Blackalicious, “The Craft”: I was worried about the Quannum projects. With artists such as Gift of Gab, Chief Xcel, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Lyrics Born and the Lifesavas contributing songs to Coca Cola commercials, and other previously indie groups like the Black Eyed Peas going overtly pop, I prayed to the powers of good beats and rhythm that Quannum wasn’t headed down the same path.
But with the release of “The Craft,” the third LP from the clan’s illustrious duo Blackalicious (lyricist Gift of Gab and DJ Chief Xcel), I breathed a sigh of relief, because all corporate advertising aside, the music is still supreme.
Xcel’s beats on the album – from staccato tracks like “Rhythm Sticks” and “Your Move” (featuring The Lifesavas), to the groovy Lotus Flower (featuring funk god George Clinton), to the straight circus-like Side-to-Side (featuring Lateef and Pigeon John) – have an overall buoyancy that carries it from start to finish.
Gift of Gab stays true to his name, spitting lines that are as poetic and pensive as ever. However, his lyrics in the song “Black Diamonds and Pearls,” which pulls from Nas and Lauryn Hill’s 1996 release “If I Ruled the World,” hit hardest on the level of social consciousness. This track, which strives to give hope to young black men and women living in poverty, will certainly become a Quannum classic.
All-in-all, “The Craft,” referred to by Gab as Blackalicious’ “most focused and realized work” yet, maintains the same depth and originality every project this Bay Area-based hip hop team has laid before its audience thus far.
-Kristen Gerhard