Johnson Barnes better known by the stage name Blu, is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 rapper and producer from Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. He is best known for his debut album, Below the Heavens

Below the Heavens

-Sample credits:*"I Am..."** Contains a sample from "L'Amour Est Bleu" as written by André Popp and Pierre Cour** Contains a sample from "Summer Dream" performed by Jack McDuff** Contains a sample from "Love is Blue" performed by The Dells...

, which was produced entirely by Exile

Exile (producer)

Aleksander Manfredi , better known by his stage name Exile, is an American hip hop DJ, producer and occasional rapper. His first record appearances came as a member of hip hop duo Emanon alongside rapper Aloe Blacc. They released various mixtapes, beginning with 1995's "Stretch Marx" before...

 of Emanon

Emanon

Emanon are an American hip hop duo consisting of Singer and Rapper Aloe Blacc and Producer Exile. They are based in Los Angeles, California.-Career:...

.

Biography

Johnson Barnes' stepfather was a pastor, and gospel and Christian rap were an influence while at school. Taking influence from Common

Common (rapper)

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....

, he turned from freestyle rhyming to crafting songs. In his early days in the music business, Johnson worked as a hype man

Hype man

A hype man in hip hop music and rapping is a “backup rapper/singer who is also responsible for increasing an audience's excitement with call-and-response chants” according to The Hilltop and author Grant Barrett....

 for underground rap and soul artists such as Slum Village

Slum Village

Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...

, Steve Spacek, Platinum Pied Pipers

Platinum Pied Pipers

Platinum Pied Pipers is a Detroit-based hip hop and R&B group composed of producer Waajeed , and multi-instrumentalist Saadiq . Their music usually features a rotating and varied array of artists.- Background :The two met through rapper Baatin in 1992...

, and Emanon

Emanon

Emanon are an American hip hop duo consisting of Singer and Rapper Aloe Blacc and Producer Exile. They are based in Los Angeles, California.-Career:...

. He signed to Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 independent label Sound in Color in 2004, choosing the label ahead of Interscope Records

Interscope Records

Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

 and Death Row Records

Death Row Records

Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...

. He contributed a few tracks to Exile's 2006 Dirty Science album, and self-pressed his debut Lifted EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 in 2006. His debut album Below the Heavens was released in August 2007, Village Voice called it "one of the most thoughtful indie-rap releases in some time". Blu is also involved in several other projects including Johnson&Jonson

Johnson&Jonson

-External links:*"", HipHopDX*Herman, Max "", XLR8R*"", Plug One*"", Byroncrawford.com*Woo, Andrea "" , exclaim.ca...

 (with Mainframe) and C.R.A.C. (with Ta'Raach). Blu was named Rookie of the Year in 2007 by HipHopDX. He was also named to XXL

XXL

XXL may refer to:* XXL , in London, UK* XXL , an American hip-hop magazine* Penny Market XXL, a Romanian hypermarket chain-Film and television:* XXL , a French comedy* XXL , an adult TV station-Music:...

 magazine's Top 10 Freshmen of 09'.

Solo

EPs

• Bruise Brothers (with Jack Spade) (2003)
• Lifted (2006)
• The Narrow Path (2006)
• BeSene (with Patch Adams) (2008)
• Amnesia (2011)
• ar r ie mx a ll pink r ep (2011)

Albums

• Her Favorite Colo(u)r (2009)
• j e s u s (2011)
• NoYork!
  NoYork! (album)
  NoYork! is an upcoming solo studio album by American rapper Blu which will be released on Warner Brothers Records. It serves as Blu's 3rd studio album.Blu provides rap vocals on all of the album's songs...
  
  (2011)
• Open/O’Pen (with Various Artist) (2011)
• S.O.U.L. (TBA)

Mixtapes

• NoSleepForADay (Instrumental) (2009)
• Open(theInstrumentalLP)ForTheHeadsWhoNeedBeats (Instrumental) (2009)
• theGODleeBarnes(lp) (2010) (to be remastered in 2011)
• ParieArtNommee (Video Soundtrack) (2010)
• "The Norman Rockwell (Beat Tape)" (2011)
• Heavy(LightYearsBehind) (TBA)

Collaborations

With Mainframe, as Johnson&Jonson

• Johnson&Jonson
  Johnson&Jonson
  -External links:*"", HipHopDX*Herman, Max "", XLR8R*"", Plug One*"", Byroncrawford.com*Woo, Andrea "" , exclaim.ca...
  
  (2008)
• The Only Way (2008)(Vinyl)
• Mama Told Me (2009)(Vinyl)
• Powders & Oils (2009)(re-release in 2011)
• J&J Is Dead (2010)(Vinyl)

With Patch Adams

• ADayLate&ADollarShort (2009) (produced by Blu)

With Exile

Exile (producer)

Aleksander Manfredi , better known by his stage name Exile, is an American hip hop DJ, producer and occasional rapper. His first record appearances came as a member of hip hop duo Emanon alongside rapper Aloe Blacc. They released various mixtapes, beginning with 1995's "Stretch Marx" before...

• Below the Heavens
  Below the Heavens
  -Sample credits:*"I Am..."** Contains a sample from "L'Amour Est Bleu" as written by André Popp and Pierre Cour** Contains a sample from "Summer Dream" performed by Jack McDuff** Contains a sample from "Love is Blue" performed by The Dells...
  
  (2007)
• Memoirs (2012)

With Ta'Raach, as C.R.A.C.

• The Piece Talks
  The Piece Talks
  The Piece Talks is the debut LP by hip-hop group C.R.A.C., made up of rapper Blu and rapper-producer Ta'Raach. It was released April 15, 2008, by Blu himself and on April 22, 2008 in stores. Previously, it had been sold in 2006 and 2007 on tour and at the Bling47.com store in an abbreviated and...
  
  (2008)

With M.E.D.

• TBA (TBA)

With Madlib

• ucla (TBA)

Guest appearances

Year	Album Artist	Album	Song
2007	Move.Meant	The Scope Of Things	Git It Now (also featuring Trek Life)
2008	Shingo Suzuki	The Abstract Truth	Hi(gh) Music
	Evidence	The Layover EP The Layover EP The Layover EP is the first EP by Dilated Peoples member Evidence, released on November 25, 2008 by Decon.- Background :The idea for The Layover EP originally came about while he was on tour with Little Brother. It was originally going to be a 5 track release produced entirely by North Carolina...	For Whom The Bell Tolls (also featuring Phonte Phonte Phonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is a Grammy nominated American rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer...  & will.i.am Will.i.am William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer... )
	Presto	State of the Art	Pour Another Glass
	DJ Cadik	Basic	Hard Times
	Freddie Joachim	In With Time	Mars (Remix)
2009	Bembe Segue & Mark de Clive-Lowe Mark De Clive-Lowe Mark de Clive-Lowe is a musician and producer originally from New Zealand, and now based in West London. He has been one of the key musicians in the Broken Beat and Nu Jazz movements, blending jazz, ethnic music and urban grooves into a 21st Century sound...	The Politik	Moonlight
	J.Period J.Period J.Period is a Brooklyn-based Mixtape DJ, remixer and hip-hop producer. He is best known for producing Official Mixtape collaborations with Q-Tip , John Legend, Nas, Big Daddy Kane, Lauryn Hill, The Roots, The Isley Brothers and Mary J...  & Q-Tip Q-Tip (rapper) Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...	The [Abstract] Best	Jazz (Tribute Remix)
	Dela	Changes of Atmosphere	Vibrate
		Atmosphere Airlines Vol. 2	Mars
	Sepalot	Red Handed	Surrender
	Blame One	Days Chasing Days	Wonder Why
	The Grouch The Grouch (rapper) The Grouch , is an MC, producer, and member of the underground hip hop groups the Living Legends, G&E, The CMA and Z&G. He was born in Oakland, California, where he attended Bishop O'Dowd High School.-Solo albums:* 1995 - Don't Talk To Me...  & Eligh Eligh -Early career:An outside-of-the-box MC and producer, Eligh was an important contributor to the development of Cali's hip-hop underground in the mid- to late '90s as he helped construct the sound of his crew, the Living Legends, with his productions...	Say G&E!	Old Souls (also featuring Flying Lotus)
	Keelay & Zaire Keelay and Zaire Kyle "Keelay" Pierce and Tim "Zaire" Lewis , better known as Keelay & Zaire, are hip hop producers from the San Francisco, California and Newport News, Virginia areas respectively...	Ridin High	The Times
	J Dilla J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...	Jay Stay Paid Jay Stay Paid Jay Stay Paid is an album from the late hip hop musician J Dilla, mixed like a radio show by Pete Rock. It is a posthumous album, but is his fourth album overall. It was released June 2, 2009 on Nature Sounds...	Smoke
	Waxolutionists	We Paint Colors	Steel Remains
	Tanya Morgan Tanya Morgan Tanya Morgan is an American hip hop group from which consists of MCs Donwill and Ilyas, and MC/producer Von Pea. Both Donwill and Ilyas are from Cincinnati, Ohio, while Von Pea is from Brooklyn, New York. Their debut album, Moonlighting, was acclaimed upon its release in 2006 .-History:Tanya Morgan...	Brooklynati Brooklynati Brooklynati is the third release from rap group Tanya Morgan, released by Interdependent Media/iM Culture. The album is based on the creation of a fictitious city combining elements from both Cincinnati, Ohio and Brooklyn, New York...	Morgan Blu
	Fashawn Fashawn Santiago Leyva , better known as Fashawn or Fash is an American Rapper from Fresno, California. He is best known for his debut album, Boy Meets World, which was produced entirely by one half of Emanon, Exile...	Boy Meets World Boy Meets World (album) Boy Meets World is the debut album by West Coast rapper Fashawn produced entirely by Exile, released by independent record label One Records on October 22, 2009...	Samsonite Man
	The Alchemist The Alchemist (producer) Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...	Chemical Warfare Chemical Warfare (album) - References :http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=47125...	Therapy (also featuring Evidence, Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...  & Kid Cudi Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the... )
	Andy Allo	Unfresh	DreamLand
2010	All City Chess Club		I'm Beamin' (Remix)
	TiRon	MSTRD	The Richers (also featuring Asher Roth Asher Roth Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper.-Early life:Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth , is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm... )
	The Roots The Roots The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...	How I Got Over How I Got Over (album) How I Got Over is the ninth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released June 22, 2010 on Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album was primarily handled by band members Black Thought, Questlove, Dice Raw, and Rick Friedrich during 2008 to 2009...	Radio Daze (featuring P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw)
			The Day (featuring Phonte & Patty Crash)
	Mumbles	Transformations/Illuminations	Never Ending
2011	Dela	Translation Lost	Lucy's&looseleafs
	Dela	Translation Lost	Whatuwanna
	Co$$	Before I Awoke	Born Again (featuring Sene)

External links