Blu - No York! (album stream)

Cali’s very own Blu, whose highly anticipated project "No York!", still has no release date, thanks to Warner Bros playing hardball it seems. Rumor has it Blu was giving away copies of his long-awaited “No York!” album at Rock The Bells and now it has made its way on to the internet.


Coutesy of EARMILK

Johnson Barnes (born October 27, 1984), better known by the stage name Blu, is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his debut album, Below the Heavens, which was produced entirely by Exile, one half of Emanon.

Biography
Johnson Barnes' stepfather was a pastor, and gospel and Christian rap were an influence while at school. Taking influence from Common, he turned from freestyle rhyming to crafting songs. In his early days in the music business, Johnson worked as a hype man for underground rap and soul artists such as Slum Village, Steve Spacek, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Emanon. He signed to Los Angeles independent label Sound in Color in 2004, choosing the label ahead of Interscope Records and Death Row Records. He contributed a few tracks to Exile's 2006 Dirty Science album, and self-pressed his debut Lifted EP in 2006. His debut album Below the Heavens was released in August 2007, Village Voice called it "one of the most thoughtful indie-rap releases in some time". Blu is also involved in several other projects including Johnson&Jonson (with Mainframe) and C.R.A.C. (with Ta'Raach).

Blu was named Rookie of the Year in 2007 by HipHopDX.

He was also named to XXL magazine's Top 10 Freshmen of 09'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu_(rapper)

Links
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blu/22457324399
http://www.twitter.com/#!/HERFAVCOLOR
http://noyork.tumblr.com