ABOUT BLACKALICIOUS: [http://blackalicious.com/]
"We're older, we're wiser, we're more mature," MC Gift of Gab (nee
Timothy Parker) says of Imani, Vol. 1, BLACKALICIOUS'
first new album in a decade. "It's better now, because we've grown as
people and artists."
"Each one of these records is a chapter in our lives, and we put our
complete heart and soul into it," agrees Gab's
longtime musical partner, CJ/producer Chief Xcel (aka Xavier Mosley).
"We live these records."
Imani, Vol. 1 lives up to the beloved California-bred duo's hard-won
reputation as one of hip-hop's most progressive, forward-thinking
creative forces. Acclaimed for the sublime combination of Gab's verbal
dexterity and lyrical eloquence, and X's bracing beats and distinctive
soundscapes, BLACKALICIOUS HAS EARNED WIDESPREAD RESPECT, both inside
and outside of the hip-hop community, for the wildly inventive,
personally charged innovations of its first three albums, 1999's Nia,
2002's Blazing Arrow and 2005's The Craft.
Three years in the making, Imani, Vol. 1—the first of a projected
trilogy to be released over the course of two years—is perhaps
BLACKALICIOUS' MOST AMBITIOUS AND ACCOMPLISHED EFFORT TO DATE,
maintaining the spirituality, introspection and positivity that are
the twosome's trademarks, while making it clear that their musical
vision and creative drive remain as strong as ever.
Although Imani, Vol. 1 is driven by Gift of Gab's uplifting verbal
sophistication and Chief Xcel's expansive sonic sensibility, which are
as distinctive as ever on such riveting tracks as "On Fire Tonight,"
"Escape," The Sun," "We Did It Again" and the epic "Alpha and Omega."
The pair is joined by such guest performers as Afro-pop diva Zap Mama,
who's featured on the title track; Amde Hamilton of legendary '60s rap
progenitors the Watts Prophets on the album-opener "Faith," eclectic
singer-songwriter Imani Coppola on "The Sun," underground hip-hop duo
LifeSavas on "That Night," neo-blues auteur Fantastic Negrito on
"Love's Gonna Save the Day," Myron of retro-soulsters Myron & E on "On
Fire Tonight," and the all-star hip-hop combo of Lateef, Lyrics Born,
Monophonics and DJ D Sharp on "Alpha and Omega."
Imani—whose title is the Swahili word for "faith"—is a
particularly personal project for BLACKALICIOUS, with its title
reflecting the personal trials that helped to inspire the words and
music.
"Faith has been a big word in both of our lives in the last couple of
years," Gift of Gab affirms. "We both dealt with some personal
situations that really required faith and forced us to think about a
lot of things. Most of our albums are about where we are at that point
in our lives, and that's definitely true on this one."
Imani, Vol. 1's birth cycle coincided with Gab's ongoing fight for his
health after suffering kidney failure.
"My kidneys failed at the top of 2012, when we were gearing up to do
this record," Gift of Gab notes. "I got put on dialysis, so now when I
travel or go on tour, I do dialysis wherever I go. When I got the
news, there was a moment where it was a little dark, where I was
questioning if I'm still gonna be able to do this. But then I had the
realization that no one can ever take my creativity away. I realized
that this is a circumstance that I'm temporarily gonna be dealing
with, and that I have to make some adjustments for it, but that it
doesn't stop me from being a creative person. Once I
realized that, I started to feel inspired and just threw myself into
writing, and that became a big part of the fuel for this record."
Although it's been a decade since the last BLACKALICIOUS RELEASE, the
pair has remained busy with a variety of musical endeavors. Gift of
Gab released three solo albums, 2004's 4th Dimension Rocketships Going
Up, 2009's Escape 2 Mars and 2012's The Next Logical Progression.
Chief Xcel worked with acclaimed soul singer Ledisi, and formed
Burning House with R.V. Salters of General Eletriks, releasing the
2013 album Walking Into A Burning House.
"BLACKALICIOUS NEVER STOPPED," asserts Gift of Gab. "We just wanted to
explore other things as individuals, and in 2012 we realized that it
was time to return to the mothership. I was a little nervous at first,
and thought that it might take some time to rebuild. But when we
started doing shows, we were selling out everywhere, and people were
telling us that they grew up on our music. It was encouraging to find
out that, even after all these years, we're actually important to
people.
"It's like traveling," Gab continues. "It's always good to travel and
see the world. But then when you come back home, you appreciate it
that much more. We stepped right back into it, and it was like 'Oh
yeah, I remember this. This is home.'"
"Once we got into the studio," Chief Xcel recalls, "everything flowed
very naturally. We just got in there and kind of let the album make
itself. When we were in the studio together, it was pretty effortless,
because we know each other so well creatively. We wrote about 60 songs
for this record, and went with the ones that we felt strongest about.
And about 90 per cent of it is live tracks; it's probably the fewest
samples I've ever used on a record."
"X gave me the beats, and I just went in and wrote every day," Gift of
Gab states. "There was not a lot of thought or planning this time, it
was more about action. It was just, as soon as it moves you, you write
something. There was not a whole lot of thought put into it. It was
more like 'OK, let's create.'"
"We're like two kids who've been playing basketball together since the
second grade, and now they're in the NBA so they really know each
other and can anticipate each other's next move," Chief Xcel says of
his and Gab's enduring partnership. "It's totally instinctive, and we
kind of communicate without talking. I know just from his physical
reaction, when he hears a beat or a song, if there's a spark or if he
feels inspired. And vice versa; he can tell by my immediate reaction
if we've hit the mark or not. That just comes from time."
With Imani, Vol. 1 demonstrating that BLACKALICIOUS IS AS POTENT A
CREATIVE ENTITY AS EVER, Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel are embracing
their return to the spotlight, and looking forward to reconnecting
with their loyal, demographically diverse fan base.
"I think that this album is coming from a very honest place, and I
really think that this is the most creative and prolific point of our
careers, so we're really excited about it," Chief Xcel says, adding,
"The next year or two, it's gonna be a nonstop balance of touring and
being in the studio working on Volumes 2 and 3. We're definitely
looking forward to seeing how things evolve and change."
"In my opinion, this is one of our best records," Gift of Gab agrees.
"It's been a long time, we worked hard on it, and I hope that people
enjoy it. People will come up to us and say 'Yo, that record changed
my life' or 'That record helped me to get sober' or 'That record
started me on a spiritual journey.' People say personal stuff like
that, and we take it seriously."
"Our audience seems to be people who see music and art as essential
parts of life, and not just disposable accessories," Chief Xcel
concludes. "That's who we make music for—people who need music in
their life. I'm one of those people. Imani is Swahili for faith, and
that's really where we're at at this juncture. We're so rooted in our
purpose that we don't have to second-guess, we just know. There's no
fear of the unknown, there's just the fire to move forward and get to
wherever the journey takes us."
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24/01/2020 Last update