With his charismatic SoCal everyman demeanor, Blu was championed at the outset of his recording career when he collaborated with Emanon DJ/producer Exile for the highly acclaimed LP Below the Heavens (2007). While the album became so well-regarded that Blu and Exile performed it in its entirety a decade later, Blu has never relied on its reputation, typically releasing multiple full-length projects each year since his emergence from the West Coast underground. He hit Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with another Exile collaboration, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still...