by Colin Donoghue
Daily Lobo
Blackalicious returns with the album, The Craft, and it doesn't disappoint.
Keeping some elements from earlier albums, The Craft tightens up loose ends of the past with a soul-funk flavored LP that rises above the sub-par popular hip-hop currently filling corporate radio's play-lists. Gift of Gab, lead rapper of Blackalicious, is without a doubt one of the most talented rappers in existence, displaying mind-blowing speed, versatility and lyrical quality. Chief Xcel brings in the top-notch production, never letting low-quality sounds slip into any of the album's 14 tracks.
If you aren't familiar with Blackalicious, prepare yourself for mass quantities of deep, cerebral lyrics to stimulate the intellect. They usually focus on the inner work and leave out the political, discussing evolution of mind, but in The Craft there are lyrics thrown in about rigged presidential elections in America and the injustice of the war in Iraq, making the conscious nature of the work more complete.
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The group delivers lyric-heavy tracks with steady-slow beats, continuing the trend of previous albums: the mellowed grooves of Nia and Blazing Arrow, and also the heavier-paced style of A2G.
The Craft takes the musical creativity further than their previous work. The variety of beats, vocal samples, and number of instruments used keeps listeners interested throughout. Most of The Craft's instrumentals have a mellow but rich profile, and the lyrics are always positive and at times, inspirational.
"My Pen and Pad," with its sweet-sounding beat and smooth flow from Gift, makes it one of the most solid tracks on the album.
There are also plenty of guest rappers to keep the prospect of boredom an impossibility, all of which are quality. Multiple females fill the auditory space around the beats dropping on "Automatique," adding a nice balance to the normally-baritone lyrics from Blackalicious.
On "Give it to You," listeners are bestowed with a ridiculous combination of guest vocals by first-rate lyricists Kween and Lyrics Born, intertwined with a dope ambient background and a funky bass line.
And then there's "Ego Sonic War Drums," my favorite track on the album. The beat has a hot electronica-influenced sound - the fastest paced sound I've ever heard by Blackalicious - on top of which Gift and guest-rapper Peace go back and forth with tripped-out, echoing vocals. It's a work of art.
The only low in the album is the track "Side to Side," which has a slow and annoyingly simple piano-heavy beat, with a weak chorus that lacks the usually conscious lyrics. This is the exception to the rule, however.
Overall, The Craft is of extremely high quality, and joins the company of albums like Mr. Lif's Emergency Rations and Zion-I's Mind over Matter as the best of conscious hip-hop.
The Craft surpasses mainstream mediocrity with a solid artistic creation that should be checked out by quality-music enthusiasts.
