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  Blackalicious Interview
interview 0333 added 13.09.05 words: Nikesh
technical:
QED
Blackalicious are Gift and Gab and Chief XL,
the West Coast Quannum-projecting duo who have laced us with conscious smooth
hip-hop in the forms of albums “Nia” and “Blazing Arrow.” Now
they’re back with a new album, “The Craft”, a funky and soulful
take on cinematic soundscapes and hip-hop concepts. Gone is the
Gab of “Alphabet Aerobics” and ushered in is the Gab of more
thoughtful cuts like “Powers” and “Egosonic Wardrums”. I spoke
to the Blackalicious ones 3 hours after a long haul flight, and
much as they were subdued, they still had something to say on
the West Coast scene in 92-93 and the current war of terror… on
terror.
Introduce yourselves to ukhh.com...
 Gift of Gab: What’s up people, my name is Gift of Gab,
one half of Blackalicious.
Chief XL: Peace, this is the mighty Chief XL.
With the political situation as it is (this interview was
conducted the week after the first London bombings), what is the
Blackalicious Mission Statement for Peace?
GG: I think that people need to communicate and educate each
other about their cultures. There are always people who are
going to do things that they are not supposed to and that
shouldn’t be done. I don’t think anybody deserves to die. I
don’t think in London or America or England or Iraq deserves to
die. We need to understand each other. Just because one group of
people does something, you can’t attack a whole culture, a whole
religion. As an African American, my ancestors were slaves so I
can’t look at every Caucasian person on the planet and act like
they contributed to that. We have to educate each other about
our cultures and we have to communicate because we have more in
common than differences.
XL: I agree with Gab. Ignorance has ripple effects. You have to
cut it at the source. One of the things that alarmed me was the
first thing you start seeing: the minute they heard the bombers
were Muslim, Islam was under attack. Islam had nothing to do
with what happened. If Timothy McVeigh was Catholic, would all
Catholics be terrorists?
So, Blackalicious 2005, you have a new album coming out after a
bunch of solo projects (Gab’s solo album and XL’s Maroons
project with Lateef), what was it like coming back together?
GG: Going out and doing separate projects was healthy for both
of us. It made us stronger as individuals and we grew in ways in
ways we can only grow doing other projects. When we came back,
that strength contributed to this album being the way it is.
XL: I definitely agree. We’re really prolific and we need
multiple vehicles for our various creative outputs. I think both
of us doing our thing helped us grow. “The Craft” is a result of
that growth.
"...I think that people need to communicate and educate
each other about their cultures..."
Working with Lateef on Maroons and Gab on Blackalicious, what
was it like recording with two rappers with such strong
identities?
XL: It’s two different chemistries. They both come from very
unique places in terms of their approach to their artistry. Both
of them are extremely phenomenal at what they do. It’s like a
lot of times when I craft beats, it’s like making clothes.
Certain styles fit more appropriately for one person than they
do for another. Gab and I have a specific type of chemistry and
Lateef and I have a specific type of chemistry. I think there’s
definitely a difference between the Blackalicious sound and the
Maroons sounds as they’re definitive of the people that made
them up.
Tell us about “The Craft” album.
GG: The new album is the “Craft.” I think it’s our most focused
album ever. We’re collaborating with Lateef, Lyrics Born,
Lifesavaz and Pigeon John – who’s just signed to Quannum – as
well as Floetry and George Clinton. We’re also working with two
extraordinary singers called Ledecy and Queen. This is our most
focused record, it’s way more conceptual than anything we’ve
done. There’s a lot more storytelling. We wanted to make it
quite cinematic. There aren’t a lot of songs where I’m just
straight busting cos I can do that in my sleep. That’s easy to
me. We wanted to make conceptual songs, tell stories and give
the listener something visual. “The Fall and Rise of Elliot
Brown” is about a young man who gets caught up in the wrong
things whilst trying to survive and he pays for that. He goes to
jail, it looks like everything is going to be grim and he’s
going to be another statistic but he finds god within himself
and is victorious. The concept of that story is saying change is
the only thing that is constant. No matter where you go or how
far down you go, change can occur.
"...I try to make everything sound like it’s coming from
the same source, whether it’s live or a sample..."
What about the production side of things?
XL: With this record more than anything, I was really trying to
make cinematic soundscapes. I really wanted to go for a larger
more aggressive sound throughout. I wanted it a lot more
fast-paced. It’s definitely more up tempo compared to “Nia” and
“Blazing Arrow”.
What type of music were you listening to when producing the
album? Any Ennio Morricone or Ry Cooder?
 XL: Really, the creative inspiration for me on this was Public
Enemy “Yo! Bumrush the Show.” A lot of early Def Jam records
too. Precisely for the way a lot of the drums were mixed and
they cut and always sounded big. A lot of those early Whodini
records. I was listening to a lot of that. It was a big
inspiration for me on this one.
Who of your peers are you musically feeling right now?
XL: I really like Common’s album. There’s a group from Oakland,
California called Zion, I who I’m feeling.
GG: Definitely the Common record and the Pigeon John record,
“Pigeon John Sings the Blues.” He put that out on Battleaxe and
I’m really feeling that right now. He’s a complete artist. He’s
an MC and a songwriter with his own style and flavour.
XL: Also, Lyrics Born… “Same Shit Different Day”.
Gift of Gab, as a prolific MC, what qualities in a rapper make
you sit up and think, “Shit, that boy’s giving me a run for my
money”?
GG: Style. Wit. But most of all, energy and originality. I like
to hear MC’s that do things that make me wish I had thought of
that. Definitely, originality. Energy is very important as is
content. Does this person really believe what they’re saying?
And how well do they ride the beat? There are so many qualities.
I could go on for days.
"...Artists keep rejuvenating the energy of good music.
Tomorrow we could create a new renaissance better than that..."
What do you feel was your best training ground for rapping?
GG: Training with Lyrics Born and Lateef. We used to meet up at
a radio station when we were young, KBBS, and we used to
freestyle for days. This was 92-93. It was a really a special
time in hip-hop, especially in West Cost hip-hop. We had
Pharcyde and Freestyle Fellowship and Hiero. There was a
renaissance going on and there was an energy in the air. We were
addicted to freestyle. It was our medicine. We couldn’t get
through our day if we couldn’t go and freestyle. The three of us
really grew as rappers during that period. We started to realise
the infinite potential of freestyle and the art of rhyming.
You said that was all in 92-93. That time was seen as the golden
era in hip-hop in NY. What were your memories of the scene on
the West Coast during that period?
GG: That time I was just talking about was definitely a
highlight for me. I can remember going out to San Francisco for
the first time and going to the DNA Lounge and seeing Freestyle
and Hiero onstage and that whole period. That ear… songs were
coming out like “Double Dose” with Aceyalone and Abstract Rude.
It was a really creative period. Not to say it’s dead now.
Artists keep rejuvenating the energy of good music. Tomorrow we
could create a new renaissance better than that.
XL: So much happened in that 4 year period. Hip-hop just changed
so dynamically. 92-93 for me sticks out for that whole era of
seeing Pharcyde and Souls of Mischief and De La at this
convention called the Gavin. There was an excitement in the air
at the time. Lyricism had just taken a really dynamic evolution
at that point. Everything was exciting. Cats came out like
Volume 10 and Superb and E-Rule. Hobo Junction. That period was
really dope. Around 94-95, Tupac came and changed the whole shit
completely. That was a whole another dimension and realm that
rap went into. The seeds were planted for what would happen over
the next 4 years.
What to you makes a Quannuum sounding-record?
XL: It’s very soulful and very progressive. All of our records,
that’s the bottom line we strive for.
GG: That’s a great way to describe it: Progressive soul music.
That’s also a good description of the Blackalicious sound.
"...I like to hear MC’s that do things that make me wish I
had thought of that. Definitely..."
Well, when I hear Quannuum stuff, it always sounds a lot more
live, a lot less programmed than other stuff out there. Is this
a conscious decision?
XL: I can’t speak for LB. In terms of my productions, I
try to make everything sound like it’s coming from the same
source, whether it’s live or a sample. Unity in sound is
definitely something I strive. It’s definitely a goal of mine.
What’s next for Blackalicious?
GG: “The Craft” is what it is right now. We got the record
coming out, we’ve got a tour behind it and we’re going to tour
it well into 2006. We have plans for another record we’re going
to do. As for Gift of Gab solo, I’m going to do another solo
record. I’m going to do a string of limited edition things. I’m
gonna do a mixtape. I’m going to put out a series of limited
edition freestyle session tapes… going to get a live band, get
some of my favourite MC’s through and have a bunch of sessions
and record them all and put out the best bits. Right now, the
focus is Blackalicious.
XL: I put so much energy creatively into these Blackalicious so
at the end you feel like you need to rejuvenate and refill your
inspirational reservoir. I’m gonna chill for a second and
explore sound and figure out what to do next. There will be a
full length Maroons album. Lifesavaz are working on their second
album. Ledecy and I have an album.
Final shout-outs and plugs:
XL: Big up to UK hip-hop. I’ve been a fan since Hijack. Big up
to the current scene and everybody doing their thing. Big up to
my man, Charlie Dark… what’s up… Get at me.
GG: Thanks to all the fans in the UK who have supported
Blackalicious and Quannuum Projects and Shortee Blitz. That’s
it.
-
Nikesh Shukla
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