Blackalicious, the duo of
rapper Gift of Gab (Tim Parker) and producer Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley),
formed at the University of California at Davis (near Sacramento),
established a lyrical and nostalgic hip-hop style with the
EPs Melodica (1995) and A2G (1999).
The duo were members of the collective Quannum with DJ Shadow and others, documented on Spectrum (1999).
Blackalicious' first album, the double LP Nia (1999), reprises the second EP
and came out when DJ Shadow's Endtroducing (1996) had already become a classic.
The album (whose title "nia" means "purpose" in Swahili)
opens with the Funkadelic-style sermon Searching over jazzy flute and piano.
and closes with the
positive, uplifting message of
Finding over flamenco guitar.
The journey from that beginning to that ending starts with the
swaggering and "conscious" The Fabulous Ones,
and terminates with the somnolent funk-jazzy As The World Turns, a medley of three obscure samples plus a female refrain by soul singer Erinn Anova.
Do This My Way, produced by Tsutomu "Lyrics Born" Shimura, is the first highlight, a breathless multi-flow rigmarole over spare beats of "acid" syncopation.
Chief Xcel's intricate production shines in A To G, where samples of
drums, piano, guitar and female vocals obscure the lyrics.
The cryptic fairy tale Cliff Hanger, produced by DJ Shadow, indulges in a sinister atmosphere over old-school beats.
The melancholic "ballad" Shallow Days sinks into a laid-back jazzy atmosphere built around a soulful piano loop.
Gift of Gab's multi-flow is on display again in You Didn't Know That Though, counterbalanced by an Afro-soul choir over a bouncy funky rhythm.
Smithzonian Institute Of Rhyme opens with the groove of Fela Kuti's Colonial Mentality for the drunk tone of the rapper.
Deception is the folk tale about the rise and fall of a young rapper over stubborn piano strumming and complemented by a choral refrain.
Making Progress indulges in echoes of 1970s soul and vintage synth noise.
Another highlight of production is the spaced-out psychedelic
Dream Seasons, with a sinister break and a cinematic coda.
It was followed by the slick but overall inferior Blazing Arrow (2002),
mainly because the emphasis was on Gift of Gab's lyrics instead of the sound.
Co-producers Questlove, DJ Shadow, Hi-Tek, Ben Harper, and Cut Chemist do their best but only
Blazing Arrow and Chemical Calisthenics truly stand out in a 74-minute album.
Chief Xcel's beats are generally simpler and lazier.
The rapper goes for virtuoso wordplay and melodrama with
the nine-minute multi-suite "Release", and is highly effective in
ballads like Make You Feel That Way and Purest Love.
Gift of Gab's first solo album Fourth Dimensional Rocketships Going Up (2004) is erudite and
eccentric.
Maroons were the duo of
Chief Xcel and Lateef the Truthspeaker, documented on
Ambush (2004).
Blackalicious' The Craft (2005) displays a
strong funk-rock influence and an increased use of live instrumentation,
resulting in
the bouncy Powers and the propulsive Egosonic War Drums,
complemented by
the adventurous Side to Side and the
melodrama Black Diamonds and Pearls.
Gift Of Gab's Escape 2 Mars (2009) is a disappointing work, despite
the instrumental spleen of producer Dnae Beats. He still recorded
The Next Logical Progression (2012) and
Finding Inspiration Somehow (2021).
Burning House was the duo of Herve' Salters and Chief Xcel, documented on
Walking Into a Burning House (2013).
Parker died in 2021.
