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I wont go on and on about how this album has changed my life, because it totally might not have the same effect on you. But only a few select albums (Muddy Waters, Operation Doomsday, and Midnight Marauders) have gotten this much endless spin from me. I already know some of the songs verbatim and I still get amped every time I hear them. This has been my saving grace this spring, being played at least once a week if not more. Blu is a beast on the rhymes, Exile is a beast on production and this album is an experience to behold. I cant nearly afford to buy music right now, but I might purchase this anyway for the sake of supporting.

Here's a track by track rundown of the advance copy with ratings

1) My World Is - An introduction on who he is, what he's here to do and why he's here to do it. The "Blu...blu...my woooorld is blu!" sample is killing. - @@@@ 1/2

2) Simply Amazin - Murderous battle rapping, attacking the mic with reckless abandon. Boom bap heaven - @@@@@

3) Juice n Dranks - Blu and Ta'Raach (aka C.R.A.C. Knuckles) exchange heat over a laid back beat. This is cool, but not outstanding. - @@@@

4) Cold Hearted - An introspective winner about tough times he's seen with his family, the soulful singing of Miguel Jontel brings it all together wonderfully. It's a bit hard to understand what exactly his rhyming is about, it requires a close listen. - @@@@ 1/2

5) Good Life - A song about struggling towards betterment through the tough times. I can relate heavily to the first verse. - @@@@ 1/2

6) Blu Colla Workers - Again I can relate to balancing life, women and the work grind. Upsetting a woman because she feels like you arent doing enough? Yeah I relate. Amazingly enough this could work at a "backpack" party, it has somewhat of a club kind of vibe to it. - @@@@ 1/2

7) I Am - One of 2007's best Hip-Hop songs, period. The beat is a light piano but boy does it knock and the way Blu structures his verses with the vocal sample is nothing short of amazing. He breaks down his life as a man, as a person, as a MC, and all other facets not to mention shouting out De La Soul and naming books from The Bible. Wait until they namedrop where the sample comes from (listen close to the verses when the beat changes) - @@@@@

8) Dancing In The Rain - I always liked this song but DonDub (for the two shoes) made me an even bigger fan. An anthem for pushing on and holding your head through life's struggles. The guitar is beautiful - @@@@@

9) Party Of Two - As a man, I dont want to hear that many "girl" records from such a talented dude. But I can relate to lusting after someone, recently even. His rhymes were still on point and the beat is hitting. - @@@@ 1/4

10) No Greater Love - Forget about it, cancel Christmas. This song knocked Talib Kweli's "Wont You Stay" from the top spot as my favorite Hip-Hop love record of all time. I cant even put into words how this record affected me. The beat and rhymes came together on some personal earth shattering shit. - @@@@@

11) The Narrow Path - An anthem for every underdog out there. You wanna talk about knock? You wanna talk about spitting? - @@@@@

12) In Remembrance - Heavenly introspection, you cant listen to this without smiling. - @@@@@

13) First Things First - Another girl record, on some honest courting shit. It's cool, but again not exactly what I want to hear from him. - @@@@ 1/4

14) Soul Amazin - Again, it's hard to talk about a song like this without overhyping it. Donwill said it took him back to the first time he heard "It Aint Hard To Tell". This is beautiful though - @@@@@

15) Life Is A Gamble - This is strong, but it's hard to follow some of the other songs that are on the album. - @@@@ 1/2

16) The World Is - He pays tribute to Nas and Pete Rock, and sets out to save souls. A very strong closer breaking down the concept of the album's title. - @@@@@

Update: Peamobile just informed me that it drops July 31st, but it'll still be on Itunes next week. As well "Party of Two" and "Life Is A Gamble" arent making the final cut. All of that aside, cop it or regret sleeping later. You have no right to complain about the state of Hip-Hop when albums like this exist, this takes you back to the era of complete efforts on the part of rapping and prodction. This will likely be my #1 LP of 2007 and it's already landed a place in my personal all-time top 10.