Los Angeles independent hip-hop icon Blu is releasing a joint album with producer Nottz this Friday. Afrika celebrates the history and culture of the continent and Blu’s connection to his ancestral home. “Marcus Garvey,” featuring Canadian and Detroit rappers Shad and Quelle Chris, is the first single to drop from the project. The reference to Garvey and his UNIA movement that advocated for Black Americans to migrate to Africa is the origin of their “Back To Africa” chant. The trio raps about the benefits of a mass motherland return over Nottz’s hard-slapping percussive beats embedded with samples of James Brown. Blu explains, 

“These are lyrics that I needed to express to those who support my music, so they can hold with them what I hold most important to who I am, African. I hope this project inspires many others to speak on the father and home of humanity, Afrika.” 

Blu and Nottz have previously collaborated on the Gods In The Spirits EP and the Titans In The Flesh EP. Afrika will be released Friday but CDs and limited edition colored vinyl can be pre-ordered now. Blu released another collaboration earlier this year, Bad News With Real Bad Man. 

Nottz has collaborated with Rah Digga, Rapsody, Ke Turner and Nikki Grier on his latest single “Black Woman.” Their fiery dedication to the lives of Black women is the first song to be revealed from Nottz’s forthcoming The Future Is Female. The producer had plans to record 10 songs exclusively with women but once he sent 36 beats to different emcees and received finished responses to each one he decided to keep them all. Nikki Grier is singing the hook on “Black Woman” while Rapsody, Rah Digga and Ke Turner do all the rapping. Ladybug Mecca, Estelle and Lady Luck are a few of the women who have also worked on the project. Nottz’s The Future Is Female might make him the first hip-hop producer to create a full-length album with all women artists.

 

[youtube id=”JMKNADxrwKM”] Evidence released his fifth solo album Weather Or Not earlier this year. Today he shares the next video from the album with the visuals for “Bad Publicity” featuring Krondon and produced by Nottz. The artist who usually raps as one-third of Dilated Peoples hangs out around an empty Los Angeles with Krondon who currently plays the role of villain Tobias Whale on The CW’s Black Lightning. Evidence is on tour this summer and tickets are on sale now. 

Blu and Nottz have made music together again with their Titans In The Flesh EP that comes out tomorrow. Their Gods In The Spirit EP from 2013 confirmed their status as underground rap stars and opened up plans for a sequel. Bishop Lamont, Skyzoo and Torae have guest appearances on the EP’s “Giant Steps” which is also an acknowledgement of John Coltrane’s album of the same name. Titans In The Flesh can be pre-ordered from iTunes.