Win tix to see LIl' Wayne, Young Jeezy, NIcki MInaj and Soula Boy this Saturday August 15th at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord by following @imeem on twitter http://twitter.com/imeem

Then simply retweet (or copy and paste the text) from this tweet http://twitter.com/imeem/status/3234717106 into your twitter feed.

Good Luck!

Few rookie rappers in recent memory have made a first impression that rivals Blu's debut on 2007's Below The Heavens In Hell Happy With Your New Imaginary Friend..., an intensely personal, reflectively soulful work laced with entirely with production from Exile. An LA native raised all over the metro city area, 22 year old John Barnes linked with producer Exile via mutual friend Aloe Blacc (the other half of Ex's group Emanon) around 2005, and began recording the songs that eventually became "Below The Heavens".
--Tunji

Below the Heavens took a hold of my emotions (the experience) and ear (the lyrics) in a fashion that’s hasn’t been done since…since…well, ever. It would be cliché to say it’s the next coming of Illmatic. In reality, it’s nothing more then the unfiltered tale of John “Blu” Barnes, an emcee who will be deeply intertwined with the future of Hip Hop. If you haven’t already, take a moment to get to know Blu.
From the HipHopDX piece, "A kind of Blu" by John Burnett

Check out the entire LP below,

Travel with us to the streets of Los Angeles with refreshing hip hop duo U-N-I, two rare talents representing a new breed of LA hip hop.
Thurzday and Y-O take us to their hometown basketball court in sunny Inglewood, CA and introduce us to their fiercely original, upbeat music and style. Get to know the origins of the group, how LA affects their music and their thoughts on the local scene, and discover that the beauty of U-N-I's music lies in the balance between the two members' unique personalities.

Tunji

I Still Love Her
By Billy Johnson, Jr.

When I was 10 the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” came out. It never mattered to me or any other kids at Beulah Payne Elementary in Inglewood, California that Master Gee, Wonder Mike and Big Bank Hank weren’t from the West Coast. The sound was fresh and new. The sample of Chic’s “Good Times” was relevant and the reference to going “over to a friend’s house to eat” and being served chicken that tasted like wood was about the funniest thing this then fifth grader had ever heard on wax. I also didn’t harbor any bicoastal resentment against Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and definitely not Afrikaa Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force. I had them all on my pre-iPod punch tapes made from listening to L.A.’s original rap radio station KDAY.

Honestly, I had just as much love for the aforementioned as I did for other artists played on KDAY. I knew that Egyptian Lover, World Class Wrecking Cru, L.A. Dream Team, Toddy Tee and Rodney O and Joe Cooley were from the Los Angeles, but that wasn’t why they were dope. The L.A. Dream Team’s “Dream Team Is In The House” rocked the school dances and skating parties with its “Yo baby, yo baby, yo” catch phrase. Shoot, when Mercedes and I ran for Mr. and Miss Junior in 1985, she flipped it to “Vote baby, vote baby, vote” for our high school campaign posters and buttons, and we won.

I didn’t realize that everyone in the nation didn’t embrace West Coat hip-hop the same until years later when I read in Word Up magazine about NWA getting booed at the Apollo. I didn’t know that NWA would overcome such hurdles and still be a forerunner in establishing the gangsta rap sound that has since “defined” Los Angeles and birthed some of hip-hop’s most significant artists. It’s interesting to note that World Class Wrecking Cru bore Dr. Dre who joined NWA and left to establish his own empire that spawned Snoop Dogg, Eminem, the second coming of 50 Cent and The Game.

While the Pharcyde, Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, Aceyalone, and the Black Eyed Peas are among numerous other Los Angeles based hip-hop groups to find shine, it is interesting to see what’s happening on the scene today.

This segment of Keys 2 The City hits the streets with talented and acclaimed artists like Murs, U-N-I, Blu, Miguel Jontel, J Davey, Pac Div, Bishop Lamont, Crooked I, Peanut Butter Wolf, Glasses Malone, and The Game.

Aside from The Game, these highly regarded artists have yet to attain the media exposure necessary to catapult them to superstar status. But don’t despair. Major folks are taking notes--MTV, XXL, the Source, L.A.’s Power 106.

Over the next 2 months, you’ll watch these artists tell the stories that illustrate why they are the most sought after talent in the city. You’ll be proud to see how much Los Angeles has grown.

Raphael Saadiq brings you back to school, to his alma mater, Castlemont High. It was there that he met Professor Gregory Cole who basically forced him to play bass in the school’s jazz band after Raphael tried to go to Oakland High because “that’s where all the girls went.” In this first episode of “Keys 2 the City” Raphael reflects on the moments that him the musician he is today and takes you to the places where those transformations took place.

I‘ve never dripped sweat onto the floors of The Ukie, made it out to “Making Time,” got my fingers dusty at Armands, or stumbled across The Roots rockin’ the corner of 5th & Passyunk. I wasn’t there. So I live vicariously through you lucky few that were there or are there now. In an effort to exorcise my envy I started a project called Keys to the City focusing on Philly. And to do it right I enlisted the help of my two favorite Philly artists (the Roots and Diplo) and a website that basically taught me about hip-hop (okayplayer) to tell the story to the world wide interweb.

The Roots are as synonymous with Philadelphia as cheese steaks and water-ice. Over the last 15+ years they have evolved to become the epicenter of the Philadelphia music scene as the artists not just everyone in Philly look up to, but around the world.

Check out this exclusive Keys 2 the City interview with Black Thought and ?uestlove as they sound off on how they met, what it's like to play in Philly and what makes Illadelph so special.

The torch bearers for live instrumentation, The Roots keep the idea of the black band (in the sense of being recognizable and relevant) alive. Ten
major album releases deep and enough tours around the Globe to make your head spin, The Roots have earned their title as The Legendary. And in 2008, it's as if The Roots have just begun. On June 7th in their home town of Philly, the crew hosted their first ever all day festival dubbed The Roots Picnic.

Curated by the band, the festival brought together an eclectic group of some of the most revered artists in the country including Gnarls Barkley, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Deerhoof, The Cool Kids, J*DaVey, Esperanza Spalding, Dj Jazzy Jeff, Diplo, and more. Check out these exclusive webisodes from The Roots Picnic courtesy of Okayplayer.