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 BlackaliciousBlazing Arrow Release Date: 2002 04 30 Label: Quannum Projects Rating:  |
The late '90s ushered in a second golden age of progressive hip-hop, as a group of ambitious young lions rose from the underground to redefine the art of lyrical technique and revive the idea that hip-hop had relevant statements to make. With their 2000 debut album, Blackalicious established themselves as one of the West Coast's top outfits in this vein, and while it was very good, their follow-up, Blazing Arrow, is simply fantastic, vaulting the duo to the forefront of the progressive hip-hop pack. Much of Blazing Arrow retains NIA's airy, laconic feel, but the group's sense of craft has improved to a startling degree; the hooks are sharper and more plentiful, Gift of Gab's rhymes are denser, Chief Xcel's production is more breathtakingly lush, and his arrangements more sophisticated. What's more, the tracks draw from a rich sonic palette -- not just the expected jazz-funk and old-school influences, but straight pop (check the Nilsson sample on the title track) and smooth soul (particularly the Philly variety, but also the contemporary neo-soul revival) in particular. In spite of the duo's intellectual bent, the grooves on Blazing Arrow exude a tremendous warmth that's only complemented by the positivity of their messages. And if Gift of Gab wasn't recognized among hip-hop's premier lyricists before, he certainly ought to be now; his raps are jam-packed with internal rhymes, allusions, metaphors, ten-cent words, and amazing tongue-twisting feats of skill. Guests include members of Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, and Latyrx (all worthy company), not to mention singer/songwriter Ben Harper, Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine), and the legendary Gil Scott-Heron. All the pieces add up to not just one of the best rap albums of 2002, but one of the richest, most captivating albums to emerge from hip-hop's artsy new underground. Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Tracks:
| Title | Composer | Time | |
| 1 | Introduction: Bow and Fire | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab | 1:06 |
| 2 | Blazing Arrow | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab, Nilsson | 2:39 |
| 3 | Sky Is Falling | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab | 2:26 |
| 4 | First in Flight | Gift Of Gab, Chief Xcel | 4:32 |
| 5 | Green Light: Now Begin | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab | 3:12 |
| 6 | 4000 Miles | Segal, Gift Of Gab, Chali Twona, Lateef The Truth Speaker, Chief Xcel | 4:35 |
| 7 | Nowhere Fast | Gift Of Gab, Chief Xcel, Questlove | 6:41 |
| 8 | Paragraph President | Gift Of Gab, Mercer, Huston, Chief Xcel, Mason, Jolicoeur | 5:09 |
| 9 | It's Going Down | Chief Xcel, Jonnell, Gift Of Gab | 3:44 |
| 10 | Make You Feel That Way | Duncan, Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab | 3:26 |
| 11 | Brain Washers | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab, Innocent Criminals, Harper | 6:22 |
| 12 | Chemical Calisthenics | Cut Chemist, Gift Of Gab | 3:21 |
| 13 | Aural Pleasure | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab, Fairweather-Low | 4:47 |
| 14 | Passion | Chief Xcel, Thomas, Moon, Rakaa | 3:54 |
| 15 | Purest Love | Chief Xcel, Gift Of Gab | 4:03 |
| 16 | Release Pt. 1, 2 and 3 | Williams, Born, Segal, Gift Of Gab, Chief Xcel | 9:26 |
| 17 | Day One | Gift Of Gab, Chief Xcel | 4:52 |
Other Releases:
| Blazing Arrow [Japan Bonus Track] Release Date: 2002 Label: MCA Records |
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