For all the acclaim laid on the feet of the last Blu & Exile album, I thought that album was saved by Exile's production. Blu was a fine rapper in terms of technicality and skill, but truly couldn't stand out in a line up in terms of voice, styles, or energy. But Blu finds himself somewhat on Give Me My Flowers, and it shows. This feels like a Blu record - it's messy, at points it has an improvised feel, but still feels like conscious rap, and that everyman feeling that Blu attempted on his other albums actually works here. Blu won't ever be a top 10 rapper, probably not even top 50, but he's finally made a record that shows his strengths in a digestible way. Hopefully other media-hyped Illmatic 2 rappers like Fashawn or Elzhi do something similar soon. And obviously every beat bangs, thanks to Exile.
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