Blackalicious

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Blackalicious

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Img_capt = Blackalicious performing at Detour Festival, 2006
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Davis, California, United States
Genre = Hip hop
Years_active = 1992–present
Label = Quannum Projects
MCA Records
SoleSides
ANTI-
Associated_acts = DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truthspeaker
URL = [http://www.blackalicious.com/ Official website]
Current_members = Gift of Gab
Chief Xcel
Past_members =

Blackalicious is a California-based hip hop duo made up of rapper Gift of Gab (born Timothy Parker) and DJ/producer Chief Xcel (born Xavier Mosley). They are noted for their intelligent, artistic approach to hip hop music. The pair have released three full-length albums (1999's "Nia", 2002's "Blazing Arrow" and 2005's "The Craft") that have won them considerable critical acclaim and a sizable following.

History

Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel first met through a mutual friend in 1987 while attending John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento, California. The duo went separate ways after Parker graduated and moved to Los Angeles. However, they kept in touch by phone and were eventually reunited in 1992 in Davis. Chief Xcel, now a student at UC Davis, had started working with a crew named SoleSides, whose members included DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truthspeaker, and Lyrics Born. Parker and Mosley formally settled on the name Blackalicious ("good black music", according to MosleyFact|date=October 2007) in 1992 and released their first vinyl single, "Swan Lake", on SoleSides Records (the SoleSides crew's own record label) in 1994. The song was an underground hit and Blackalicious subsequently released their debut EP, "Melodica", in 1995, also on SoleSides Records.

In late 1997, SoleSides became Quannum Projects and in 1999 Blackalicious released their second EP, "A2G", which served as a precursor to their debut full-length album, "Nia" (1999), released the following year. This was followed by a major label contract with MCA Records and the release of the critically acclaimed album "Blazing Arrow" (2002), which brought the duo greater commercial success, peaking at #49 on the "Billboard" 200.

A third full length, titled "The Craft", was released on Epitaph Records imprint ANTI- on September 27, 2005. The album peaked at #102 on the "Billboard" 200.

In 2007, The Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truthspeaker, and Headnodic formed a group called The Mighty Underdogs, releasing an EP through the Gift of Gab's distribution company [http://www.giftstribution.com Giftstribution] . They are scheduled to release an LP titled "Dropping Science Fiction" in early 2008.

Discography

Albums

*"Nia" (Mo' Wax/Quannum Projects, 2000)
*"Blazing Arrow" (MCA Records/Quannum Projects, 2002)
*"The Craft" (ANTI Records/Quannum Projects, 2005)

EPs

*"Melodica" (Mo Wax, 1994)
*"A2G" (Quannum Projects, 1999)
*"Deception remixes" (Quannum Projects, 1999)

ingles

*"Swan Lake" / "Lyric Fathom" 12" (Solesides, 1994)
*"Deception" 12" (Quannum Projects, 1999)
*"If I May" / "Reanimation" 12" (Mo' Wax/Quannum Projects, 2002)
*"Paragraph President" / "Passion" 12" (MCA Records/Quannum Projects, 2001)
*"Make You Feel That Way" / "Sky Is Falling" 12" (MCA Records/Quannum Projects, 2002)
*"Your Move" / "My Pen And Pad" 12" (ANTI-/Quannum Projects, 2005)
*"Powers" (ANTI-/Quannum Projects, 2006)

DVDs

*"4/20: Live In Seattle" (2006)

External links

* [http://www.solesides.com SoleSides website]
* [http://www.blackalicious.com Official website]
*myspace|blackalicious|Blackalicious
* [http://www.quannum.com Quannum Projects]
*PopMatters [http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/blackalicious-051116.shtml interview]

*Audio interview on The Sound of Young America: [http://libsyn.com/media/tsoya/tsoya092405.mp3 MP3 link]