Debut EP of vintage mid-90's sound.
Blackalicious' debut EP is collection of songs that personify what hip hop sounded like in 1995. Simple drum breaks and jazz funk loops are what the beats consist of. Well, then, what makes it any different, you ask? Well, the emotional element of these songs is helped along by the soulful licks sampled but the vibe of it all is confirmed when The Gift of Gab takes the mic and puts his soul into each and every syllable. "40 Oz. For Breakfast," besides venturing off into seven and a half minutes in length, distances itself from the majority of hip hop from the day through its lyrics. Gab tells tales of struggling with his vices (social drugs and alcohol in this case) over a mellow mid-tempo groove that is a perfectly bittersweet backdrop that matches the subject matter of the song brilliantly. Even on plain old feel good songs like "Swan Lake" you get a soulful overtone. The whole thing goes down easily and without a hitch and when it's said and done, my only problem is that it should have been a full length.
~Austin
Yep, they've improved.
As good as Melodica was, this EP (surprisingly) blows it away within the first three tracks. Chief Xcel's production has become finely polished and seemless, but at the same time, retaining that loose funky soulful feel. These seven songs are such diverse affairs subjectwise that on paper it seems like the whole thing would come off as jumbled and unfocused. But it works. And it works well. From the feel good hip hop gems "Rock The Spot" and "Making Progress" to laments of culture gone astray on "Back to the Essence" and the brilliant "Decpetion" to the prog-hop nuggets "A 2 G" and "Alphabet Aerobics." "Alphabet Aerobics" is especially ear catching as The Gift of Gab uses alliteration to rhyme through the letters of the alphabet over a simple (but funky as hell!) drum break that increases in speed as he goes through the alphabet. The fact that he could do this is impressive enough but the fact that everything he says is legible and understandable (and it makes sense!) makes the track one of the most groundbreaking hip hop tracks ever recorded. Stunning.
~Austin
The Blackalicious realization comes full circle.
It should've been a no-brainer that a full length that followed A 2 G would be an all out stunner of an album. But, in true Blackalicious fashion, they released a sprawling 70+ minute monster of an album that found Chief Xcel digging the deepest into the dustiest of old vinyl and The Gift of Gab reaching points of absolute technical and instrospective lyrical brilliance. But even though it's an absolutely incredible record, it's challenging at the same time because the whole thing is wrapped in a big old blanket of warm subtlety. Chief Xcel became a master of his craft here employing live instruments with eye openingly great results ("If I May"), crafting Phil Spector wall-of-sound-esque mountains of samples ("Shallow Days") and creating some of the plain old funkiest backdrops since the Bomb Squad's heyday ("Dream Seasons"). The big success of the musical backdrops here is Chief Xcel's embracing of guitars, whether sampled or played live. At a time in hip hop when anything to do with anything other than keyboards was frowned upon, Chief Xcel went against the grain and not only proved the masses wrong, but made them look foolish as well. It's hard for me to even call them beats, because they are so much more than just your average hip hop beats with every track practically oozing over with lushness and intertwining melodies. And The Gift of Gab is just as much to credit for the success of this album as well. He has seemingly switched his topic matter (albeit ever so slightly) to revolve more around his instrospective side (though his straight up hip hop side is still present). Songs like "Shallow Days," "If I May" and "As The World Turns" all showcase the absolute best that he has to offer a hip hop world in need of a change of attitude. Overall, it's a considerable artistic and creative achievement for a group already well known for excelling in both categories. Album's defining quote: "If life is prison, music is the yard time." Fantastic.
~Austin
Blackalicious goes commercial. Blackalicious does not sell out.
They always had liberally used sung vocals for choruses and whatnot but for the first time, Blackalicious makes it feel like it's Ok to consider them makers of pop music with this album. Have they sold out? Of course not. With tracks like "Chemical Calistehenics," the "Alphabet Aerobics" sequel, it would seem to the complete opposite. But what's this? Ben Harper featured on a song (a good one, too -- "Brain Washers"), a semi-well known R&B singer featured on a hook (Jaguar Wright on the funky-as-a-mosquitoe's-tweeter anthem "Aural Pleasure") and that dude with the big 'fro from The Roots co-producing a track (the brilliant Gil Scott-Heron featured "First In Flight")? Sure, it's a move towards accessibility. But to sell out, you have to drastically change your sound. Have they drastically changed? No. They haven't even changed at all really. Instead of getting friends to sing vocals on their songs, the major label budget was able to afford some bigger names (Zach de la Rocha even makes a cameo at one point). It works (not so surpsringly). And the result is another great record. Although the overload of guests becomes a bit overbearing at times, that familiar soulful Blackalicious bump is present here in bulk so it's a minor misstep on an otherwise completely successful record.
~Austin
