Artist: Billy Blue
Street Album: Blumanatti
Label: Poe Boy Music Group

Last year’s ‘36 Reasons: Reloaded’ was voted the hottest mixtape of the summer of 2010, that tape alone set ablaze all across Florida making it a permanent mark amongst the masses that Billy Blue was that up and coming Hip-Hop Artist to be reckoned with. That milestone paved way into first quarter 2011, months after the release of ‘36 Reasons: Reloaded,’ word spread that Blue was already in the studio prepping his next masterpiece. It wasn’t before long when the executives at Poe Boy decided it was time to officially drop ‘Go Gangsta’ as a prelude into what’s next to hit the streets and the industry.

‘Blumanatti’ is said to deal on the personal side of Billy Blue with the struggles and the demons within his surroundings. Each and every track details a story into his life, before the music, during the music, and the future into his music, it takes you on a journey through the hood, onto the yard, and going from rags to riches. Blue leads you into his mind as he paints a picture for you through lyrics and allows you to see and understand a side of him that only the streets know. He narrates events with his closest kin, losing his very best friends, and coping with life in the streets.  

The pivotal hard hitting ‘Go Gangsta’ set the template for the anticipation into the release. The Renegades provided the production behind Billy Blue’s elemental delivery style on a single that anticipated the prelude. ‘Ridaz and Slidaz continues on that same path setting the tone for a real fast paced single that discusses that of the people in his hood, the people that he grew up, from the East side to the West side, North side and South side. To all his Ridaz and Slidaz that roll with him on daily basis, this was dedicated to them. Both ‘Go Gangsta,’ and ‘Ridaz And Slidaz’ give an depth idea of the hood around him.

Young Juve goes in on the production behind ‘Fuck Yo Nigga’ as Jimmy Dade provides the obvious blow for blow vocals on the hook. The dark synthesized organs in the intro sets the tone into a powerful lyrical delivery that Blue spits above a track that is a pace all on it’s on, especially from the straight to the point title. It’s hard not to feel the Pain that Blue is spitting through a story of death and loss on that of ‘No Pain.’ You heard hear the pain in his voice as he narrates losing his best friend right in front of his eyes and growing without his mother or his father.
Opa Locka Goon, Brisco, adds his verse to the track expressing his personal demons. Both artists exhibit almost a similar struggle all atop a sample originally sang by the soulful talents of Betty Wright.

‘See Me Now,’ reminisces back to the first time we heard Billy Blue on a track with the production talents of Supernova. It just goes to show that Blue never lost it, as matter of fact he perfected it, even all the way down to the content that he is spitting on the track. This fast paced track is a sure fire way to catch anyone’s attention especially if your bass is on point in your trunk. ‘Make Me or Break Me’ is another joint that puts Blue on a whole different level. Listen to his delivery and the story behind it. Ghostwridah lends his versatile rhymes to the track.

Poe Boy recording artists Jase and Stephie Lecor from the multi-talented pop group Kulture Shock add their vocal talents to tracks ‘Gotta Have It’ and ‘Ghetto Dreamin’’ respectively. ‘Gotta Have It’ is a more vibin’ bounce track that exhibits that of perfect example of rags to riches compared to that of the more personal ‘Ghetto Dreamin’ that deals directly with wishing of way out of the hood, wishin and hoping of reaching to stardom, even making it out alive. The classic piano intro sets the tone onto what Blue is expressing, “All my life I’ve been Ghetto Dreamin.’”

All in all, ‘Blumanatti,’ has a balance of both excitement and struggle, it deals with all aspects of life that puts any person right in middle of personal and public reality. Between the production that was chosen to grace the track, to the inspirational lyrics Blue spits above each powerful beat. Respectively, they fill his element undeniably, the concept and the substance is there. With every track, a picture is painted for you through lyrics giving you a visual idea of the events he has endured throughout his life, past, present, and future. ‘Blumanatti’ has arrived.

Notable Tracks: ‘Priceless,’ ‘Rozay Money,’ ‘My City,’ ‘Life I Know,’ and ‘Me and My Homies.’