Stream: Blu & Madlib – UCLA (2012)

Roughly two months after the release of “Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them“ together with partner-in-crime Exile, today Blu is back with another sneaky low-profile release. This time his long-awaited collaborative effort with Madlib.

When one of the most naturally blessed lyricists today joins forces with a phenomenal producer and they record an album together and release it out of nowhere, it reminds why why hip hop is still so relevant today. To expect anything less than substantial bars over breakthrough production would be outrageous and “UCLA” does not disappoint.

The fifteen tracks, some short raw material as well as full-length songs, are available digitally on Bandcamp for 15 dollar. The Bandcamp page notes February 22nd as official release date, so this is a pleasant early surprise. Stream “UCLA” in it’s entirety below and enjoy the fine cover while you’re at it.

Update: Unfortunately “UCLA” is now offline for unknown reasons. We’ll keep you posted about possible updates

Update: Please head over to Pitchfork for details about the sudden removal of this album