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BLU & EXILE FEAT. JACINTO RHINES – ROOTS OF BLUE

Blu & Exile will drop Miles: From An Interlude Called Life on July 17th. After dropping “Miles Davis” last month, the duo release the 9-minute “Roots of Blue” featuring Jacinto Rhines.

“The song is one of the strongest songs on the album,” Blue said of the song. “Its title says it all, ‘Roots Of Blue.’ On this song we took it back, all the way back.  Back to the very first people who have walked this earth that have influenced, or cultured or matured, my walk on this earth. Everyone except my immediate family. This song is my own personal family tree.”

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BLU & EXILE – MILES

The masterminds behind Below The Heavens are back for more. Exactly 13 years after dropping an album that many consider a classic, Blu and Exile will release Miles: From An Interlude Called Life on July 17th.

“It’s all about coming full circle,” Blu told Complex. “We’re bringing it back to some of our traditional sounds and the grassroots that we come with. We’re bringing it back to basics, and we decided to go and pull from some of the people who helped pioneer our sounds.”

20 tracks deep and featuring the likes of Aloe Blacc, Aceyalone, Fashawn and others, Miles: From An Interlude Called Life leads with the single “Miles.”

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BLU & EXILE – ON THE RADIO

A whole decade has gone by since the release of Blu & Exile’s Below The Heavens and the duo have decided to release a new project that is a collection of songs that were recorded during those sessions but didn’t make the final cut. “On The Radio” is one of those joints liberated before In the Beginning: Before the Heavens drops.

“This song was our attempt to make a radio song exactly stating how we feel about the radio,” Blu explains. “Our way of keeping it true and not selling out even for the album. This is one of the songs that helped me get more open with writing the rest of the album. One of Exile’s oldest beats, he pulled that from deep out the vault. I was like… ‘oh, that’s me.’”

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RHYTHM ROULETTE – EXILE

Mass Appeal’s “Rhythm Roulette” series ventures to the domain of producer Exile and has him craft a beat from three randomly selected records. Watch the magic happen.

This time around, Exile joins us to play a game of Rhythm Roulette. Exile’s ability to manipulate and finely chop sounds into soulful and melodic beats are what sets him apart from most. From doing work with Mass Appeal Records’ Fashawn, to crafting airy choir-like joints for Mobb Deep, Exile’s music speaks for itself.

After making his way through three randomly selected records, Exile flipped one of the records in three different ways, showing how versatile his beats can get. He even managed to sample Fashawn and include his vocals on one of the tracks.

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FASHAWN – HIGHER

Fashawn’s Exile-produced ode to his daughter Hannah get the visual treatment off of his critically acclaimed album The Ecology.

“The video brings the song to life in an organic and beautiful way. There isn’t enough positive images of young black men out there being fathers to their kids to begin with, especially in rap videos. I believe it’s a break from the norm and a side of me of that my audience doesn’t get to see everyday.”