Blackalicious

As part of the Quannum Projects collective that grew out of NorCal's legendary Solesides Crew -- which counted not just Blackalicious but also Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truthspeaker and DJ Shadow as members -- the dynamic hip-hop duo of Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel have taken their sweet time crafting not mere albums, but sonic messages to the unwise, whether they're knucklehead rappers or secular citizens. As Gab rhymes on The Craft's opening missive "World of Vibrations," "Don't blame me for the slang and the words/God writes these rhymes through me/I just listen to him." Which may sound more than a bit presumptuous, but Gab and Xcel have made a career out of pious hip-hop where others have failed, proving once again that just because you can't blame God for the crap that happens to you, you can still cite him as the primary reason for your good times and fortune.

Take "Supreme People," the song that immediately follows "Vibrations," for example: It's a convincing litany of injustice brought upon blacks worldwide, but none of it occurs at the hand of God. And so goes the usual Blackalicious conundrum, one that fans and detractors alike had to negotiate on the mostly superior Nia and Blazing Arrow before it: Is there room for straight hip-hop skills amongst the didactic instant-messaging? The answer, as always, is hell yes. As much as Gab's religiosity can sometimes paint him into a corner, his phenomenal gift for breakneck wordplay helps him bust right out of it. His tongue-twisting turns on "Lotus Flower" (which enjoys a space-funk accompaniment by none other than George Clinton, Dr. Funkenstein himself), "Rhythm Sticks," and the braggadocio-soaked "Your Move" continue to cement his legacy as one of the most potent MCs in the game. And then there's Chief Xcel, whose stellar production, one that eschews the glitchy waste of current rap soundscaping in favor of true-school drum tracking, keeps the vibe on The Craft not just relevant but massive. The breakdown smack dab in the middle of "World of Vibrations" seems to owe as much to the Bomb Squad as it does to Pink Floyd. The piano funk of "Automatique" (with ethereal vocal support from Floetry) is as addictive as its preceding track "Side to Side" (featuring Quannum homey Lateef, of course) is frenetic and contagious.

Together, Gab and Xcel make some moving, beautiful, ass-shaking music, and it's a complete pity that 50 Cent can sleepwalk his way through an album and rake in millions while Blackalicious, with its heart, head, beats and wordcraft all in the right place, can't catch a break on MTV or BET. If God truly is smiling down on Blackalicious, you'd think he'd give them a bit more airplay. As one of the most consistently entertaining and uplifting hip-hop acts in the mix today, they more than deserve it. They've earned it. - Scott Thill, Morphizm.com

OutKast was only one of many rap artists to gain a profile among music fans of all stripes, even as they sold millions of records, but it must have been difficult for those in the hip-hop underground to greet their general commercial breakout with equanimity rather than jealousy. Big Boi and Andre 3000 became paragons of cool among teenagers and 30-somethings, owned the ears and wallets of generalist listeners as well as the critical cognoscenti, and earned glowing features in The Source and Rolling Stone. No doubt the San Francisco duo Blackalicious were watching OutKast as first Stankonia and then Speakerboxxx/The Love Below began crossing over, and though Blackalicious already commanded respect from thousands of hip-hop fans, their third full LP found them seeking out new audiences with a slightly greater emphasis on radio-ready pop (courtesy of soon-to-be single "Powers," a dead ringer for "Hey Ya"). For several tracks, producer Chief Xcel recruited the elements of a funk band to shoulder the weight usually carried by his unerring sampling sense, and the guitars-and-beats formula works very well (not least because Xcel and rapper Gift of Gab feel free to desert the formula periodically). Although Gift of Gab reveals a slight lack of material one year on from his first solo record, the band format helps Gab find different ways to deliver his vocals -- avoiding the crutch of his flashy speed raps from previous records. While the first half of the album may sound like a watered-down Blazing Arrow, everything picks up when the duo unveil two of the grooviest message tracks since Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City" in "The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown" and "Black Diamonds and Pearls." As on Blazing Arrow, they make the most of an influences track by recruiting an elderly, potentially unstable performer -- here George Clinton, there Gil Scott-Heron -- by minimizing their contributions (but not their impact). ~ John Bush, All Music Guide