About the artist
Blu, born Johnson Barnes III, is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California, celebrated as one of the most respected lyricists in underground hip-hop of the 2000s and 2010s. He first drew widespread attention with the duo Blu & Exile, whose 2007 debut album Below the Heavens is regarded as a modern classic for its soulful production and introspective, technically dense verses. That record established Blu as a voice capable of blending personal reflection with sharp social commentary over warm, sample-based beats.
Beyond his work with Exile, Blu built a prolific catalog of collaborative albums with a rotating cast of producers, including Mainframe, Ta Raach, Bombay, Damu the Fudgemunk, Madlib, Nottz, and Union. This project-based approach let him constantly reinvent his sound while keeping his dense wordplay and soulful sensibility at the center. He is a key figure in the Los Angeles collective Dirty Science and co-runs the label New World Color, through which much of his later output has been released.
Blu's discography spans themes of love, spirituality, struggle, and self-examination, delivered in a flowing, jazz-influenced style that has influenced a generation of independent rappers. Songs like «The World Is (Below the Heavens)», «No Greater Love», and «Amnesia» showcase his ability to merge conscious lyricism with melodic accessibility, cementing his reputation as an underground favorite whose influence outweighs his mainstream commercial profile.
Popular tracks
- 1
Dancing in the Rain
Een - 2
The World Is (Below the Heavens)
Een - 3
No Greater Love
Een - 4
Amnesia
Een - 5
First Things First
Een - 6
So(ul) Amazin’ (Steel Blazin’)
Een - 7
Maybe One Day
Een - 8
The Only One
Een - 9
Cold Hearted
Een - 10
Good Life
Een - 11
O Heaven
Een - 12
The Narrow Path
Een - 13
My World Is...
Een - 14
In Remembrance
Een - 15
She Said It’s OK
Een - 16
More Out Of Life
Een - 17
Simply Amazin’
Een - 18
Good Morning Neighbor
Een - 19
Ease Your Mind
Een - 20
Jesus
Een - 21
Classy Man
Een - 22
A Man
Een - 23
Don’t Be Jelly
Een - 24
I Am...
Een - 25
My Sunshine
Een - 26
Blu Collar Workers
Een - 27
Til We Die
Een - 28
Vanity
Een - 29
Blu Collar Workers
Een - 30
Party of Two
Een
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Discography
Stagga Back - Remix EP
2026
Time Heals Everything
2026
I Don’t Want To Die
2026
Learning to Smile in Conversation (The Demos)
2025
Kroyon (the mixtape)
2025
Ground & Water (The Demos)
2025
York (2009-2010 lost sessions)
2025
Soul Amazing (Part Fifteen)
2025
God Takes Care of Babies & Fools
2025
Forty
2025
Royal Blu (Instrumentals)
2025
Love (the) Ominous World
2024
Los Angeles
2024
abc
2024
Out of the Blue
2024
Roll Up EP
2024
We Bang EP
2024
Royal Blu
2024
Afrika
2023
Soul Amazing (Part Twelve)
2023
Good Fortune
2023
Bad News
2023
Soul Amazing (Part Eleven)
2023
Live From the End of the World, Vol. 1 (Deluxe)
2023
Best Lyricist Underground (2007-2022)
2023
I
2022
soul amazing (part ten)
2022
Live From the End of the World, Vol. 1 (Demos)
2022
Good For the Soul (Remixes & Rarities)
2022
Bad Neighbor (Anniversary Edition)
2021
The Color Blu(e)
2021
Other Shades of Blu(e)
2021
The Narrative
2021
For Sale
2021
soul amazing (part nine)
2020
Good For the Soul EP
2020
Miles: From an Interlude Called Life
2020
Underground Makes The World Go Round
2019
Ground & Water
2019
The Almighty Ras G & Blu
2019
Soul Amazing (Part Eight)
2019
True & Livin’
2019
A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night
2019
The Blueprint
2018
Gods in the Spirit, Titans in the Flesh
2018
The DS Dumbstyle Mixtape, Volume One
2018
The Turn Up [EP]
2017
In the Beginning: Before the Heavens
2017
Soul Amazing (Part Seven)
2017
Cheetah in the City
2016
Open Your Optics To Optimism
2016
Soul Amazing (Part Six)
2016
Soul Amazing (Part Five)
2016
Soul Amazing (Part Four)
2016
Soul Amazing (Part Three)
2016
Soul Amazing (Part Two)
2016
Soul Amazing (Part One)
2016
Cobb / Palisades
2016
Crenshaw Jezebel
2016
Titans in the Flesh
2016
Bad Neighbor
2015
Bad Neighbor Tour CD
2015
Kiss The Sky
2015
The Return
2015
Good to Be Home
2014
Back Home Again
2014
Gods In The Spirit - EP
2014
The Buzz [EP]
2013
The Clean Hand
2013
York
2013
The Burgundy EP
2013
Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
2012
UCLA
2012
Open (Instrumentals)
2011
Jesus
2011
Her Favorite Colo(u)r
2011
Amnesia EP
2011
And If You See the E, Drop ’Em
2011
The GODlee Barnes Instrumentals
2010
Good GOD (The Bonus Songs)
2010
GOD Is Good (A Soundtrack to Life) / theGODleeBarnes(LP)
2010
The Only Way
2009
Mama Told Me
2009
So(ul) Amazing pt.2
2009
Johnson&Jonson
2008
Festivalbar 2008 - Blu
2008
The Piece Talks
2008
Below the Heavens
2007
Lifted EP
2006
Lifted: The C.O.R.E. Mixtapes
2006
The Bruise Brothers EP
2003
I Don’t Want To Die
Love or Luxury