Amazon.com's Best of 2000: With each release, Blackalicious expand the definition of hip-hop to suit themselves. In the capable hands of MC Gift of Gab, one of the best in the business, a rhyme can be personal, like a whisper from a close friend. Or it can be a searing battle rap. On Nia, producer Chief Xcel creates rhythms that burst with life: everything from snaky Middle Eastern beats to thundering bass lines. --Lizz Mendez Berry
Amazon.com: With Nia, Blackalicious hit their stride as leaders of the hip-hop true school. The Sacramento-based duo of producer/DJ Chief Xcel and lyricist The Gift of Gab has been creating luscious, intelligent music since they started out in 1994, and Nia shows them at their best. Gab's rhyming skills are supreme, ranging from evocative storytelling about fame and misfortune ("Deception") to rapped reflections on the state of his art ("Shallow Days") and scathing straight spitting ("Trouble"). A true master of ceremonies, Gab keeps it right by grounding his lyrics in his own experience, preventing his antiestablishment message from getting boring. On the musical front, Xcel's beats fit Gab's wordplay like a glove. They range from the funky, caffeinated drum stutters of "Fabulous Ones," to knowing piano-laced patterns (on the genius "Deception") and slinky, serpentine, Middle Eastern styles ("Smithzonian Institute of Rhyme"). Nia is honest music: from Xcel's carefully stitched-together, relentlessly inventive beats, to Gab's personal poetics. This is soul food for your ears. --Lizz Mendez Berry
Album Description: First full length album from hip-hop supergroup featuring Lateef, Lyrics Born of Latyrx and DJ Shadow. 19 tracks. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.
One of the Best LP's I ever bought! What can I say other than this is one of the best albums out there. The production was amazing, my head was noddin w/every single beat. Gift of Gab has one of my favorite flows from any MC out there. To me, its like a mixture of Big Pun's breathless-like flow combined w/ Jay-Z's Rhythmic Wordplay. Hands down is it one of the best records from the west? Nah.... Its One of the Best records in Hip Hop!!!
Chief Xcel is so underrated. Gift of Gab without a doubt is one of the most original, underrated, and dope emcees of our time. And along with amazing production at the hands of Chief Xcel- Blackalicious always brigs something interesting to listen to. NIA is a fantastic album from beginning to end but its one of those you need to be in a certain mood for. Personally, Gift of Gab is one of those artists who you dont heavily rotate but when you do play ears are definitely satisfied without complaints...Just has to be that certain 'mood' for the album and artists to fully sink in.
Excellent album. Need to catch up on the other Blackalicious albums to compare. Definitely worth a purchase and a listen!
Blackalicious Sets the Tone Blackalicious is a west coast rap group but their sound transcends all geographic distinctions. In fact, I think their music operates on an entirely different plane of the genre. Chief Xcel's sampling and production is lovably, head knockingly obscure and effective. Gift of Gab is one of the finest rappers. I recently had the pleasure of witnessing the man in action at a show near my school. He's quite the stage presence and his flow is unmatched. Nia was their first LP and it establishes their ability to weave a concept into an effective catalogue of golden hits. WIhtout a doubt the best song is deception, a parable about a kid named Sisqo. Some surprises include production from quannum crew buddy and california native DJ Shadow on Hanger, Cliff. The track is a little incongruous but another showcase of Gift of Gab's storytelling abilities. Reaction puts the team on the level and sets the stage for commercial success. It's the soundtrack to a Sunkist commercial! Only 4 stars because it's not Blazing Arrow, one of the most important albums in hip hop.
Review of a Paragraph President Like any middle school child in 90-92, I thought I knew about hip-hop being the proud owner of "The Chronic", "Doggystyle", and "Predator". Yet, my liking of hip-hop was always extended to just a couple of the hot albums of the day, and I never really considered myself a hip-hop head. When, just a few years ago, I realized there was an entire undercurrent of, not simply underground hip-hop, but hip-hop that is not force-fed to the masses incessantly, I was intrigued. Because of acts like Blackalicious, my intrigue has waned in favor of outright militancy. As a seventh grade teacher on the immediate outskirts of Washington D.C., I have the challenging, yet enjoyable task of trying to connect with some of the most brilliant teenagers in the world, as well as those whose futures have been pre-condemned because of socioeconomic setbacks. I thank God for musicianns like Blackalicious because they project hope and positivity. Throughout the year I will post quotes and play snippets of songs from NIA to pique the interest of my students. With "Cliffhanger" we can study the elements of plot structure. Not since Slick Rick has an MC made storytelling so compelling. Gift of Gab displays an astounding ability to couple precise flow with a variety of tempos, always blessed with creative, and most often, thought-provoking lyrics. The beats, ranging from soulfully-melancholic head-nodders to upbeat funk numbers, provide the perfect backdrop to Gift's signature flow, and foretell of the ability Chief X-Cel delivers on later releases. From straight out we're here to impress songs like "A to G" and "You Didn't Know That Though" to the conscious "Shallow Days", "Making Progress" and, "Deception" which supply ammo to those who continue to argue that hip-hop can be an inspirational and uplifitng tool, NIA stakes a major claim in the timeline of hip-hop for those who believe in its true spirit.
4.5 Stars - Emcees Are (Truly) In "Trouble"... NIA is Blackalicious' first full length after having released several 12 inches and two EPs (Melodica and A2G) throughout the 90s. With this album, Gift of Gab showcases his versatility as an emcee, conquering storytelling ("Cliff Hanger," "Deception"), battle tracks ("Fabolous Ones," "Trouble"), and conscious rhymes ("Shallow Days" "Making Progress"). Although Chief Xcel was not quite as developed on NIA as he would prove to be on later LPs [Blazing Arrow (2002), Ambush (2004)], most of the beats provide the perfect gritty backdrop for Gab and guests to drop science over. An essential hip-hop album.
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