Californian hip hop artist Blu is not just an MC. He is in fact a very talented MC. Blu is a throwback to vintage A Tribe Called Quest’s style of emceeing with an articulate, accessible, smooth mix of soul and hip hop. He’s a master at evoking the full range of human emotion – rage, humour, angst and joy – without sounding emotional.

I first heard his music a few years ago when an old friend gave me a bunch of old hip hop records to listen to, and “Her Favourite Color” was the stand-out record for me. Still in his twenties, he’s almost like the underdog in the hip hop game, even though he’s been around for years, having worked with the likes of Exile, The Roots, and Flying Lotus. If you’ve never heard of this cat, make sure you get acquainted with his music because he is definitely one to have in your record collection. But before that, get to know him as a person when we managed to grab some time out with the influential artist and asked him 13 Questions.

1. Who are you and how would you describe yourself?
I am Blu, and I’d say I’m cool yo, yea cool.

2. Let’s get straight into it and talk about “NO YORK!” – how did the concept for the album come about and how would you describe the creative process of it?
The concept came to me as an art tag that I put on a piece I painted, the process of creating this record was new. For one, I consider my first solo, with different producers, half the album’s beats consist of beats that were already released as instrumentals, and me being a fan and friend of most producers I worked with, I was eager to rip any open beat I could find.

3. How do you continue to find the inspiration / motivation to write? Where does your creativity draw from?
I would say my inspiration comes from other music and a feeling I get or a visual I get when I hear a beat. It’s all about the picture I see before I start the song and then I compare it to how it actually turns out, and usually the closer to the original idea, the better the song ends up.

4. How do you feel about the current state of hip hop?
I feel it’s in a heavy growth period, like the big boom just hit and producers and rappers are everywhere again. The only problem nowadays is finding a home for them all.

5. What are your top 5 favourite records – ever?

• Curtis Mayfield Live
• Jao Gilberto and Stan Getz
• Supreme Clientele (Ghostface Killah)
• Sun Ra’s The Sound of Joy
• Illmatic

6. Are there ever any plans to go back into the recording studio with Exile?
Yes, we are planning on touching up some older music we never released and also, we plan on creating more music.

7. Is there anyone that you’d be interested in working with that you haven’t yet?
DJ Premier

8. Which song(s) have you written that holds the most meaning to you and why?

• “Soul Amazing” – Because it defined my style and sound for so long
• “Up All Night” – Because it was how I really always saw myself, as the smoothest battle emcee
• “Amnesia” – Because it’s my most poetic piece to date.

9. What’s one thing people would be surprised to find out about Blu?
I bang trap music!

10. If you had the opportunity to tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would it be?
Do what you did and don’t look back. It’s only haters back there, supporters grow with you.

11. Do you have any plans to come back to our Australian shores any time soon?
It would be nice to visit the 5th bluest sky in the entire world, it was a very comforting environment last visit.

12. What’s next for you in 2012 and beyond?
More music, and more focus outside of music, establishing myself as a bigger brand.

13. How do you want to be remembered?
As dope.