Happy 20th Anniversary to Blackalicious’ third studio album The Craft, originally released September 27, 2005.
Blackalicious made hip-hop look easy. Made up of emcee Tim “Gift of Gab” Parker (R.I.P.) and producer/DJ Xavier “Chief Xcel” Mosely, they embodied a rock-solid commitment to making great hip-hop music. The West Coast-based pair delivered on this promise, recording and releasing an incredible discography between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s.
The duo were members of the Quannum collective, a crew of progressive artists, hailing almost entirely from the West Coast. Its ranks including artists like DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truthspeaker, and Lyrics Born. Blackalicious’ releases were always fascinating endeavors. They exhibited a balance of sincerity and humor effortlessly, knowing when to crack a joke, weave a wildly fantastical story, or create a poignant narrative.
But as good as Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel were in their respective fields, Blackalicious’ records radiated a sense of humility. Though they consistently executed on the highest level possible, they professed they were lucky to be in their position, where they could deliver their songs to a dedicated worldwide fanbase. They viewed their ability as a blessing and sought to make the most of their abilities.
Released 20 years ago, their third studio album The Craft embodies these principles. With this project, Blackalicous continued to demonstrate their commitment to their roles as musicians, educators, and masters of ceremony. It resulted in a lot of excellent and oft-overlooked material.
The Craft was Blackalicious’ first project in three years. After their first full-length, Nia (1999), the group signed with MCA Records, eventually recording and releasing Blazing Arrow (2002), the best album of their career. The pair convinced MCA to spend a lot of money on making the album sound good, and it showed. Blazing Arrow is a project that brims with energy and passion.
Unfortunately, MCA folded soon afterwards, and Blackalicious migrated to Anti- Records, a sister imprint to Epitaph, which was best known for putting out music by artists like Tom Waits, Mavis Staples, and Buju Banton. Epitaph had recently begun to distribute Quannum Projects, which made sense. It was an eclectic home for an eclectic collective featuring an eclectic group.
The Craft came a little over a year after 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up (2004), Gift of Gab’s first solo album. Meanwhile, Chief Xcel had been heavily involved with the recording process for Quannum’s Lifesavas’ debut album Spirit In Stone (2003). Their chemistry is as strong as ever on The Craft, with each of their skills properly complementing the other.
The Craft is an outstanding album. It’s not quite as good as Blazing Arrow, which is one of the stronger albums of the 21st century. It’s a bit more grounded and serious-minded. Gift of Gab often assumes the role of a spokesperson for the voiceless, giving The Craft extra gravitas. Chief Xcel handles all of the album’s production, utilizing a wide range of studio musicians and mixing in some sampled material to sculp the album’s soulful sound. The pair also worked extensively with GRAMMY-winning engineer Russell Elevado, best known for his work with D’Angelo, who uses his “old school” techniques that helps imbue The Craft with a distinctive feel.
Listen to the Album:
The title The Craft suggests that the focus of the album will be on the art of emceeing. And that is true in practice, though often not in the way one might expect. Yes, there are dizzying displays, but much like on his aforementioned solo album, Gab focuses on topical ideas and concepts, using his ample skills in service of a deeper message.
On the album-opening “World of Vibrations,” Gift of Gab expertly lays out the album’s thesis, explaining how seriously he takes his role as an emcee who puts substance into his rhymes. “Everybody got something to say so let me speak the opposite of what’s hot now,” he raps. “And make that hot so it will get exploited and the corporations only will back dudes who bite my style.”
Which isn’t to say that The Craft doesn’t feature its share of heavy-duty lyrical and stylistic displays, but they are packed with substance. Gab is thoughtful on tracks like “Your Move” and “Rhythm Sticks,” the album’s first two singles. The former is a particularly impressive display of Gab’s stylistic mastery, and he utilizes multiple complex deliveries across all three of the song’s verses. “My Pen and Pad” is a 105-second exercise by Gab as a “verbal ambassador, travel in this endeavor of mine,” as he delivers a lengthy stream of rhymes, barely pausing to take a breath.
The Craft features a lot of social commentary, particularly focusing on the plight of the inner-city Black population and the trauma felt by these citizens. Unsurprisingly, Gift of Gab navigates these complex topics without breaking a verbal sweat.
Gab shares his astute insight and poetical mastery to tackle the destructive nature of capitalism on “Supreme People,” describing how the pursuit of wealth and material possessions poisons the minds of desperate people seeking any means for a better life. He sounds resigned as he raps, “The allure of fast money in this hell-bound system / got you looking at two-hundred bucks a week / Versus like $1,000 in a day / Tell me what makes more sense?”
“The Fall and Rise of Eliot Brown” is an ambitious three-part undertaking, where Gab recounts the life of the nominal Brown, frequently shifting perspectives and rhyme styles. For the opening salvo, he rapidly he recounts Brown’s addled thought process as he yearns for riches, cars, and women just as he’s arrested on the block for drug possession. Gab then uses three additional verses to recount his upbringing, multiple incarcerations, and his eventual salvation and spiritual rebirth while in prison, finally ready to break the destructive cycle that had engulfed his life.
“The Fall and Rise…” flows into “Black Diamonds and Pearls,” a somber yet hopeful recording. Using a sing-song delivery, Gab describes the lives of the poor and working class struggling to survive under mountains of pain and adversity yet still finding a way to live their lives and make it. “Life is but a ride,” he raps, “so find the treasures that are unfound.”
The Craft is far from a dour listening experience, with the group working to deliver some high energy endeavors. Gab rap-sings his way through “Powers,” a dedication to a woman who’s physical and spiritual beauty commands respect and loyalty from every man that she comes into contact with. The group uses some goofy humor on “Side to Side,” teaming with Lateef and Pigeon John to relay their misadventures with wild women at a club.
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Gab works well with others throughout The Craft. He teams with Neo-Soul artists like Ledisi and Floetry on the project. Funk pioneer George Clinton contributes his gravelly vocals to the appropriately psychedelic “Lotus Flower,” where Gab professes to “running around the rings of Saturn in some Pro Keds.”
“Ego Sonic War Drums” is a dream team-up with Freestyle Fellowship’s PeAce. Both emcees absolutely deliver on the potential of such a partnership, unleashing flurries of rhymes as they trade multiple verses over pounding drums and menacing keys. Their rhymes are not limited to free-flowing verbal exhibitions, as each describes their origins and drive to become the best emcees drawing breath.
The Craft ends with its title track, an evocative final statement for the album. Chief Xcel puts together a soaring and inspirational track, as Gift of Gab reflects on his career as an emcee, thankful for the opportunity to share his voice and thoughts with the world. “I give thanks for my rhyming ability,” he states. “I don’t front like it’s not a responsibility / I can open the mind, if the youth will listen to me / I’m not going to front, like I'm on some killing spree.”
It would be another decade before Blackalicious released another album, Imani Vol. 1 (2015). In between then, Gift of Gab helmed multiple solo projects and teamed with Lateef to form The Mighty Underdogs. He died in 2021 and is still one of the West Coast’s most respected emcees. The Craft was another demonstration of his limitless depth, and Chief Xcel’s genius as a producer. Hip-Hop could use more Blackalicious today; the genre sorely misses them.
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