Blu is the Kanye West of the Underground

Kanye West and Blu are two of the greatest hip hop artists of all time. Their careers have always been so fascinating to me as I feel that they share a lot of the same themes and ideas in their music. With this video I tried to explain some of the ways that these two are similar, while also explaining what makes each of them so talented and important to hip hop.
I use a clip from the following SoulCulture Interview:
ConversationsWithBlu: Blu vs GODLeeBarnes
• ConversationsWithBlu: ...
I quoted the following article from L.A. Record:
BLU: FULL EATING BEATS
larecord.com/i...
This video contains excerpts and instrumentals from the following songs:
Since by Blu
Party of Two by Blu & Exile
Burgundy Whip by Madlib, Blu, and MED
Jesus Walks by Kanye West
What If I Was by Blu
Birdz N Beez by Blu
End of the World by Blu and Nottz
Jesus by Blu
Simply Amazin' (steel blazin') by Blu & Exile
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

[@WordLife89]

Who remembers when Kanye tweeted Blu and Exiles “Below the Heavens” album

[@Hobo_Felipe]

Where can I find this?

[@leaqwa4812]

Blu to me is the most underrated rapper of all time

[@DefGoldbloom]

Agreed!

[@Trp510]

The Jacka as well.

[@furrychiefkeef2454]

I agree

[@OracleEND]

​@@Trp510 Noveliss too

[@MFjaYWiLL]

Blu and Aesop

[@definiti0n58]

I live in Tasmania, it’s this tiny nowhere island - last stop before Antartica. Blu played a show here like 15 year back to 10ppl. He gave it all the energy, rocked out with us and will have my love and respect always That new LA Blu project is fire too

[@fraicheness]

He's the best!

[@Burgundy-Doc]

Man this brough back memories. So good to see Blu get this recognition. Gonna bump him all day now. Wish him and Alchemist were still coo 💔

[@DefGoldbloom]

It seems like Blu and Al are at least friendly again, I’ve seen them retweet each other’s music within the past year. Hopefully they’ll be able to get back in the studio someday

[@Burgundy-Doc]

@@DefGoldbloom well that’s good to hear. Couldn’t remember if they reconciled fr

[@sauldavidson6292]

@@Burgundy-Doc do you know why they fell out?

[@Burgundy-Doc]

@@sauldavidson6292 can’t exactly remember but I think Blu had a bad trip, and he called Alc racist lol

[@jesusgalvez6127]

@@Burgundy-Doc he accused Alchemist & evidence of white supremacy because of an interview they did with vlad where they were asked about the whole michael Brown case. He basically accused them of being on Darren Willson’s side.

[@arstar5435]

Fire video, saw this on the blu reddit, Blu is probably my second fave rapper of all time behind Lupe, his discog is stacked asf

[@DefGoldbloom]

I appreciate that man!! Blu is my all time fav but Lupe is the GOAT to me too

[@arstar5435]

@@DefGoldbloom indeed, both legends in the culture, and I wouldn't sacrifice one over the other!

[@IsaiPR]

We got the same list it seems😂

[@esteven5430]

Back around 2009. Lupe said Blu was the only rapper that scared him in terms of skills

[@who1171]

What reddit?

[@jayesse9053]

blu is such a legend fr!

[@mkdisciple]

Blu is my favorite rapper of all time . The original version of Give me My flowers is one of my favorite albums. Didn’t need the remaster but it was nice to get the instrumentals. Bro, everything you said on this video I have thought. Birdsnbeez. One of my favorite tracks bro. And my theory for NoYork was Blu was gonna have the best producers like Samiyam and Dibiase.

[@SixtoPoca]

As someone who’s kept up with both rappers since their debut, I completely agree with you. Great video!

[@Zxlxya]

Blu is my 🐐 rapper

[@DefGoldbloom]

Elite taste

[@jbeezie2049]

Blu & Oh No’s A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night is one of the greatest hip hop concept album ever made. And I wish it would get the recognition it deserves.

[@ivanpulido7446]

Looking at the comments with all the people saying that you're putting them on to Blu for the first time and that he's become one of their top fav rappers gives me this warm feeling I can't explain. I've always said that Blu was my favorite rapper of all time and wish he got more recognition, but honeslty I have high hopes that he will one day

[@bigvinny8806]

SO GLAD I FOUND THIS VIDEO! I agree with this completely

[@bigvinny8806]

Blu is so dope, literally my favorite rapper of all time!!!!!!!!!!!💙

[@fraicheness]

Blu is my absolute fav! He's just so consistent and yet fresh. I became a fan when Flowers came out and the vibe was super rough around the fans... But that whole run from 2007 to 2012 literally changed me. To me (almost) every project is an absolute classic from this 🐐 and I'm super happy, he recovered from the industry devils and mental problems and now just keeps dropping souful banger after banger! 💙💙💙

[@user-yf6gy9ti7o]

Great video i have never seen this approach between Blu and Kanye

[@gakmstr]

Fantastic video dude. Been on the hunt for somebody on KZbin who does some solid hip-hop analysis for a while now

[@DefGoldbloom]

Thanks man! I’m glad it’s finding the heads like you

[@Willen_6]

Blu still in my top 5

[@97finite57]

Love that you highlighted jesus the album a lot through this video, to me thats def his most groundbreaking work

[@DefGoldbloom]

Same, way ahead of its time

[@jacksonwilson7581]

awesome video, blu is the goat in my opinion. you should make a video on black beans by king choosey.

[@DefGoldbloom]

Good call Black Beans is so underrated

[@fraicheness]

Love that album!

[@shawnkohl1619]

Birdz N Beez is so amazing. Blu’s not a great singer, but the way he layers his voice in several registers over that beautiful soul sample honestly brings me to tears at how heavenly it sounds. Blu is my favorite artist ever, and he’s honestly one of the most creative, bold, and artistically gifted artists out there right now, beyond just hip hop and the underground. I’m rewatching this vid after his new album with Real Bad Man just released, and just want to say that it blows my mind how much range Blu has and how much dope music he still has to put out after already having catalogue consisting of dozens of projects spanning nearly two decades. Thank you Def for the amazing and insightful vids, too💙

[@DefGoldbloom]

Well said and thank you! Always makes me happy to know my Blu videos find the people who appreciate his artistry just as much as I do

[@AhmedMahmoud-or3zs]

man i saw this video like 6 months ago and i never heard anything from blu at the time but after this video i purchased most of his albums and now he is no.4 most played artist of all time and i listen to alot of music so no.4 is a very high position

[@DefGoldbloom]

I’m glad to hear that 🙌

[@kf9926]

I just found him too

[@njakes3001]

Lovely video man, very insightful.

[@sebaztiao_]

Great points, I've been thinking the same for years.

[@josephgreene4841]

Blu is one of my personal favs for sure top 5 personal fav

[@bodwewadmi1]

I love both of these guys

[@Jasmine-ot8br]

REAL GOOD VID

[@chakaoliver7835]

Good vid. Id love to hear Blu on some old Ye beats

[@MBZ33]

Good to Be Home is played on a regular

[@matty7630]

Great video man, I love it

[@DefGoldbloom]

Thank you!

[@chaplin2929]

is jesus ur favorite Blu? I noticed you mentioned it quite often! much love to you, been loving your videos and appreciation for the underground!

[@DefGoldbloom]

My favorite Blu changes with the season but every Summer it’s definitely my number 1.

[@chaplin2929]

@@DefGoldbloom agreed, on some days I might just go with below the heavens, on others I might listen to Ground & Water but Jesus, Her Favorite Colo(u)r and Give me my flowers while I can still smell them hold constant spots in my tops

[@lando6419]

it's the anniversary for 'Below The Heavens' and that one album with the tree (i forgot the title dont come for me) but yeah i never listened to anything from them and this video definitely got me excited to dive into their music, they seem very interesting

[@dt9792]

Great video

[@DefGoldbloom]

Thanks!

[@who1171]

Blu is the king. My collection of Blu tracks is over 500!

[@thatladfromsheffield]

NoYork! Was the real Yeezus

[@PhiloTheGod]

Blu ❤🎉

[@montygrind]

Nice video

[@DefGoldbloom]

Thanks!

[@X22689]

It would make sense to score this video with some her favorite color

[@reboooot]

I know this sounds weird, but id love to hear a blu and aesop rock song

[@SuisLBC]

Always thought he was a combo between Kanye, Kendrick and ab-soul

[@rustyshackleford3868]

One time I saw Blu & Exile live at the Low End Theory and that night I lost so much respect for Blu. This was during his prime years so Blu thought he was Mr. Hot Shot and arrived to the show super later. He came through the crowd with an unapologetic, not giving.a fuck attitude. Exile on the other hand was a fucking PROFESSIONAL. Came to the show ON TIME and kept us entertained with the MPC and the 1's and 2's meanwhile his jackass partner arrived. Im honestly not surprised as to why Blu never blew up. I wish Exile nothing but the best tho I loved his solo set!

[@AhmedMahmoud-or3zs]

what u think about THE BLUEPRINT and CHEETAH IN THE CITY????

[@DefGoldbloom]

Both super underrated!

[@yOGlo]

Just to make it known I was a beast from tha west... tryna get put on wt tha cubes n tha pacs... next thing uno they banging blu on tha block 🙌🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💪💪💯

[@Shadeprint]

*Kanye comparing himself to Stanley Kubrick* 😂😂😂

[@ethanverde2569]

Where can I listen to Jesus and Blus other mixtapes

[@DefGoldbloom]

They all should be on bandcamp and/or KZbin. Jesus is on those as well as Datpiff I think

[@isaacrodriguez8264]

Wish blu his main stream flowers or collaborate with a more mainstream artist like Freddie Gibbs or even Jpegmafia. Yeah those aren’t mainstream artists but they have a better grasp of the new generation

[@itzmeh87]

Good watch

[@jenske2881]

Theyre littlerly the same person while exact opposites like kanye made his first album and instantly won a Grammy and became one of the biggest and has stayed there since the begining blu has been doing that shit forever and if you look his name up on spotify he's not even the first thing that comes up

[@_comba_]

What’s that beat at 7:30

[@joshdillon5061]

BLU AND EXILE IS BETTER BUT ITHINK MAINSTREAM IS PREFERED JOHNSON AND JOHNSON IS BETTER

[@jessesmith7836]

Don’t ever disrespect Blu like that…

[@DefGoldbloom]

Blu said he loved the video and Ye is one of his favorite artists 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gregc7699]

Chalk and cheese can't compare these 2 at all tbh

[@jesusisking4953]

I would say Blu is Kanye without the pro nazi takes

[@Dilly-Winkus]

Yeah, uhh, let's just give this one a hard "no" for now lmao Jokes btw Kanye wildin' rn tho

[@Loots1]

No bro just no

[@LookingForAName...]

In retrospect, Donda was far from Miles. Neither a return to form, nor a innovative album. Donda is possibly the most boring album in Ye's discography.

[@Stoney-Jacksman]

Blu is the generic rap for people that wore The Hundreds and obey caps. He has some dope joints. Exile was a big part of why..he got known. Also because he rapped nicely. Exile is doper for example and more sincere. Also rhis comparison is weird, unnecessary and far fetched. Seems like you desperately needed content. 2 cents. Bye

[@DefGoldbloom]

I got about 4-5 other videos on Blu, you probably shouldn't check those out!