smack best track

blu and fashawn haven't missed since 2009

Smack has the best verse on the album for sure.

But my favorites gotta be Hello LA, Gold and Precipitation.

Precipitation sounds like something that could've been on Flowers.

Each album is so unique. From the bright eyed consciousness of Below the Heavens, the casual melancholy of Flowers, the ambitious high concept historical and universal scope of Miles, to this no nonsense street level reflection on LA. And Exile has brought out each vibe perfectly with the beats.

At 4 albums and a compilation it’s time to officially cement Blu & Ex as a top 5 MC/DJ producer combo. Gang Starr, Eric B & Rakim, Pete and CL, Blu & Ex. Who am I missing

And I know Blu has touched on these topics before but I actually think it’s cool he did an album showing this side of his artistry with Exile.

Good question and you have most of them already. Only ones I’d add in that tier are probably Madlib & MF Doom and Dre & Snoop

I’m thinking for this list you need to be officially billed as a duo which leaves off Dre and Snoop, and should probably have more than one album together which puts Madvillain on shaky ground. It might be Kool G Rap and DJ Polo (RIP)

Undisputed and Chucks sounds like if Gang Starr was from the west. The blend of sounds is crazy. And on that line between street and conscious that they did so well. This whole album feels like that

Yea good point on the official duo bill. Would KRS and Scott La Rock count? They were technically a duo iirc

Yes but only on the first album so I don’t think I would give it to them either. After that it’s all KRS producing himself which is incredible

Yea true fam the list might be locked in then in your original post

I know there’s a ton of other duos but that top tier is rare air

Rip Scott La Rock

The way this album unfolds in the second half is amazing. This is really personal stuff from Blu. The variety of topics on here is great and sequencing too. They did a lot with 12 songs and 50 min

Man Suga & Buttaz is such a sick evolution of that classic Blu vibing on a track feel can't get over this one. Rae Khalil and Ahmad Anwar sit perfect on there too.

Blu putting his XXL freestyle at the end of Valley Of Kings pulled a tear outta me ngl that track is so deep.

Great catch on the xxl freestyle. And yes his flow is sick on Suga & Buttaz

Album is really good.

Really enjoyed this album

To think at one point I’d thought,
“They gonna release a follow up to below the heavens?”

Now 4 albums deep.

Chucks might be my favorite beat

Aight this clicked

diet j cole

Oh s*** wtf how did I completely miss this was happening

Hope I have time to listen asap, Miles was one of my favs from 2020, and obvi BTH is one of my all time favs

way better than j coal

EPMD

lol mfs were calling Cole diet blu back in the day

What the f*** am I reading lmao

J Cole is a temu diet blu