Is it possible to be a major label artist and also stay true to the craft? Walking the slippery slopes of authenticity, musicians are often forced to make the choice between careers of anonymous artistic freedom or soul-less commercial success. But for West Coast underground hip hop starlets Blackalicious, the struggle to maintain true artistry while being signed to a major label (MCA) seems effortless. With their first attempt at the national market Blazing Arrow (sequel to their independent hit Nia) not only do they reach the surface of a countless sea of hip hop acts, but breathe fresh air into the artform as a whole.
Blazing Arrow is a truly special musical endeavor. Seventeen tracks deep, MC Gift of Gab and DJ Xcel take listeners through their imaginative and sincere material in true hip hop fashion. But the concepts, emotions, language and musical structure packed into Blazing Arrow, all contribute to make this CD go beyond itself, being one of the most complete efforts by a hip hop artist in recent music memory.
Staying true to his proclamation on "Green Light," Gab is truly a "poetry pedestrian," walking his commanding and original style all over the album's tracks. On songs like "First in Flight," "Paragraph President" and "4000 Miles," Gab shows off his fluid lyricism and spits off metaphors at high speeds. See "Nowhere Fast" and "Purest Love," for rhymes that are not just poetic, but also thoughtful and convey a passion for life. On "Chemical Calisthenics," the MC alters his voice pitch and speed with a rhyme dedicated to the periodic table, with truly rich wordplay: "C-O-H-O-2 wine water solution of calcium hydroxide/Slobbin it, C-A-O lime will make bleach powder/ Galvanic metal beats stomp out louder."
Gab's high-octane delivery is backed by brilliant and daring soundscapes provided by Xcel and a slew of outside producers and artists. One would think an eclectic list of collaborators that includes Saul Williams, ?uestlove, Ben Harper and DJ Shadow, among others, would make for a scattered sound. Instead Blazing Arrow comfortably flows in a continuous stream of craftiness and musical mastery. This release, limitless and intelligent in every crevice of sound and every line of the lyrics, is what every art-sensitive listener could ever hope for -- no matter how corporate the sponsor of it is.
