Customer Reviews

Blazing Arrow

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The next level you ask? Gift of Gab's impenetrably ill lyricism over Chief Xcel's beautifully lush production is something that I would call legendary, unique, and dare I say - untouchable. Gift of Gab definitely possesses a gift that may have you questioning the talents of your favorite emcee. He has endless capabilities as far as his impressive jaw gymnastics are concerned. His rhymes are jam-packed with metaphors, varying tones and rhythms, impeccable precision, and of course lightning quick speed. Like label-mate Lyrics Born, Gift of Gab redefines breath control. But Gift of Gab is quite a bit faster, leaving the listener in awe, and confused as to wear he actually fits a breath in his repertoire. In another respect, he doesn't drop sickly fast rhymes the whole time (which would actually get old). He experiments with his flow like a DJ experiments with their record collection.

This is Blackalicious' major-label debut, released on MCA. And if it sound more expensive than "Nia" (2000), there's certainly good reason for it. The title track sweeps the listener into tranquillity with the gorgeous sampling of "Me And My Arrow" by H. Nilsson. "First in Flight" shines with Gil Scott-Heron as a guest vocalist. It also incorporates elements that would prove to be more prominent in there later works (2005's "The Craft") - live instrumentation. The track also showcases some of Gift of Gabs most impressive skills on the mic. The streak keeps going with "4000 miles" featuring Chali 2NA (of Jurassic 5) and Lateef (of Latyrx) and some of Chief Xcel's dopest production. The guests have arguably never sound better than they do hear. The only thing that wears on me slightly is the repetitive chorus ("Muusiic"). The ?uestlove produced "Nowhere Fast" remains a favorite. Gift's personal lyrics and additional soothing vocals by Miho Hatori makes it a standout. "Paragraph President" also has a sweet driving beat to it, with DJ Shadow helping out a bit. "It's Going Down" is especially funky and soulful, mostly due to the sultry and sexy lyrics brought forth by Keke Wyatt. "Brain Washers" featuring Ben Harper came out a lot better than I expected. My favorite track has got to be the most impressive on the album - "Chemical Calisthenics" featuring Cut Chemist. The production is sick, fast and dead on just like Gift of Gab's incredibly fast, sharp and precise flows. Other appearances are made by Rakaa & Babu of Dilated Peoples ("Passion"), Jaguar Wright ("Aural Pleasure") and Saul Williams & the very tight Lyrics Born ("Release part 1,2 & 3").

Overall, this album is as close to perfect as you will hear from the thriving underground hip-hop scene. Although I must admit, many of these songs border on R&B, and several include choruses (a few of which are somewhat repetitive). Those are usually two things I try to avoid when considering underground hip-hop. But after listening to this album many, many times, I can honestly say there is nothing bad about those songs. They are executed beautifully, and for it's style and effect, it exceeds expectations and succeeds admirably. It sounds full of life, and the large budget doesn't hurt the albums overall effect or message. If you don't like R&B at all, there will be several tracks that won't impress you, or may get under your skin. It's a formula that very few have been able to execute properly, and Blackalicious makes it seem like child's play. It's a record that amazes and reveals more beauty with each and every spin. Definitely a keeper.

Blackalicious's new album shows Blackalicious evolving musically beyond what they did on their first LP, Nia, and doing it to awesome effect. Gift of Gab has improved as an MC and the production by Chief Xcel has gotten even more interesting.
If you aren't familiar with Gift of Gab, he's one of the best MCs in the game today. One thing about him is that he's able to vary his flow song to song which results in an extremely musical sound in his delivery. He also is able to rap fast and clear. In addition, he's intelligent and political.
The production on this album provides the listener with a big variety of cool sounding beats which all sound like classic hip hop.
There are a number of awesome collaborations on this album including the amazing "First In Flight" featuring the great Gil Scott-Heron, "4000 miles" featuring Chali 2NA of Jurassic 5 and Lateef the Truth Speaker of Latyrx, "Chemical Calisthenics" featuring sound collage wiz Cut Chemist of J5, "Aural Pleasure" featuring a really cool vocal from Jaguar Wright, and the mindblowing "Release" featuring Zach De La Rocha shouting release, Saul Williams the amazing poet, and Lyrics Born from Latyrx with a funky as hell verse. Obviously, there are a lot of collaborations on this album, but they all come off not sounding forced, and i was really impressed with the variety of sounds on the album. They sample a Harry Nilsson song for God's sakes!
This album is an amazing sonic journey that is inspiring and just makes you feel good. One of the best hip hop albums of 2002 thus far. Don't even think twice about copping this one.

This album has been percolating in my player for a year now and it's still as fresh as the day I bought it. One of the few perfect hip-hop albums, free of filler, featuring brilliant production and lyrics, it's just a wonder to listen to. I also have to give a special mention to the interludes after songs which are not given their own track on the album. The interlude after "Aural Pleasure" especially is pure poetry. They are like little nuggets of song ideas that add hugely to the completeness of this album.

Bow and Fire: the perfect intro, sets the mood. A
Blazing Arrow: blazing rhymes and a Harry Nilsson sample. A
Sky is Falling: another brilliant verse, killer chorus. A
First in Flight: just keeps getting better. the first highlight, and that's saying something. A+
Green Light Now Begin: laid-back, smart lyrics. A
4000 Miles: a "journey through music". joyous song. A
Nowhere Fast: the second highlight, devastating lyrics and great music. A+
Paragraph President: an entire song crafted out of a single line from a De La Soul track. not my favorite, but creative. A-
It's Going Down: poppy, but without sacrificing the smart lyrics. A
Make You Feel That Way: third highlight. the lyrics are simply at another level, perfectly fit the soothing music. A+
Brain Washers: not a personal favorite, but Ben Harper does a good job. A-
Chemical Calisthenics: break-neck tounge twisters, a chemistry lesson within three minutes. i hate chem, but not this song. A
Aural Pleasure: the truest title on the album. A
Passion: fiery song, awesome lyrics. A
Purest Love: another highlight, soulful shoutout from Gab to the people who inspired him - his family. add killer chorus and you have A+
Release: three-parter featuring the impassioned screaming of Zack de la Rocha, the brilliant verses of Saul Williams and a great musical outro. A standout track. A+
Day One: brilliant outro, featuring a final nod to the intro, tying the album in a colorful package. A+

You can say what you'd like about my review, but in terms of taking a chance on an artist I haven't heard of before and buying their album, this was perhaps my wisest choice. It is more than a great hip-hop album, it is a great Album, period. A solid 74 minutes of originality and creativity and the best of 2002. Please do yourself a favor and buy this album immediately.

I have listened to Blackalicious for a few years. I love the EP and Nia to death, but I was seriously taken aback at first listen to Blazing Arrow. I felt the first 4 or so tracks seemed a little forced and I felt that possibly they had sacrficed their art for those coporate honchos at MCA. Then I kept listening and found that I was incredibly wrong. Quite seriously I have not felt so adamant about a hip hop album; scratch that, an album of ANY genre in a VERY long time. This album flows absolutely perfectly. At first I was deterred with all the guests I saw that were going to be on this album. Usually, guest appearences feel a bit forced. These are the exact opposite. Every guest on here just goes with the flow. And the flow is that of knowledge, empowerment, passion, respect, and creativity. To me, this is one of those albums that with every track I listen to, while I am listening to it, I think to myself "That's my favorite track" and then the next one comes on and I realize that it is nearly impossible to pick one out of the group. If someone were to point a gun to my head and say "PICK ONE!" Then I would say that "release" could be one of the greatest hip hop songs ever orchestrated. 3 parts of a song, that perfectly take you through emotions in a realistic/theraputic fashion. Gab and Zach spit out the anger, then saul drops the concious thoughts one goes through every so often (some of us a few times a day) and then Lyrics and Gab are there to motivate you to get it together. Truly incredible. Those transitions are the most seemless that I have EVER heard. The entire album's production is amazing. This album is really a milestone for hip hop, it really isnt easy for me to say that, but.. Listening to it non-stop for the past week I can't help but write in and make that statement. I titled this review Frightening because I am actually frightened of this album to a degree. I'm questioning whether or not anyone can ever reach this degree of excellence again. A whole slew of others will try this year, and I hope they pull it off, but, I do have my doubts. Pick your favorite from any genre, be it Radiohead's the Bends, Mos Def and Kweli are Black Star, Roots DYWM, Tribe Low End Theory, Stone's Exile on Main Street, Zepplin IV, Sly and the Family Stone's Anthology, Aceyalone's Accepted Eclectic, any great album in any genre, and then you can add this one to that list.

This is probably one of the best rap albums I've ever heard. You can listen to it any time of the day, and never get bored. The Gift of Gab's great flow and amazing and intelligent lyrics meet Chief Xcel's creative and brilliant production to make a classic rap album. Every song is great but my favorites are "Blazing Arrow", "Sky Is Falling", "First In Flight", "4000 Miles", "Paragraph President", "Make You Feel That Way", "Brain Washers", "Chemical Calistenics", "Aural Pleasure", "Passion", and "Release". Pick this album up now, all music fans should appreciate it.

Blackalicious earned its reputation as the best (underground or not) hip hop group from the Bay Area based on the Gift of Gab's elite rhyme skills and the beguilingly simple beats of Chief Xcel. For their newest album, the West Coast's equivalent to Gang Starr has retained the elements of its success while continuing its musical covergence with R&B.

If you preferred Blackalicous's trademark raw and experimental sounds (e.g., "Alphabet Aerobics", "Smithzonian Institute of Rhyme") there is still vintage material, albeit less of it. Tracks such as "Passion" and the unbelievable "Release" (featuring show-stealer Saul Williams) are still inimitably, vibrantly Blackalicious. However, these tracks are no longer the bulk or even highpoints for Gab and Xcel's album. Instead, they fill a complimentary role to the newer, smoothed out Blackalicous combination of rhyme and R&B hooks.

Accordingly, your enjoyment of Blazing Arrow will primarily depend upon your appetite for this style change-up. The new direction that Nia pointed to on tracks such as "If I May" and "As the World Turns" featuring Gab singing and rhyming a la Lauryn Hill, Mos Def and Cee-Lo Green are now the heart of the LP. Luckily, this isn't a bad thing--indeed, it's actually surprisingly good. The guest collabs are uniformly fabulous, featuring luminaries incl. Gil Scott-Heron and Ben Harper effortlessly blending in with and enhancing Gab's rhymes and crooning. Yeah it's different but it's not for vain cross-over appeal--just musical growth

Blackalicious continues to be at the top of *their* game--rewriting the rules as they see fit to match to their personal and artistic growth. _Blazing Arrow_ continues Blackalcious's redefinition of hip hop.

A mind-blowing, expansive, sonically rich tapestry of sound, Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow proves that Blackalicious have the most appropriate stage name in the hip-hop 'biz - the duo embody all great facets of African-American music and incorporate them all into a cohesive, if (joyously) schizophrenic, whole. It features more guests than their first LP, Nia, but these guests serve to elevate the entire experience to a whole new plateau rather than to shoulder the burden of responsibility off onto someone else. J5's Chali 2na's thick, distinctive baritone sounds wonderful trading off verses with Blackalicious emcee Gift of Gab and former Solesides alum Lateef on the jubilant "4000 Miles"; poet Gil Scott-Heron croons the chorus to the spacey "First in Flight"; and each part of release features a different, crucial guest - part one finds Gift of Gab ripping it up over the spastic howls of Rage Against the Machine's Zach de la Rocha, part two is a mind-warping spoken-word from Saul Williams, and part three is a funky, old-skool trade-off between Gab and Lyrics Born. That's not to say that Blackalicious couldn't pull this whole shindig off on their own - they're two supremely talented and creative individuals. Emcee Gift of Gab boasts the vocabulary of about 20 college professors and, apparently, doesn't breathe, ever. These facts, coupled with a wonderfully overactive imagination, account for his absolutely KILLER flow, and it's in top form on Blazing Arrow. DJ Chief Xcel's soundscapes make up the other half of Blackalicious' sound, and they are absolutely - well, blackalicious. Soul, rap, R&B, blues, funk, gospel - no genre is off-limits, and Xcel taps all of these and more. Also, his grab-bag of samples includes bits from Harry Nilsson AND De La Soul.
Blazing Arrow is just a wonderful album, something that anyone with even the slightest interest in black music should own a copy of, and a benchmark in the evolution of hip-hop. Besides, who else, hip-hop or otherwise, would ever ATTEMPT something like "Release," much less SUCCEED at it? With Blackalicious, creativity is the word of the day, and, to go by Blazing Arrow, you'd think these guys adopted it as their personal mantra.

This album is dope!! The reason i didn't give it 4 stars is cuz NIA (they're 1st LP), was so damn clean i just couldn't put the two in the same category. This def has what it takes to be in ur collection though. The production is off the hook and Gab's delivery is outta hand as usual. If your a first time buyer/listener of Blackalicious, don't be skeptical about these guys. They're some of the best hip hop has to offer. The best cut is track 14 w/dilated's Iriscience & Babu. The beat is head noddin body movin, and both emcee's spit dopeness while Babu throws skratches. Other tight songs are 4,000 miles, with J5's Chali2na and fellow quannum label pal, Lateef. #8, Paragraph President, will leave u questioning you intelligence, even if ur a harvard grad. It's a pure display of lyrical mastery. The songs are star packed with ?uestlove from the roots and J5's Cut Chemist doin some production. There's even some non-hop in there like Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against the Machine. This is a true display of what hip hop's all about. If ur into that bling bling ish and that make em say uhhh garbage, this isn't for u. But if ur about dope lyrics with ill metaphors and tongue twisting emcees backed up by some coo beats, pick this album up and don't sleep on NIA either. Keep hip hop real, Peace

Not everyone is going to like Gift of Gab. It is just that simple. Not everybody can relate to his state-of-the-art vocabulary (when it comes to rappers at least) and the topics he raps about. He is a socially conscious rapper who is, in my opinion, the best rhymer in recent history. The man is ridiculous. Anyway, accompanied by Cheif Xcel's beats, Gab is untouchable. The two form a dynamic duo that creates a whole new sound with this album. Every song is good, but for those who want a preview check out the single "Make You Feel That Way." Highly recommended

If someone were to ask me whom the most creative group in recent hip-hop history is, I would definitely have to say Blackalicious. The very first time I heard Alphabet Aerobics from 1999's "A2G" I was dumbstruck. I felt like there was finally a group out there that wasn't merely making rap music. Here were a couple of talented guys who sought to bring creativity to the game. Now they have dropped their 4th album, and major label debut, "Blazing Arrow."
Having formed Blackalicious back in 1991, you could say that emcee the Gift of Gab (born Tim Parker) and producer Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) have a good working relationship. This album definitely shows that. I was impressed all the way through the album how well the two work together. On the songs where Xcel does all of the production everything meshes so well, that it`s not even funny. These are two craftsmen, not content to make dope beats and fresh rhymes, but to make great songs.

Everything about this album is tight. The Gift of Gab has one of the most unique voices in hip-hop, which lends everything that he touches charm. It is melodic, yet strong. It melts over every track like butter on your popcorn. His flow ranges from ridiculously fast to slow and steady, and he seems comfortable with either. One of my favorite tracks, Chemical Calisthenics, demonstrates this with aplomb. In this one song he ranges from a very deliberate pace with his words, to an extremely fast word bending, tongue twisting flow.

Equally adept at his chosen form is Chief Xcel. In my opinion, he is one of the very best producers in hip-hop at this moment. The thing that catches you when you're listening to the tracks on "Blazing Arrow" is that he not only knows how to make beats, he knows how to write music. The soulful hook of Aural Pleasure really shows this off. However, don't think that he can't create a bangin' beat, because he can. If you need proof, take a listen to Passion, or 4000 miles.

If the skills of Chief Xcel and the Gift of Gab aren't enough for you, don't worry. This album features a guest list of musical luminaries that all add their own special something. Gil Scott-Heron lends his soulful vocals to First in Flight, while Chali 2NA and Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5 show up on 4000 miles and Chemical Calisthenics respectively. Other guest musicians featured include former Rage Against the Machine front man Zack De La Rocha, poet/musician Saul Williams, Ben Harper of Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals and Motive Records artist Jaguar Wright. The guest list doesn't end with vocal help. Chief Xcel gets a little production help on a few tracks from such producers as ?uestlove from the Roots, and Talib Kweli's longtime collaborative partner, Hi-Tek.

To close, if you've never heard any of Blackalicious' material, get ready. The experience is one that you will not soon forget. If you have heard Blackalicious' previous stuff, then why are you still reading this? Click "Add to Cart" right now.