Nearly two decades after their first release, Blu & Exile have proved that their partnership has only gotten better with age. This is a brilliant hip-hop record that’s creative, witty, warm and packed with street wisdom. Where most corners of the gangsta rap world tend to give way to either braggadocio or nihilism, Time Heals Everything is full of soul, thankfulness, and bars. The whole album carries the same quality as Ice Cube’s Today Was A Good Day, except every day is a good day. Thematically this is still gangsta rap, with street tales and real life lessons, but it’s not poisonous. There’s no bragging about hardness or unnecessary ferocity, just warm wisdom as Exile’s production stays gorgeous and sunny with great scratching. Hard Times is a particular highlight with a cheeky piano line while Crumbs is built on a Slick Rick sample with the kind of hip-hop lesson that’s never lost its relevance about those with the money giving kids crumbs to sell drugs and kill each other while they rake in the real profits.

Blu is a fantastic storyteller with distinctive wit and consistently sharp bars, with the authority of someone who’s been doing this for a long time having found exactly the right partner to bring out the best in him. With references to God and gospel samples, gratitude runs through the whole record without feeling preachy, and the guest spots are great. The closing title track is so damn wholesome that it almost borders on classic Will Smith territory, the kind of joyful, good-natured hip-hop that almost nobody makes anymore. Time Heals Everything is a joyful, soulful and wise hip-hop record that tackles all the themes of the hardest street rap but comes out the other side with its soul completely intact. With Slick Rick and Jurassic 5 in the DNA, Blu & Exile are reminding us what hip-hop is when it’s made with love.