Blackalicious: RAPRESEARCH.COM
Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel are true hip-hopwrights; that is, they are masters of their craft. This album is a complete spelunking of the aural cavities, exposing fresh collaboration of Xcel’s musical mastery and Gab’s punctilious lyrics. I would not recommend this album for “rap” fans. No, this is not the typical sound of popular music, but rather follows in the steps of Outkast’s Aquemini or Common’s Electric Circus. The Craft is a highly detailed and specialized CD full of risky exploration and tempting images. Being the duo’s fifth album, Blackalicious’ evolution renders a deeper consciousness at eye-level.
Opening with the catchy “World of Vibrations,” Gab’s identifiable voice nimbly jumps through the hoops provided by Chief Xcel. Multi-syllabic rhymes are characteristic of his flow, and at times the precision he provides with each cadence is jaw-dropping. “Rhythm Sticks,” in particular, showcases his definite skills with the microphone as he spells out the group’s name with introspective and awakening excitement. He doesn’t lie when proclaiming, “MCs are puppets, Me I’m Jim Henson.” Pulling strings of awesome alliteration coupled with powerful breath control, Gift of Gab has the ability to nod heads and drop jaws. Sometimes, I think he exceeds his boundaries with over-developed internal rhymes like “the science applying this, high in the sky in this, pilots flying this, dilate iris.” You know the saying… too much of a good thing. The other half of the group, the producer with a composer’s mind and a director’s eye, Chief Xcel, brings forth his most impressive arrangement of tracks to date. I love the meshing of different sounds from the composite 90s street sound on “Supreme People” to the rocking feel of “Powers.”
He is truly a breath of fresh air for music developers of our time and I see his exercises setting the bar for modern producers. Working with a live band in the studio has its benefits, and Xcel reaps them all on this one. From start to finish, Gab attempts a story telling approach, juxtaposed to his previous work of “Paragraph President” or “Alphabet Aerobics.” This factor adds levels to the consistency of the entire LP. Also, they utilize fewer guest appearances on The Craft to give the listener a more indiscriminate presentation. I have to give honourable mention to the girls of Floetry, who with their beautiful voices christened “Automatique,” making it one of the choice cuts of the album. The experimentation is very challenging, for instance, the unconventional delivery of “Egosonic Wardrums” or the accelerating intention of “The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown.” It would be nice to say this album was exactly what I expected from the Quannum affiliates, but I can’t. And that’s the beauty of it.
Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel are true hip-hopwrights; that is, they are masters of their craft. This album is a complete spelunking of the aural cavities, exposing fresh collaboration of Xcel’s musical mastery and Gab’s punctilious lyrics. I would not recommend this album for “rap” fans. No, this is not the typical sound of popular music, but rather follows in the steps of Outkast’s Aquemini or Common’s Electric Circus. The Craft is a highly detailed and specialized CD full of risky exploration and tempting images. Being the duo’s fifth album, Blackalicious’ evolution renders a deeper consciousness at eye-level.
Opening with the catchy “World of Vibrations,” Gab’s identifiable voice nimbly jumps through the hoops provided by Chief Xcel. Multi-syllabic rhymes are characteristic of his flow, and at times the precision he provides with each cadence is jaw-dropping. “Rhythm Sticks,” in particular, showcases his definite skills with the microphone as he spells out the group’s name with introspective and awakening excitement. He doesn’t lie when proclaiming, “MCs are puppets, Me I’m Jim Henson.” Pulling strings of awesome alliteration coupled with powerful breath control, Gift of Gab has the ability to nod heads and drop jaws. Sometimes, I think he exceeds his boundaries with over-developed internal rhymes like “the science applying this, high in the sky in this, pilots flying this, dilate iris.” You know the saying… too much of a good thing. The other half of the group, the producer with a composer’s mind and a director’s eye, Chief Xcel, brings forth his most impressive arrangement of tracks to date. I love the meshing of different sounds from the composite 90s street sound on “Supreme People” to the rocking feel of “Powers.”
He is truly a breath of fresh air for music developers of our time and I see his exercises setting the bar for modern producers. Working with a live band in the studio has its benefits, and Xcel reaps them all on this one. From start to finish, Gab attempts a story telling approach, juxtaposed to his previous work of “Paragraph President” or “Alphabet Aerobics.” This factor adds levels to the consistency of the entire LP. Also, they utilize fewer guest appearances on The Craft to give the listener a more indiscriminate presentation. I have to give honourable mention to the girls of Floetry, who with their beautiful voices christened “Automatique,” making it one of the choice cuts of the album. The experimentation is very challenging, for instance, the unconventional delivery of “Egosonic Wardrums” or the accelerating intention of “The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown.” It would be nice to say this album was exactly what I expected from the Quannum affiliates, but I can’t. And that’s the beauty of it.