York | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 26, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2010–11 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 59:00 | |||
Label | Sire/Warner Bros New World Color | |||
Producer | ||||
Blu chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 78/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
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]
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]
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$$) | Samiyam | 4:04 |
5. | "SLNGBNGrs" | Dibia$e | 2:59 |
6. | "Soupa" (featuring Suzi Analogue) | Samiyam | 3:08 |
7. | "Hours" | Daedelus | 3:58 |
8. | "Annie Hall" (featuring Chop, Brooker T & Tiombe Lockhart) | Daedelus | 4:04 |
9. | "Tags" (featuring Exile) | Exile | 3:21 |
10. | "Spring Winter Summer Fall" (featuring Jimetta Rose) | Shafiq Husayn | 5:26 |
11. | "Down to Earth" (featuring Definite, Donel Smokes & Dubble Oh) | Shafiq Husayn | 3:20 |
12. | "My Sunshine" (featuring Nia Andrews) | Shafiq Husayn | 3:27 |
13. | "Keep Pushinn" | Knxwledge | 3:09 |
14. | "Doin' Something" (featuring El Prez, Pac Div, U-N-I, J*Davey, Tiron & Ayomari) | Flying Lotus | 6:03 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Doin' Nothin'" (featuring U-God) | Flying Lotus | 2:41 |
2. | "Everything's OK" (featuring Jack Davey) | Flying Lotus | 2:58 |
3. | "Everybody Nose" (featuring Sa-Ra & Nola Darling) | Samiyam | 3:43 |
4. | "Above Crenshaw" (featuring Co$$) | 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 |