Biography

There’s few adornments and no gimmicks to the ultra-comfortable stylings of Blackalicious; the Bay Area duo of MC Gift of Gab and DJ/Producer Chief Xcel simply composed some of the most original and diverse indie hip-hop to come out of the early-2000s. By the time their first full-length, NIA, came out on the trailblazing Quannum imprint in 2000, the twosome had already been building a cult following for nearly a decade and the familiarity bled out on a stunning debut. Gift of Gab’s rapid-fire, surprisingly smooth, and always witty flow blended perfectly with Xcel’s kitchen-sink production which seamlessly drew from soul jazz, punk, and many other styles. After a solid, if unexceptional, major label debut, Blackalicious slipped to Anti for 2005's hypnotic THE CRAFT.

Top Tracks

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• A To G

• Alphabet Aerobics [the Cut Chemist 2½ Minute Workout]

• Back To The Essence

• Black Diamonds And Pearls

• Blazing Arrow

• Do This My Way

• First In Flight

• If I May

• Lotus Flower

• Make You Feel That Way

• Powers

• The Fabulous Ones

• The Fall And Rise Of Elliot Brown

Discography

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• The Craft

  Anti

  2005

• Blazing Arrow

  MCA / Quannum Projects

  2002

• Nia

  Quannum Projects

  1999