Search - Blackalicious :: A2g

Blackalicious (DJ Chief Xcel and MC the Gift of Gab) earned their hip-hop stripes as part of the legendary Northern California hip-hop conglomerate known as the Solesides Crew (which also consists of DJ Shadow and the rap duo Latyrx; they're all also part of the Quannum collective). Their first release, 1994's Melodica EP, is an underground classic, and the duo return to the fold with this 1999 seven-song mini-album that's packed with thunderous beats and hypnotically off-kilter rhyme schemes. The title cut, "A to G," is a heart-pounding ditty in which Gift of Gab lets loose with a swerving flow of lyrical finesse over a piano and slinky guitar-driven beat. "Clockwork" is filled with generous amounts of scratching, a chunky bass boom, and Gab's ear-catching verbal volley. "Rock the Spot" comes on the flashback tip, delivering an old-school-flavored party jam, complete with dance-floor grooves and a singsong chorus. The rest of the EP is rounded out by equally block-rockin' beats and intricate rhymes, including the modern-day fable "Deception" and the ominous tour de force "Alphabet Aerobics," which has Gab delivering 26 alphabetically alliterative verses, starting with "A" and with each verse delivered faster and faster until it finally climaxes with "Z." --Spencer Abbott