Album Review: Love (the) Omnious World by Blu & Exile

Blu has been extremely productive this year, making Love (the) Ominous World his fifth project of 2024. It marks his first collaboration with Exile since their incredible album Miles in 2020.

Courtesy of Dirty Science.

If you’ve been under the rock lately, West Coast rapper Blu has been a tear since late 2023, releasing projects with Real Bad Man and Nottz. On top of that, this year alone, he provided unreleased material from his past records over the years. He put albums that were taking off on streaming (still no Johnson&Jonson) and has released four albums this year featuring Royal Blu (with Roy Royal), Out of the Blue (with Shafiq Husayn), ABC, and Los Angeles (with Evidence). He’s already here with the fifth outing and the third with the renowned producer Exile with Love (the) Ominous World. The duo is known for their underground classic, Below the Heavens, released in 2007, along with 2012’s Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them and their incredible album in 2020, Miles.

The opener, “Undisputed,” celebrates the achievements and identity of a supreme champion. Blu raps in top form about the arduous journey of being recognized as the greatest, emphasizing the dedication (“I put the list together, it took mad weeks” and “I debated every day with it, changed my DNA with it”). The metaphorical references to sports, such as the intensive preparation before a fight, highlight the competitive spirit and relentless drive needed to reach the pinnacle of success. “Suge Knight” vividly recounts a pivotal moment in the artist’s life, illustrating the raw ambition and complex relationships embedded in the hip-hop industry with anticipation and subsequent letdowns: “Returned to the office, Suge still wasn’t there/So we decided to kick it with the recording engineer.”

The album’s first single, “Love Is Blu,” presents a reflective and poetic exploration of love, self, and the societal milieu. His intricate wordplay, laced with the classic Exile boom-bap beat, and expressions highlight intense introspection coupled with social commentary. The repeated emphasis on love counterbalances the disarray described throughout the verses, juxtaposing affection and adversity. This contrast is further elaborated through “I promise this world I’mma give my mama this world/After I change it, make a sequel like a communist world,” where the artist projects a desire to transform the world out of deep-seated love and responsibility.

Blu is no stranger to conceptual tracks showcasing his incredible songwriting, and “Precipitation” is no different. He delves into cleansing and renewal through the symbolism of rain, painting evocative pictures of both natural and emotional landscapes, where rain functions as a metaphor for healing and rejuvenation. 

“All the hurt and the pain just washes away

The rain stops, and the clouds make way for the dirt.”

Blu touches on historical and cultural aspects by mentioning, “The natives used to pray for the rain/Tears from angels and only earth can take the pain,” suggesting a deep, spiritual connection to natural cycles. This further extends to modern reflections with “Dropping condensation on the rotten nation/In need of a little rain to wash their hands and faces,” where rain becomes a call for societal renewal and redemption. This album has no shortage of guest features with Georgia Anne Muldrow on the intro, Fashawn tag-teaming once more on “Smack,” KXNG Crooked absolutely murders “Chucks” as Kurupt follows through, RBX and Tamara Blue manifests a visceral exploration of societal decay and apocalyptic foreboding on “Ominous World.”

“Gold” navigates the duality of personal worth and external validation within material success and spiritual seeking. The interplay between present indulgence and an underlying quest for purity reflects the conflicting elements of human nature—the drive for material possessions against a more profound longing for moral redemption. In the subsequent verses, Blu and Nana walk the listener through episodes of his life enveloped by glamour and grime. “No beef ‘cuz I don’t eat beef/I keep heat for the haters and shine like I’m the Creator.” This consistent portrayal of material objects, like “gold rings” and “fronts,” is a metaphorical backdrop, illustrating the precarious stability Blu navigates amid societal expectations and personal aspirations. This balance of braggadocio and vulnerability grants the song a raw, lived-in authenticity, underscoring the perpetual conflict between outward success and inner fulfillment.

The standout track is “Valley of Kings,” where Blu segues into darker themes, portraying cycles of downfall and redemption of his music career. Arrests, mental turmoil, and grappling with a sense of self culminate in vivid portrayals such as “fights with police” and moments of existential dread where he is “not the man I used to be when I look in the mirror.” The lyrical detailing of his discordant early start, where “even when I had less,” he acknowledges being “cursed with the gift to be blessed,” immediately sets the tone for an introspective exploration of self-worth. This proclamation integrates the overarching theme of Love (the) Ominous World, where self-actualization is attained amid the struggle, carving out a definitive arc that speaks to resilience and the reclamation of one’s path amidst adversities.

Standout (★★★★½)

Favorite Track(s): “Undisputed,” “Chucks,” “Precipitation,” “Valley of Kings”