Blu Talks ‘NoYork!’, ‘Memoirs’ With Exile, Film Aspirations, Retiring From Rap
The CA rapper opens up about his handful of new projects as well as future plans.
In a recent interview with LA Weekly’s West Coast Sound, rapper Blu updated fans on the status of his current projects, including his recently-leaked major-label debut, his second full-length with producer Exile and his hopes for someday moving into film.
“New York is the state that runs the U.S. I don’t know a state that works as hard as New York. I was like yo, if the United States was in a state of anarchy, it would be No York; it would be stateless,” Blu told LA Weekly, explaining the origins of the album NoYork!, which is slated to be his first record released under the Warner Brothers imprint. “But this is a really Cali album to me–”NoYork” is me in Cali, and it’s also like a new name for California.”
He continued, explaining how the project is different from his previous records. “This album was supposed to be a three-part record, produced by three different producers,” he revealed. “But instead, it’s in a three-part format: dark, synthful and bright, and traditional hip-hop sampling.”
Blu even went so far as to admit that he’s sick of performing his highly-acclaimed collaborative album with producer Exile, Below The Heavens. “I’m sick of it. It’s ‘Forever 21,’” he explained with a chuckle, making note of the fact that many fans want to see the album performed. “Since Rock the Bells made artists doing entire albums a trend, clubs have been calling us to do Below.” The “Blu Collar Workers” rapper said that he won’t be creating an album quite like Below The Heavens in the future. “I think soon as they realize I’m not gonna try to do the same record, the better off they’ll be as fans.”
He did, however, explain that his next effort produced by Exile, titled Memoirs, is ready to be released. He projected the record to be out by the end of 2012.
Other Blu projects in the works includes a collaborative album with Oxnard rapper, Medaphoar (aka MED), produced by left-coast beat wiz, Madlib. He also mentioned working on yet another solo album.
Lastly, the 28-year-old rapper explained that he foresees his career behind the mic coming to an end in the near future. “I’ve never seen myself rapping after 30,” Blu admitted. “I’ve always seen myself doing film,” he explained, “I have like three films I would love to shoot. But I would need a budget for it.” He finished by saying that he had originally inked a deal with Warner that included films for each of his records. Since then, the record label has undergone massive changes in staff and the release plans remain up in the air, he explained.
Blu has seen his discography expand quite a bit in 2011. Releasing and re-releasing multiple records, Blu’s most-recent work, Open, where he works solely as a producer, is due out on September 27 via Nature Sounds.
-
Fresh Tracks
-
Get Familiar
ProtomanMeet Protoman, one of Florida’s chronically-slept-on rappers. Steam an exclusive new track from his upcoming album.
