?Blackalicious’ third album, The Craft, is by far the hip hop duo’s most experimental. Those expecting a sequel to Blazing Arrow may be slightly disappointed, as Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel opt for more dynamic and schizophrenic beats, abandoning the tight-looped rhythms and vibes that characterized their previous albums. The result is that the album’s beats build up to a plateau, allowing tracks like “The Craft” and “The Fall and Rise of Elliott Brown” to come into full blossom.
The duo backs away from the all-out lyrical barrage and horde of guest MCs that characterized Blazing Arrow, instead showcasing Blackalicious’ talents and capabilities. A few highbrow guests do appear, though, including George Clinton on the darkly funky “Lotus Flower” and underground favorite Lateef on “Side to Side.”
The album is much more conceptual, with an greater emphasis on storytelling than the past two albums. “Black Diamonds and Pearls” features commentary on the California penitentiary system and the war in Iraq with lines like “Talk all about peace and love and God/But then why are we at war/Killin’ people in Iraq”-all while telling the story of a young teen coping with pregnancy.
Gab’s lyrical fervor is still in full swing; as he warns on the opening track, “I still got MCs on my dinner menu.” Tracks like “My Pen & My Pad” and “Your Move” display Gab’s hypnotic verbal dexterity in full force. The Craft is a solid, brilliant exhibit of Gab’s and Xcel’s prowess in the hip hop world and a definitive step towards the maturing of Blackalicious.
