Blackalicious
 

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C'mon, a group as phenomenal as Blackalicious deserve some kind of a write up. You can't expect anybody to just wander into a thread and click on every video without any reason. For people unaware as to who they are here's a little write up on them:

Blackalicious are a traditional hip hop duo consisting of Chief Xcel as the DJ and Gift of Gab as the MC. They are one of the most intelligent rap groups out there that stray away from the lyrical content of most mainstream hip hop songs. Gab is an incredibly talented wordsmith who truly lives up to his name. His style is a perfect blend of abstract, spiritual, and metaphysical. Chief Xcel is one of my favourite beat makers who is heavily influenced by soul music and will often sample various soul female vocals or beats to add. They've put out three LP's along with at least two EP's that I'm aware of and one DVD that was recorded on 4/20. Their sophomore album, Blazing Arrows is widely regarded as their magnum opus however after really sitting down and listening to their last release, The Craft I've really started to like it more and more.

Most people know how big of a Gift of Gab fanboy I am and with good reason. Blackalicious were the first alternative hip hop group that into to the point where I felt compelled to learn as much as I can about other like minded hip hop artists. In fact, it was the song "Alphabet Aerobics" that made me fall in love with his style and have been passing it on ever since. The label that they're signed to, Quannum Projects, which has a lot of other really talented hip hop artists like Lyrics Born & Lateef the Truth Speaker (Better known as Latryx) and DJ Shadow. I have yet to discover everyone from this hip hop collective, but I have not been disappointed from what they've provided.

Back in September I made a Beginner's Guide for Gift of Gab which included a lot of stuff from Blackalicious, here's a link to the post which has a list of the songs I chose and the download. Blackalicious is one of my favourite hip hop groups and I wish more people on music banter knew about them.

http://www.musicbanter.com/general-m...tml#post734047

do you feel that the Quammum collective are getting too mainstream with their sounds?

consider The Craft, Escape 2 Mars, or the last several albums/mixtapes that Lyrics Born has put out. their sound has changed a lot in the last 10 years. i guess i'd say that Lyrics Born has softened up more than Gift of Gab, but they're both really becoming "poppy" for lack of a better word.

i'm not sure if i'm complaining about this or not. The Craft is a really great album. Escape 2 Mars is phenomenal. but when you look at them side by side with the early stuff, they just don't compare. i mean, listen to Melodica or Latyrx - The Album. or even Solesides Greatest Bumps. those are some down and dirty rhymes!

now mix up Variety Show Season Pho, Truth Is Love, and Escape 2 Mars. it's a whole different world.

i understand that artists evolve. and that it's 10 years on. i just miss the old Quannum. the DJ Shadow days. oh yeah :D

I agree. Having discovered Blackalicious shortly after Nia was released, nothing has ever really held up to that album for me. Blazing Arrow and The Craft are both good albums, but nothing the collective have done in the past 10 years has quite lived up to the stride they hit right at the beginning of their career.

Ummmm I just fell in love. And I don't even listen to rap!!

Why not?

If you're going to post up a video post up passion. That track was fire.

Great group, great artists, great lyricists.

I larrrrve Blackalicious. Great write up, pete.

Gift of Gab is a fantastic rapper.

I'm not a rap fan, but Blazing Arrow is an amazing track.