York (album)

For the album by The Foetus Symphony Orchestra, see York (First Exit to Brooklyn).

2013 studio album by Blu

York

Studio album by

Blu

Released| March 26, 2013
Recorded| 2010–11
Genre|

* Hip hop
* experimental hip hop
* lo-fi

Length| 59:00
Label| Sire/Warner Bros
New World Color
Producer|

* Exile
* Flying Lotus
* Samiyam
* Madlib
* Daedelus
* Dibia$e
* Knxwledge
* Shafiq Husayn

Blu chronology
| j e s u s
(2011)  | York
(2013)  | Gods In the Spirit
(2013)

|
|

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 78/100[1]
Review scores
Source| Rating
Allmusic| [2]
Pitchfork Media| 8.1/10[3]
Popmatters| 9/10[4]
Rap Reviews| 6/10[5]

York (originally titled NoYork!) is the second studio album by American rapper Blu. The album was initially leaked during the Rock The Bells tour in August 2011,[6][7] and officially released in 2013.[8]

## Background

[edit]

Blu was still under contract with Sire/Warner Bros in 2011, but as the LA Times noted "the slashing collection of songs was nowhere near commercial enough to ever see major label release".[9] A few weeks later, Barnes was released from his Sire/Warner Bros. contract, although demo copies were pressed.[3] Later officially released through New World Color on March 26, 2013.[8][10] The album was also released as a vinyl 4-LP set with three additional songs, "Jazmine", "Jazzmen" and "Ronald Morgan".[11]

While Blu is the featured artist he was found to be "tapping a cadre of California instrumental hip-hop luminaries (...) of the Los Angeles beat scene".[3] Many of them featured at the Low End Theory music club.[4] These included the performers U-God, Jack Davey, Sa-Ra, Nola Darling, Cashus King, Suziana Lounge, Chop, Cherry Pop, Tiombe Lockhart, Exile, Jimetta Rose, Donel Smokes, Definite Mass, Dubble Oh, Niaa Andrews, Andy Allo, Edan, El Prez, Pac Div, Uni, J Davey, Tiron, & Ayomari.[11]

The artwork uses a photomontage by the Japanese artist Tsunehisa Kimura titled The City Welcomes a Fresh Morning, which depicts New York City being engulfed in a waterfall.[12]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Jeff Weiss of the LA Times described the leaked version as touching "upon soul, jazz and straight up boom-bap rap, with Blu alternately nostalgic and forward-minded. It's an album more sincerely strange than any of the more straightforwardly weird records that are all the rage".[9] David Amidon described this first release as "a sound that can’t currently be compared to any other vocal hip-hop album of measurable consequence, a decidedly original experience".[4] Craig Jenkins described the official release as "the physical document of that time a gifted rapper blew off a promising record deal to geek out in the studio with friends and then came out with one of the defining documents of his scene".[3]

Jason Lymangrover at allmusic.com was less enthusiastic and found that if the album "could be considered a success based solely on ambition, this would be a masterpiece, but as it stands, there are so many frills and guests clouding up the scenery that it’s hard to place Blu's voice among all the mess".[2] While Steve Juon of Rap Reviews warns that "Caution is advised - Blu's brand of hip-hop on this one's not for everybody".[5]

## Track listing

[edit]

Standard Edition

No.| Title| Producer| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Doin' Nothin'" (featuring U-God)| Flying Lotus| 2:41
2.| "Everything's OK" (featuring Jack Davey)| Flying Lotus| 2:58
3.| "Everybody Nose" (featuring Sa-Ra & Nola Darling)| Samiyam| 3:43
4.| "Above Crenshaw" (featuring Co$$)| Samiyam| 4:04
5.| "SLNGBNGrs"| Dibia$e| 2:59
6.| "Soupa" (featuring Suzi Analogue)| Samiyam| 3:08
7.| "Hours"| Daedelus| 3:58
8.| "Annie Hall" (featuring Chop, Brooker T & Tiombe Lockhart)| Daedelus| 4:04
9.| "Tags" (featuring Exile)| Exile| 3:21
10.| "Spring Winter Summer Fall" (featuring Jimetta Rose)| Shafiq Husayn| 5:26
11.| "Down to Earth" (featuring Definite, Donel Smokes & Dubble Oh)| Shafiq Husayn| 3:20
12.| "My Sunshine" (featuring Nia Andrews)| Shafiq Husayn| 3:27
13.| "Keep Pushinn"| Knxwledge| 3:09
14.| "Doin' Something" (featuring El Prez, Pac Div, U-N-I, J*Davey, Tiron & Ayomari)| Flying Lotus| 6:03

Vinyl EditionNo.| Title| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Doin' Nothin'" (featuring U-God)| Flying Lotus| 2:41
2.| "Everything's OK" (featuring Jack Davey)| Flying Lotus| 2:58
3.| "Everybody Nose" (featuring Sa-Ra & Nola Darling)| Samiyam| 3:43
4.| "Above Crenshaw" (featuring Co$$)| Samiyam| 4:04
5.| "SLNGBNGrs"| Dibia$e| 2:59
6.| "Soupa" (featuring Suzi Analogue)| Samiyam| 3:08
7.| "Hours"| Daedelus| 3:58
8.| "Annie Hall" (featuring Cherry Pop & Tiombe Lockhart)| Daedelus| 4:04
9.| "Tags" (featuring Exile)| Exile| 3:21
10.| "Spring Winter Summer Fall" (featuring Jimetta Rose)| Shafiq Husayn| 5:26
11.| "Down to Earth" (featuring Definite, Donel Smokes & Dubble Oh)| Shafiq Husayn| 3:20
12.| "My Sunshine" (featuring Nia Andrews)| Shafiq Husayn| 3:27
13.| "Jazmine" (featuring Andy Allo)| Samiyam| 1:15
14.| "Jazzmen"| Madlib| 2:28
15.| "Ronald Morgan" (featuring Edan)| Madlib| 3:19
16.| "Keep Pushinn"| Knxwledge| 3:09
17.| "Doin' Something" (featuring El Prez, Pac Div, U-N-I, J*Davey, Tiron & Ayomari)| Flying Lotus| 6:03

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "NoYork! Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
2. ^ a b Allmusic review
3. ^ a b c d Jenkins, Craig. "Blu: NoYork! | Album Reviews". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
4. ^ a b c Amidon, David (February 16, 2012). "Blu: NoYork!". Popmatters. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
5. ^ a b Juon, Steve (April 23, 2013). "Blu: York!". Rap Reviews. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
6. ^ "Blu Gives NoYork to the People for Free". The Smoking Section. UPROXX. August 23, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
7. ^ "Blu (2) - NoYork! (2011 version)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
8. ^ a b "Blu (2) - NoYork! (2013 CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
9. ^ a b Weiss, Jeff (September 13, 2011). "The jagged Low End rap of Blu's 'NoYork!' mixtape". Pop & Hiss. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
10. ^ "iTunes - Music - York by Blu". Retrieved 26 March 2013.
11. ^ a b "Blu (2) - NoYork! (4LP version)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
12. ^ Coulthart, John (November 4, 2010). "Design as virus 13: Tsunehisa Kimura". { feuilleton }. Retrieved 2015-11-18. "The composition has been used for a number of albums, including Zonoscope and Site Anubis"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group
* 2

|

*[No.]: Number