasing music to streaming since early 2018, in January to be exact.

That was also the year in which Dixon put out his debut tape, Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? A short few months later, a sequel, The Importance of Self Belief would follow suit. He also has two other projects For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her and Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? His most recent release is a two-pack featuring his most popular song from it, “Run, Run, Run.”

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Listen To “Run, Run, Run” From McKinley Dixon And Blu

He grabs a high-profile underground lyrical legend, Blu. The track has a deep meaning to it, something that is a theme in McKinley’s music. According to the Genius annotation, it “is a bittersweet reminiscence on a boyhood spent running the streets. Dixon’s memories of running as a kid takes on two very distinct and opposing meanings. Sometimes he spent days running toward fun and adventure and other days he was running away from the sound of gunfire and trouble.”

What are your initial thoughts on this brand-new version of McKinley Dixon’s song, “Run, Run, Run,” with Blu? Do you prefer the original or the new rendition? Is this your favorite track from Dixon’s last album, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around McKinley Dixon, as well as all of the hottest song drops.

Quotable Lyrics:

I make the devil mad dancin’ with you
All the angels lookin’ jealous ’cause ya halo is hoops
Hoverin’ over your shoulders, wings usually is folded
I’m not used to extending them to tell you the truth
Pull me off the wall, growing my roots
Sheesh, what I’m running from, following suit

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