iLL BLU have come a long way since their UK funky days. Having emerged in the late 2000s, production duo iLL BLU—aka James Grant and Darius Ellington—have played vital roles in UK club music, straddling the underground and the mainstream to help shape everything from UK funky to drill to house music. Now, more than a decade after they rose from the ashes of G*Fam, the pair have just dropped their debut mixtape, The Bluprint.
It’s a monumental achievement for iLL BLU, and the all-star list of features—which includes Unknown T, Krept & Konan, and OFB—adds yet more weight to their status as two of the most influential producers in British music. Elsewhere on the project, MoStack, Donae’O, Wretch 32, Jillionaire, The Mitchell Brothers, M24, Loski, ZieZie, Sneakbo, Aisa, Dolapo, Ay Em, Zeph, C. Tangana, Geko, Loick Essien, Aida Lee, Nia V and DJ Win also feature.
