Rapreviews reviews The Prelude HTML The Mighty Underdogs :: The Prelude EP :: Giftstribution as reviewed by Emilee Woods Gift of Gab and Lateef the Truth Speaker are underdogs in much the same way as the Kansas and Memphis men's basketball teams – anyone who really knows their stuff knows they shouldn't be considered underdogs at all, yet they tend to fall by the wayside in the wake of the North Carolinas of the rap game. And just like the Jayhawks and Tigers, they consistently produce even as the bigger names start to fall off. On "The Prelude EP," Lateef and Gab team up with producer Headnodic of Crown City Rockers to whet your appetite for their forthcoming full-length LP "Dropping Science Fiction," due out later this year. Featuring guest appearances from the likes of MF Doom and Ladybug Mecca, as well as scratching by legendary Quannum head honcho DJ Shadow, this quickie succeeds in priming you for future offerings and leaves you wanting more. Things kick off with the thumping "UFC" as the United Flow Champions bob and weave their way around an unrelenting confection of pounding drums and precision cuts by DJ Shadow. The chopped up Clipse vocals capture the tone perfectly: "Who gon' stop us? Not a goddamn one of ya." The album's strongest track is up next in "Gunfight," which finds the Underdogs telling stories Old West style over a beat infused with spaghetti western touches, including twangy guitars, rattlesnake maracas, and Ennio Morricone whistles. The assist from MF Doom is neither needed nor appreciated here, as his flow never quite finds the swing of the beat and his free association rhymes pale in comparison to the vivid stories told by the other two MCs. "Lovelife" features a better guest appearance by Ladybug Mecca, whose whispered raps steal the show from the singing Lateef and Gab. "Status Symbol" boasts a laid-back samba rhythm with a sped-up vocal sample of "doo-doo-doo's" over which the MCs spit wisdom about the shallowness of the chase for expensive name brands that people are convinced they need. The jazzy "Out Of My Life" sees the MCs portraying both sides of the wronged lover story over another effective vocal sample and steady rim shots from Headnodic. The album closes with the banger "Bring Me Back," which hijacks an old school vibe both musically and lyrically, as fellow Crown City Rocker Raashan Ahmad shows up to glory in the good old days of backspins and high top fades. It's your standard throwback track, but it's full of rich details that transport you to this simpler time when dudes would "rock new kicks and call dibs on the last popsicle." This is an all-around solid effort from a group that probably couldn't produce whackness if it tried. Gift of Gab is one of the best lyricists doing it right now, and Lateef the Truth Speaker is a pretty darn good MC whose biggest problem is that he always seems to be upstaged by collaborators on that next level. Rapping over Headnodic's polished productions, they achieve an enviable chemistry that carries the EP. It might not blow you away as completely as the names associated with it might suggest, but it certainly gets you excited for the full-length project promised to be on its way soon. For an EP entitled "The Prelude," that's about all you can ask. Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8 of 10 Rap4Fame Reviews The Prelude HTML  Label: MU Records/Traffic Entertainment Tracklist: 01. U.F.C. - (Feat. DJ Shadow) 02. Gunfight - (Feat. MF Doom) 03. Love-Life Soundtrack - (Feat. LadyBug Mecca) 04. Status Symbol 05. Get Out Of My Life 06. Bring Me Back - (Feat. Raashan Ahmad & DJ Platurn) Review: The Mighty Underdogs - ein weiterer bis jetzt vollkommen unbekannter Name, der aus dem Nichts auftaucht, und den man sich trotzdem umso mehr merken sollte. Und so funktioniert das Ganze: man entnehme dem Rap-Baukasten drei schon bestehende Rap-Gruppen, zerlege sie, und stecke dann drei einzelne Bausteine wieder zusammen. Mit etwas Glück heißt das Outcome dann Mighty Underdogs. Das erste Steinchen ist Gift Of Gab, reppin' Oakland und weitbekannt als eine Hälfte von Blackalicious. Nummer zwei ist Lateef The Truth Speaker, der sowohl solo, als auch mit Lyrics Born als Latyrx vielen geläufig sein dürfte. Und letztendlich noch ein Produzent, nämlich Headnodic, unter anderem Teil der Crown City Rockers. Bevor das aus dem Boden geschossene Dreigespann ein Album vorlegt, darf sich die Welt erst mal an "The Prelude" erfreuen - einer sechs Tracks starken EP, die uns aufzeigen soll, was wir uns so erwarten dürfen. Auf diese sechs Tracks kommen beachtliche fünf (bzw. drei) Features, was natürlich dann den Sinn dieser zur Vorstellung gedachten EP etwas in Frage stellt, was jedoch auch erst nach dem Anhören beurteilt werden sollte. So steigt man am besten gleich ein, um sofort zu spüren zu bekommen, dass Headnodic nicht der everyday producer ist, sondern mit extravaganten und sowohl vielseitigen als auch vielschichtigen Beats für den musikalischen Teil Sorge trägt. Dabei hängt dauerhaft ein leichter Hauch Old School in der Luft, stark ausgeprägt im Opener "U.F.C.". Die United Flow Champions holen sich hier DJ Shadow mit ins Boot, der mit seinen Scratches auch voll ins Geschehen (den fast schon minimalistischen Beat) passt. Auch am Mic hätte hier ein Gift Of Gab mit seiner "extraterrestrial, extraordinary technique" oder der ein oder anderen "incredible metaphor, tearin' your head into several pieces", die Show alleine schmeißen können, im Gesamtpaket jedenfalls macht der Track sehr gute Laune. Noch besser wird das ganze in "Gunfight", dem Headnodic einen staubigen, gitarren-lastigen, Western-Anstrich verpasst. Weder Fäuste, noch Messer sind hier von Nutzen. "I step out the saloon, about a quarter to noon / Might as well have been a quarter to doom / Strapped with my six shooter, next to my six pack / My sawed-off, slung over my right shoulder, hung on my back". Wieso eigentlich gibt es nicht mehr Western auf Channel HipHop? Wie dem auch sei, auf den nächsten Karren wird wieder eine dicke Packung Groove gepackt, zu dem sich dann noch die sehr erfrischende Rap-Einlage von Ladybug Mecca gesellt, die mit ihrer weichen Stimme einen lupenreinen Gegensatz zum Wahrheitssprecher und dem flotten Mundwerk bildet. "We got the keys to the world, and there's no looking back / Let this be the love-life soundtrack". Damit hinterlässt auch der "Love-Life Soundtrack" nichts als gute Laune. "Status Symbol" beschränkt sich darauf, absolut entspannt zu sein, während sich die Redner hier der konsumversessenen Welt widmen, in der Gottheiten wie Louis Vuitton die Welt regieren. Nächster Themawechsel erklärt sich schon mit dem nun folgenden Titel, "Get Out Of My Life", das in ruhiger, mit Voice-Sample bestückter, Atmosphäre, von einer äußerst einseitig verlaufenden Beziehung berichtet. Es verbleibt noch ein allerletzter Song. Ladies und Gentlemen, bitte in die Zeitmaschine steigen, und den Schalter irgendwo um die 20 Jahre Richtung Vergangenheit einrasten lassen. Dort angekommen, umgehend den nächsten Club aufsuchen, und man befindet sich genau auf der Party, auf der "Bring Me Back" spielt. Wen es hier nicht auf die Tanzfläche zieht, der hat wohl keine Beine. Dazu serviert der Kollege Raashan Ahmad von den Crown City Rockers die perfekte Hook, während sich The Gift Of Gab mit seiner Stimme auf solchen Tracks sowieso paradiesisch wohl fühlt. Ein Jammer, dass die Party nach weniger als drei Minuten wieder vorbei ist. Das Ziel dieser EP war wohl, einerseits auf diese Gruppe aufmerksam zu machen, und dann als Appetizer den Hunger auf das angekündigte Album "Dropping Science Fiction" zu schüren. Beides wird in allen Punkten erfüllt, und die vielen Features tun dem auch keinen Abbruch, sondern fügen sich durchgehend bereichernd ein. Man kann sogar sagen, dass dieses Teil selbst schon ein Gipfelsturm ist, bei dem man jedem, der sich zwischen Ghetto-Stories und götzenhaften Ausführungen über diversesten Reichtum einfach ein bisschen unbeschwerte Musik wünscht, nur eine herzliche Empfehlung in die Hand drücken kann. Let's hope for more to come! The Giant Peach Sits Down With The Mighty Underdogs HTML  I’m not sure if this makes any sense. Gift of Gab, Lateef, and Headnodic just popped into the office, and I tried to capture the conversation. They’re all really witty, so it might be kinda hard to follow, as sometimes everyone was talking at once. But it’s got some good tidbits about what future releases to expect as well as some little-known trivia about Headnodic’s connection to Edan. GP: So tell me about this project. Gab (starts talking in an announcer voice): The name of this project is called, “The Mighty Underdogs”. It consists of The Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthspeaker, and Headnodic. The new EP is entitled, The Prelude. Lateef: And it’s fresh! Gab: Guests on the EP include: Rashaan Amad from Crown City Rockers, Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets, DJ Shadow & MF DOOM. The EP is a precursor to the full length album coming out in 2008 entitled, Droppin’ Science Fiction. Guests on the album include: Lyrics Born, Tash from the Alkaholiks, Chali 2na from J5, K-AOS…we got a lot of guests…Casual, Damian & Julian Marley…and MORE!! The album is based on fictional storytelling. It’s a really fun album with a lot of humor…we are really excited about this project. Okay? GP: How’d you meet Ladybug Mecca? Headnodic: Crown City Rockers toured with Digable Planets for a while…I met her through that. Gab: I did a show with Galactic, and she sat in with them on the same show. I met her through that. Lateef (clears throat): Do you have any questions you’d like to ask someone else? Gab: You had your chance. GP: How did you guys come together as a group? Headnodic: Wow…I talked to Gab years ago about doing some stuff. Time passed…and then Lateef came over to my house just to pick a beat. And he kept picking beats and picking beats…so he said, “Why don’t we just make a record?” I said, “Cool”. He said, “You know, we should get Gab”. (this is the worst story ever!) I said, “Cool”. All the music was really kinda cinematic and each song told a really different story…I think they reacted like that and started to write a lot of storytelling raps… Gab: Well said. Headnodic: And thus the Mighty Underdogs were born. Lateef: Everybody acts like they have to save the whole genre; like they got the weight of the world on their shoulders. We just wanted to do something that was fun & enjoyable. Gab: In other words, we wanted to knock the game on its ass. No, don’t put that…I’m just kidding.  GP: What other stuff are you working on? Is there another Quannum family record in the works? Gab: I’d like to see one. Lateef: I’d like to see one too. Right now we have the EP, the album…we have a Michael Jackson remix mixtape. GP: What is that? Lateef: It’s going to be a freebie. Songs from MJ’s whole career, remixed by Headnodic with me & Gab rapping about whatever the original subject matter was. Headnodic: It’s called “We like Mike” (just kidding) Lateef: Gab is going to be putting out his next album, “Escape to Mars”, my solo album is called, “Crowd Rocker”. Crown City Rockers is putting out a new album yet, “Five Gold Stars” Headnodic: That’s not necessarily the title. (a side discussion about what they want the CCR album to be called ensues). Gab: We’re putting out hella records…ourselves! Lateef: We… Gab: We’re basically “in the studio doin’ 2-a-day”. (that’s a Lateef lyric) Who grinds like us? Are you writing all of this? You know some of this is just jokes. Headnodic: I have one more album called, “Moe Pope and Headnodic are Megaphone”. Moe Pope was in the group Mission with me back in the day.  GP to Gab: You’re staying with the space theme? Gab: It’s actually the way it came out. The title track is a song about Global Warming. It’s kind of a spacey record…more than 4th Dimensional… After I named it “Escape to Mars” I started to go with more of a cosmic theme. GP: So when is everything available? Gab: 2008. There’s going to be a slew of releases in 2008. A lot of the releases we’re doing ourselves, super underground style. Cause the game has changed, and you have to adapt. GP to Headnodic: So, tell me more about the release with Moe Pope. Headnodic: It’s on Nataural High Records. We’re coming out with a single in Jan featuring The Gift of Gab, Oh No, Zion-I, and a remix from Edan. The album drops about a month later. GP: How did you end up working with Edan? Headnodic: I went to college from Edan. We almost started a group together. We were going to ask him to be the DJ for Mission back in the day. We used to mess around with music a bit…He produced the beat for the very first Mission song on the first EP. GP: So people have to wait …2008. Gab: It’s going to be a big 2008…a lot of records. Mighty Underdogs reviewed by DJ Durutti (December 2007) HTML Tuesday, December 04, 2007 The Mighty Underdogs (Gift of Gab, Lateef, and Headnodic)  The Mighty Underdogs: (l-r) Headnodic, The Gift of Gab, and Lateef the Truthspeaker I'm finally getting around to writing up a review copy of an Ep that's been in very heavy rotation on my iPod for the past month: The Mighty Underdog's The Prelude. The Mighty Underdogs are The Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lateef the Truthspeaker (Latyrx, with Lyrics Born; Lateef and the Chief with Blackalicious' Chief Xcel), and Headnodic, the bassist / producer from Crown City Rockers (which began as Mission in Boston where most of the members met at Berkeley in the mid-late nineties). The Prelude is a precursor to the supergroup's full-length album due out next year (see below). The group produced and self-released the Ep independently; it's sold through Giftstribution on Gift of Gab's website. The Gift of Gab, as one half of Blackalicious, and Lateef co-founded the legendary SoleSides collective and lablel in 1992 with DJ Shadow, Jeff Chang, and Lyrics Born (you should really pick up a copy of SoleSides Greatest Bumps if you don't have it, btw). Since then, Blackalicious and Lateef have gone on to be major forces in underground and progressive hip hop, releasing a string of acclaimed albums on SoleSides and its successor Quannum (Blackalicious and Lateef and the Chief will continue to release on Quannum, while not ruling out more self-released projects in the future). And while very big names in underground hip hop, Lateef and The Gift of Gab are (mighty) underdogs in the face of Clear Channel controlled radio and mainstream, corporate, major label hip hop. Less widely known (undeservedly so), Headnodic and Crown City Rockers have been a key voice in the resurgence of jazz rap and progressive hip hop following in the footsteps of los amigos favorites Tribe, De La, and Digable Planets. The Mighty Underdogs' new Ep features guest appearances by DJ Shadow, MF DOOM, Ladybug Mecca, and Rashaan Ahmad from the Crown City Rockers. The biggest standout track is "Gunfight," featuring MF DOOM. It's incredibly infectious, with a chorus that will stick with you through the day and stellar raps all around (of course DOOM's flow and wordplay is always a supreme treat). The old west, high noon themed "Gunfight" includes Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western Soundtrack twang and the spooky, slow whistling trill from Morricone's theme to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (don't even think about trying to fix those terms on the individual Underdogs). "Gunfight" is so damn good, it's worth the price of admission alone. But all of the tracks are strong. "United Flow Champions (UFC)" (featuring cuts by DJ Shadow), "Status Symbol," and "Lovelife" (featuring Ladybug Mecca) are other los amigos favorites (anything w/ Mec on the Mic is worth hearing in los amigos' book). And then there's "Bring Me Back" -- which does just that. Over a bouncing (or jiggling?) sample from LL Cool J's "Jingling Baby" (talk about bringing you back), the track reminisces about the golden age (late eighties - early nineties), with shouts out to In Living Color, The Cosby Show, and Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle. The ubiquitous PE "bring that beat back" sample is included, but the Dogs reach back to the early seventies to borrow the intro from The Jimmy Castor Bunch's funky cave man epic "Troglodyte." If you know that track (and you should) you understand how much the sample fits ("what we gonna do here is go back, way back, back into time. . ."). Finally, "Out of My Life" features deliciously cheesy analog synth lines and squiggles straight out of Quincy Jones' Body Heat. Here's a small taste, including the progressive lyrics and breezy, jazzy, mid-60's bossa-lounge sound of "Status Symbol," and a 1 min+ clip of "Bring Me Back" (it's jingling, baby). You can hear more clips on Gift of Gab's site. Status Symbol Bring Me Back Full Track Listing The Mighty Underdogs full length Lp, Dropping Science Fiction, drops next year. The forthcoming album will feature Damian and Julian Marley, K-OS, Lyrics Born, Chali 2na, DJ Shadow, Zion, and more. Expect an update. Purchase The Mighty Underdogs' The Prelude Ep ($8) directly from Giftstribution (Gift of Gab's site). Definitely recommended. p.s. As the Mighty Underdogs note: "This ain't no commercial sh*t! This is independence with a passion." Mighty Underdogs on KPFA Radio 12-1-2007 Download Audio 45 minutes long, includes Gunfight, U.F.C., and a 15 minute freestyle session! Mighty Underdogs EP "The Prelude" Reviewed by HipHopCulture.de (November 2007) HTML  Eigentlich habe ich in Sachen Gift Of Gab, dem MC des Duos Blackalicious, eher mit einem zweiten Supreme Lyricism-Mixtape gerechnet, zumal ich vor wenigen Monaten mal von seinem Management diesbezuglich angeschrieben wurde. Statt dessen flattert mir eine EP mit dem Titel The Prelude EP ins Haus, von einem Trio namens The Mighty Underdogs. Dabei handelt es sich um Lateef The Truth Speaker, Headnodic und eben Gift Of Gab. Ansprechendes Cover-Layout und fur eine, gerade mal 6 Stucke beinhaltende EP durchaus respektable Gasteliste, machen bereits beim Anblick des Covers neugierig.
Mit DJ Shadow, Ladybug Mecca, Raashan Ahmad von den Crown City Rockers und MF Doom hat sich das Trio ordentliche Verstarkung ins Boot geholt, wenngleich ja schon die Mischung aus Lateef The Truth Speaker, Headnodic und Gift Of Gab schon nicht ohne ist. Der Opener UFC - (United Flow Champions), mit Cuts von DJ Shadow ist eine kraftvolle, dynamisch nach vorn preschende Uptempo-Nummer die mit viel Oldschool-Atmosphare daherkommt. Die Produktion stammt von Headnodic und die beiden Quannum-MCs Gab und Lateef beweisen dass man Ihnen in Sachen Flow nichts vormachen kann. Es geht weiter mit dem von Gitarrensounds, nicht Samples, gepragten Gunfight, auf dem MF Doom zu horen ist. Das Leben als - Gunfight, bei dem die MCs Outlaws verkorpern und ihre jeweilige Story erzahlen. Tolles fiktives Storytelling! Tanzbarer mit einer recht eingangigen Melodie geht es auf Lovelife weiter, auf dem Ladybug Mecca gefeatured wird. Funky wirds vor allem auf Grund der Clavinet- und Streicher-Sounds die Headnodic bei dieser Produktion gezaubert hat. Thema ist die schonste Sache der Welt. Noch relaxter wird es auf dem ebenfalls eingangigen Status Symbol, auf dem Headnodic Ad-Libs verwendet hat, die arg an EasyListening denken lassen. Der Track swingt und Gab und Lateef flowen recht flexibel auf dem komplexen Beat-Arrangement. Thema ist, wie der Titel es schon vermuten labt, die auf Konsum und Status Symbole fixierte Menschheit. Die Kombination aus leicht swingender Musik und dem Thema uber das gerappt wird, labt mich schon fast an De La Souls Stuck Shopping Bags denken. Out Of My Life - schaltet musikalisch noch einen Gang runter - aber besticht durch die hier verwendeten Moog-Sounds. Headnodic zaubert hier einen tollen, hypnotisierenden Sound, auf dem Gab und Lateef Ihrem Beziehungsstress Platz verschaffen. Lateef macht sich gar nicht die Muhe zu rappen, der erzahlt einfach locker und lassig seiner Frau, was ihn anpisst. Toll ubrigens das Ende, bei dem ein Telefonat zwischen Mann und Frau vorgestauscht wird, und die Moog den Part der Frau macht. Bring Me Back - ist wieder so ein Oldschool-Track in bester Party-Manier. MCs und DJ, hier DJ Platurn, die einfach in Ihren Erinnerung leben und positive Vibes vermitteln. Die J5, Freestyle Fellowships & Co. lassen gruben. Absolut tanzbar. 
Quelle: Myspace (photo: M. Reamer)
Das Trio hat mit Ihrer EP ein kurzweiliges, musikalisches Vergnugen geschafft. Das ganze hebt sich meiner Meinung nach hervorragend von den ublichen Blackalicious-Produktionen oder Latyrx-Sound ab, mit denen man ja Gab bzw. Lateef jeweils verbindet. Headnodic hat hier gute Arbeit geleistet. Schon zu hören, dass das ganze nur ein Vorgeschmack ist, fur das Album - Dropping Science Fiction, welches im kommenden Jahr erscheinen soll. Dazu empfehle ich das Interview, dass das Online-Mag HipHopDX.com kurzlich mit Gift Of Gab gefuhrt hat. Ich bin ziemlich gespannt. Die EP labt auf einiges hoffen.
Hip Hop DX Interviews The Gift of Gab (October 2007) HTML Gift of Gab (Blackalicious): Alphabetical Swagger October 28th, 2007 | Author: Jake Paine Going into his fifteenth year as an emcee releasing product, Gift of Gab lived up to his name as a guy with a lot to say. Throughout the years as Blackalicious lyrical half, Gab helped put Sacramento Hip Hop on the map through raw, technical lyricism, tangible subject matter and energetic stage shows. In between Blackalicious releases, Gab has linked up with Solesides family member Lateef and The Crown City Rockers bassist Headnodic to form The Mighty Underdogs. Three guys from three groups who deserve at least three times the fanfare theyve yet received. Gift of Gab talks to HipHopDX about this incarnate, battling Brotha Lynch Hung in the late 80s, and if he thinks Papoose jacked his alphabetical swagger. HipHopDX: Tell me about The Mighty Underdogs. How did this project come to be, and what is it? Gift of Gab: Were basically having [The Crown City Rockers] sitting in when we do this live. This whole tour right now is Blackalicious presents The Mighty Underdogs with The Crown City Rockers. The Mighty Underdogs is myself, Lateef [from Latyrx] and Headnodic. Based on the fact that [Headnodic] is also in The Crown City Rockers, we tried to turn it into an interactive thing. Were a group that came together out of nowhere, but the chemistry was so strong. We did about 30 songs within a couple of months. It was easy. Lateef gave me a call one day and said, Yo, I wrote to some of these beats Headnodic got; theyre pretty dope. You should get on a couple of em. From there, it was instant chemistry. It flowed so smoothly that we did an EP and an album. The EP is actually available through Giftstribution.com. DX: Is it all digital then? G: In about one week, its gonna be available through all the digital distribution networks. Right now its only available through the website. We also have distribution through this company called Traffic Entertainment for hard copies. Its called The Prelude. Its six songs, just getting people ready for the album. We plan to drop the whole full length album in 08. These are just warning shots to raise peoples awareness of the group. Were still putting records out on Quannum, but based on how the industry is, we think its a good time, just as artists, to put stuff out ourselves. We wanted to do this EP just ourselves. DX: You are a king of the EP. Melodica and A2G are classics in a lot of eyes, including mine. In just six tracks, whats the secret to winning over a new fan? G: We took songs from the record and we took songs that werent for the record. The EP is an entirely different body of work from the album. But it warms up people to what the group is about. The lead song on the EP is called Gunfight with MF DOOM. The album is called Dropping Science Fiction, and it�s completely different from a Blackalicious record. The whole record is based on fictional storytelling. Damn near every song. Songs about being in outer-space, songs about being abducted on tropical islands, gunfights, weve got a song called Im a Monster, where we morph into different monsters. We just wanted to make a fun record full of storytelling because there havent been a lot of records out there like that. DX: Youre one of the few rappers/emcees who admits fiction in his work, but on top of that, youre also challenging storytelling in the Dana Dane/Slick Rick sense? G: Exactly! Theres a line in the intro saying, Were not keeping it real. A lot of emcees focus too much on keeping in real. Thats cool, thats good, but people forget that this is art. Art is part of your imagination. Its limitless. You can go anywhere. Theres nothing wrong with doing it if youre being creative about it. What if Steven Speilberg kept it real all the time? A lot of great movies would have never been made. DX: To what extent do you think that the iPod generation appreciates all forms of music coming together? G: I think that thats where its going. Its a different generation. Back when I was coming up, it was a Rock crowd and it was a Hip Hop crowd and it was an R&B crowd. You can listen to some of these Rock groups now and hear Hip Hop influences in them. Some of the brand new ones. You can hear Hip Hop incorporating Rock. I think that its all music. The worst thing you can do is shut yourself off, and not explore everything out there. Everybody can appreciate good music. Hip Hop has always been like that, cause Hip Hop is the only music that can be Rock, Jazz, Calypso, Soul, any kinda music. DX: With The Craft, a lot of former outsiders caught onto Blackalicious. This was happening simultaneous to a lot of Hip Hop consumers bootlegging, downloading or just not buying. Does going for that Indie Rock or experimental crowd pay off G: Im just grateful, man. Weve been doing this for over a decade now, and we try to stay consistent and push each other. Our whole crew tries to push each other to make dope records. Its been a blessing to have been able to do that this far. I dont really see any end to it. I still feel like theres a lot of music inside all of us that we still need to get out. Its good to see that. But its been a process. We started out putting our own records out, as Solesides, when nobody knew who we were. It was just a brick-by-brick thing. Over the years, we�ve been a following. It wasnt overnight. We put our first record out in 93; thats damn near 15 years of consistently putting out music and trying to elevate our live shows. DX: In one of your liner notes, you shouted out to C-Bo and Brotha Lynch Hung. I like that from totally different crowds, theres a respect there. Tell me about that. G: Blackalicious met in Sacramento when we were in high school. It was just a lot of battling cats. Brotha Lynch Hung was one of them cats that would just rip people to shreds back that. I also had a reputation. We bumped heads once and actually battled. After that, I saw him on the bus about a month after we battled and it was just all love. Its all love and respect. C-Bo, I knew them from high school. I knew C-Bos cousin really well. He used to come up to school and we used to cut class and just go rhyme. Ive known them for a while. I don�t keep in touch with them as tight as back then, but if I see em, Ill holla though. DX: Papoose got a lot of credit for his concept on Alphabetical Slaughter. Years before that, you had Alphabet Aerobics. Does it bother you to see him get praised for originality that could be argued isnt his? G: [Laughs hysterically] I guess they didnt hear [my song]! I think that Papoose is one of the rawest lyricists. Hes a raw, technical lyricist. At first I was like, Wow, I did that back in 1994!� Everybody dont hear everything. Maybe he didnt hear it. DX: I�ve always been perplexed by your record A 40 Ounce For Breakfast. On one hand its a whimsical rap about being bored at life, a bum, etc. On the other, its real pain, a real attitude, and a very common feeling in America then and now. Which was it for you in writing it? G: That was just being young. Wow, that record was like 15 years ago. Just going out, wylin out, drinking, and just doing the things that you do when youre young. Going overboard with it, to the point where its, Im starting to have regrets. This is really out of control, and its not cool. 40 Ounce For Breakfast was just getting that off my chest. AZ Central sits down with The Gift of Gab (August 2007) HTML Gift of Gab wants to back up his talk Jeff Weiss Special for azcentral.com Aug. 17, 2007 12:57 AM For a guy with the stage name the Gift of Gab, the man born Timothy Parker is surprisingly taciturn when you get him on the phone -- more soft-spoken than his charismatic stage demeanor would suggest, more humble than one of the underground's biggest names needs to be. After all, Gab, one-half of Blackalicious is one of the most critically acclaimed rappers to have emerged in recent years, dropping three LPs that frequently pop up on lists of the best rap albums of the '00s. But unlike a lot of MCs who frequently feel compelled to constantly trumpet their own greatness, Gab has a long-term approach toward the rap world, citing long-dead jazz heroes as his artistic models. "All I want out of my career in music is to leave behind a body of work that people will remember," Gift of Gab said. "I look at people like John Coltrane and Miles Davis, people with extensive libraries of music. When I'm done rapping, I want to leave a huge library of music behind. I want the Blackalicious stack of records to be long and I want people in the future to be able to discover my music." In the present, Gab remains focused on getting people to discover his music, in the midst of a national tour with DJ Z-Trip and Aceyalone. Additionally, the prolific artist is preparing to release a collaboration called the Mighty Underdogs with Lateef the Truthspeaker and Headnotic, the bass player from Crown City Rockers. The record, Dropping Science Fiction, is slated to drop later this year, with a second Gift of Gab solo record planned for the beginning of 2008. But according to Gab, it's all building toward the next Blackalicious record that he and Chief Xcel already have begun work on, an album that will feature the duo returning to Quannum records, a label co-owned by DJ Shadow, Blackalicious and Latyrx, after a brief detour at Anti. "It's different when me and Xcel work together. It has to do with the beats that he makes and the way they just seem to synchronize with me," Gift of Gab said. "We've been together for 20 years and I think we stay excited about the music because of our crew. Between Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow, Lateef and everyone else over there, we keep each other excited in that no one knows what the other is going to do next. It keeps you motivated and always challenged." Gift of Gab Interview With Spin Cycal Radio (August 2007) Gift of Gab discusses his influences, his inspirations, and upcoming releases. The Black And White Magazine Reviews Supreme Lyricism (July 2007) HTML It's tough to be entirely objective when it comes to The Gift Of Gab. After all, the man can only be compared to himself and held to his own standard. I don't think any modern MC can touch him. Sure, the quick wordplay can tire after a while, but Gab has been mixing it up since the get-go. And there isn't any one dimensional artistry heard on this elaborate mixtape. Off the heels of Blackalicious' magnificent The Craft, The Gift Of Gab explores the sonic possibilites outside of Xcel's stellar production. While I certainly prefer them as a duo, both Gab and Xcel can dish out wonders apart from eachother. This 24 track(!) mixtape plays very similiar to a Blackalicious record, with complete flows inbetween songs that inter-connect and compliment the next one. Rather than sound like scraps of left-overs slapped together for a saleable mixtape, Supreme Lyricism sounds like an extra-ordinary artistic achievement. There are a few tracks credited to Blackalicious ("It's Goin' Down [rmx]", "Just What Can Happen", "Without A Trace", and "Touch The Stars"), but "Lay It Down" has to be a contender for best hip-hop track of the year. Gab's sense of spoken melody makes for wonderful subliminal hooks. Talib Kweli, Lyrics Born, Lateef The Truth Speaker and others make great appearances, but the clear genius is Gab himself. 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up was a solid solo debut, but Supreme Lyricism is twice as good. If this kind of quality shows up on the next Blackalicious record, I might give up indie-rock completely! www.allrap.pl Reviews Supreme Lyricism (June 2007) HTML Jednak to nie wazne, wazne ze p�l roku temu wyszedl calkiem inny projekt � �Supreme Lyricism Volume One". Nie jest to pelno prawny album ale mixtape w limitowanej edycji. I to naszej stronie przyszedl zaszczyt dostac oryginal plytki opatrzony znakiem �review copy". Natomiast wy mozecie ja zakupic na tej stronie www.giftofgabmixcd.com Wiec zapraszam do recenzji tej naprawde ciekawej plytki.... 1.Intro � Wstawka wprowadzajaca jest naprawde milym wejsciem w plytke. Slyszymy zmiksowane glosy, scratche i cuty przer�znych os�b, kt�re przedstawiaja nam troszke Gift of Gab'a... calkiem fajnie zrobione 2.Supreme Lyricism � Kawalek ten jest jakby takim juz prawdziwym intro. Mamy tutaj rap i calkiem ciekawy bit, wpadajacy w ucho. Dowiadujemy sie wszystkiego o projekcie jakim jest seria Supreme Lyricism. Track ze wzgledu na to ze jest kr�tki jest naprawde fajny, jakby byl dluzszy prawdopodobnie by sie szybko nudzil bo bit mimo iz wpada w ucho to jest strasznie melancholijny. 8/10 3.It' Goin Down Remix � Pierwsi goscie na plycie � dobry ziomek Gift'a czyli Lateef i... Talib Kweli. Kawalek zaczyna sie typowo mixtape'owym przejsciem w drugi bit, ale podklad tego numeru jest o wiele lepszy niz poprzedni. Tak prawde m�wiac jest naprawde kozacki. Talib zabil ten kawalek � zreszta on robi to prawie z kazdym kawalkiem i nie dziwne ze znajduje sie w czol�wce najlepszych liryk�w na swiecie. Jednak dw�jka kt�ra z nim wystepuje w og�le poziomem od niego na tym tracku nie odstaje. Lateef poradzil sobie bardzo dobrze a Gift tez nie rozczarowuje. 8.5/10 4.Lay It Down � Kolejny kr�tki numer, kr�tszy niz track nr.2 � a tu szkoda bo bit jest naprawde wypasiony. Fajnie dobrane instrumenty, niezle mozliwosc z obrobieniem glosu. Opr�cz Gift'a rapuje kolejny jego ziomek Mr. Lif, a ich wsp�lpraca wyglada naprawde cudownie. Obaj glosami pasuja do podkladu. Jedyne co to zdecydowanie jest za kr�tki (duzo tu bedzie takich track�w)!!! 8/10 5.Just What Can Happen � Faktycznie kawalki sa kr�tkie no ale po tytule albumu mozna sie domyslic ze chociaz liryki powinny byc na poziomie. No i tak rzeczywiscie jest. Bo podklad w tym kawalku jedyne co ma w sobie fajnego i nie szablonowego to delikatne pianino slyszane pod spodem. Jednak sama liryka tego kawalka poraza, Gift pokazal co naprawde potrafi. 8.5/10 6.Greatness � Kolejny udzial goscinny i kolejny kawalek kt�ry ledwo ledwo ma ponad dwie minuty. Wystepujacy na feacie Vursatyl jednak ma naprawde fajny glos i pokazal sie z bardzo ciekawej strony lirycznej. Podklad jest ponownie dosc standardowy niczym sie nie wyr�znia. Jednak strona tekstowa naprawde jest na poziomie. Choc nadal nie jest to czego do konca oczekiwalismy. 8.5/10 7.3 Strike Felony � tym razem mamy naprawde porzadny kawalek. Klimatyczny bo wprowadza w nastr�j typowy predzej dla niekt�rych numer�w Cypress Hill (i rzeczywiscie slyszymy tu o B-Real'u:P). Nastr�j ten to taki Kalifornijsko-Jamajski podklad. Przypomina tropiki :P Naprawde super kawalek. Liryka wszystkich trzech pan�w � opr�cz Gift'a slyszymy tutaj tez Lateef'a i Lyrics Born'a. Wszyscy wspieli sie na wysoki poziom, no i do tego fajny spiewany refren. Jeden z lepszych kawalk�w na plytce 9.5/10 8.Without A Trace � Kr�tki kawalek (nie ma nawet minuty) ale nie mozna go uznac za skit. Co ciekawe naprawde wymiata. Gift pokazal tutaj co naprawde potrafi lirycznie i ze ma sw�j wlasny styl. Naprawde fajnie sie slucha a rap MC z Kaliforni moze wbic w fotel. 9/10 9.Sun Don't Shine � Ponownie na tracku (kr�tkim! - zn�w za kr�tkim!) uslyszymy takze Lateef'a. Nie bede sie rozpisywal o stronie muzycznej bo ta jest naprawde porzadna i nie ma sie czego czepnac. A sam raper utrzymuje poziom z poprzedniego kawalka i zn�w mozemy sie przekonac ze warto sie interesowac tym artysta. Dla mnie kolejny z lepszych track�w na plycie. 9/10 10.Fortitude � tym razem ilosc raper�w jak na kr�tki numer moze przytloczyc. Opr�cz Gift'a uslyszmy tutaj squad Crown City Rockers kt�ry sklada sie z 5 czlonk�w. Jednak jedyne co tu zasluguje na uwage to ciekawy, calkiem inny podklad. Liryki sa fajne lecz o wiele za kr�tkie, ciezko ocenic rapera po zaledwie 4 czy 8 taktach.... 7.5/10 11.Let It Go � Ten track ma ledwie minute i jest to jego najwieksza szkoda. Tak dobrego bitu mozna szukac ze swieczka.... a ten nie dosc ze jest wspanialy, wpada w ucho to do tego jest cholernie przyjemny. A jedyne co to tylko minuta, a glos Gift'a i styl rapowania wspaniale komponuje sie z tym podkladem. Szkoda ze to tylko 1:05! 8/10 12.Top Qualified" � feat z Haiku D'Etat, Lateef'em i Lyrics Born'em. Co ciekawe doczekalismy sie naprawde dlugiego walka bo ma on prawie 6 minut. I na cale szczescie strona muzyczna nie rozczarowuje, a wrecz przeciwnie podobnie jak w poprzednim utworze jest na naprawde wysokim poziomie. Co do samego rapowania � lirycyzm jest tu naprawde na wysokim poziomie, wszyscy MC daja z siebie naprawde wiele. Do tego dochodzi przyjemny refren i mamy najlepszy track na plycie... 10/10 13.Left Side Of The Brain � Na poczatek mamy cuty wejsci�wki do tego numeru. Bit � nie zachwyca i nie rozczarowuje. Sam tekst takze jest porzadny choc podobnie nie jest wspanialy ani slaby. Po prostu kolejny kr�tki (tu to zaleta) kawalek na poziomie choc moze wprowadzic w stan melancholijny. 7.5/10 14.Napalm � kolejny skit? Eh niby track ale zn�w nie ma minuty a tutaj to kolejny raz straszna wada. Moze sie czepiam ale gdyby czesc z tych kr�tkich track�w byla dluzsza to ten album by m�gl otrzec sie o klasyke. Ale �Napalm" dostanie i tak wysoka ocene za naprawde swietny tekst.... jeden z lepszych na plycie. 9/10 15.Communicate � Wreszcie kolejny �normalny" kawalek. Naprawde daje popalic i czesto do niego powracam. Bit jest nie szablonowy, posiada fajne zgranie instrument�w i nie typowa sekwencje perkusyjna. Warto sprawdzic. Podobnie liryka jest porzadna choc czesc kawalka zajmuje spiew niejakiego (niejakiej?) New Flesh. Ale kawalek moze zachwycic. 9/10 16.Cold War Economics � Zostawie juz dlugosc kawalk�w. W tym numerze wazne jest jedno � Lateef wraz z Gift'em wzieli sie za naprawde porzadny rap, tekst tego kawalka niszczy i ma naprawde super przeslanie. Tutaj normalnie wysiadlem sluchajac stylu rapowania obu pan�w. Ten kawalek naprawde wymiata! 9.8/10 17.Inner Door Open � Fajny podklad. Porzadna liryka. Niesamowity styl rapowania. Super zgranie obu tych cech. Czemu zatem tylko 1:08? 8/10 18.Quannum World � Podklad w wiekszosci utrzymuje klimat z poprzedniego walka i jest calkiem mily w sluchaniu. Tutaj mamy do czynienia z czlonkami projektu Quannum, kt�rego Gift takze jest czlonkiem. I jego banda nie zawodzi. Mamy przyjemny track z przyjemnym refrenem i bardzo dobrym tekstem. Czego wiecej chciec. Dla mnie trzeci najlepszy track na plycie. 10/10 19.The Art of Riding a Beat � m�wi wam cos Motion Man? To kolejny zajebisty raper z Kalifornijskiego podziemia. Jezeli ktos slucha Linkin Parku to na pewno kojarzy go z Reanimation. Tutaj wystepuje obok swojego ziomka z podw�rka. Podklad calkiem calkiem, choc nie zachwyca, nie ma takiego klimatu na jaki mialby potencjal po malej obr�bce. Rapu Gift'a jest mnie, ale Motion naprawde dal czadu i zarapowal porzadny tekst.... 8/10 20.Extravaganza � Numer w kt�rym liczba raper�w jest spora... mamy tu Quannum MC's czyli ziomk�w Gift'a a takze czteroosobowy squad Souls of Mischief. Jednak tym razem wszyscy sprawdzaja sie w swojej roli. Naprawde kazdy zapodal naprawde spora ilosc tekstu i to w naprawde bardzo dobry stylu. Dobry track... a co ciekawe � jeden z raper�w glosem przypomina mlodego LL Cool J'a.... :) 9/10 21.Touch The Stars � Kawalek podobny do 3 Strikes Felony, ma sw�j klimat dzieki bitowi. Jednak rap Gift'a tym razem przypomina zabawe z glosem, z bitem, co prawde m�wiac naprawde dobrze wychodzi (no ale Ostrego z �Do Tego bitu" nie przebija:P). Kawalek ma klimat ale nie zachwyca. Tylko 8/10 22.Whyle Out � dochodzimy powoli do konca plytki... i po rzedzie dluzszych track�w mamy zn�w ponizej jednej minuty. Jest to jakby wprowadzienie do konc�wki plyty... jednak ten kawalek jest porzadny... i posiada naprawde dobry rap. Tylko tyle...7.5/10 23.Limited Flight Time � Oooo, no to mamy to na co poszly te tracone minuty w tych kr�tkich trackach. Dlugosc tego kawalka przypomina wiekszosc track�w Immortal Technique'a... bo ma ponad 8 minut a na feacie uslyszymy Jumbo The Garbageman'a. Ale co powiecie na to... ze ostatnie cztery minuty to kompletna cisza? Kawalek jest naprawde fajny ale nie rozumiem po co ta cisza? Mozna bylo zamiast niej dograc kilka zwrotek do tych kr�tkich numer�w.... Szkoda. Naprawde szkoda. Sam track wymiata, ale ta cisza jest denerwujaca i kazdy po prostu przelaczy na ostatni track... 8/10 24.NYC Freestyle Live at B.B. King's � No i doszlismy do czegos wyjatkowego. Nie dosc ze to rap na wolno, to do tego z naprawde niezla zabawa muzyczna i glosowa. Gift pokazuje ze jest potrafi byc niesamowity. Ten Free zabija z miejsca... jedyne co moge jeszcze o nim powiedziec to...10/10 Podsumowujac. Pisalem kiedys dla Proofzone.pl recenzje �Searching For Jerry Garcia" Proof'a. I wiecie co? Mam podobne uczucia do tego mixu jak do jedynej plyty czlonka D12. W calosci jest ona niesamowita i naprawde wymiata jako jedna sp�jna plytka. Jednak osobno kawalki nie sa juz takie wspaniale i co ciekawe coraz wiecej wychodzi wlasnie takich album�w. Jedyne gdzie osobno mozna sie zachwycac kawalkami to seria tych dluzszych (od Quannum World do Touch The Sky). Co ciekawe mimo poszczeg�lnej oceny samych kawalk�w plyte ocenilbym (mimo ze ze sredniej to nie wychodzi :P) na porzadna 9 na 10. Jezeli ktos chce sluchac tej plyty to tylko od kawalka numer jeden az do samego konca. Wtedy poznacie jej prawdziwa sile. Polecam! Plyte mozecie zakupic za pomoca tej strony: www.giftofgabmixcd.com  |
