Blackalicious is an American alternative hip hop duo. Gift of Gab (Tim Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) met at John F. Kennedy High School in 1987 in Sacramento, California and formed the group in the early 1990s and released their first recording, "Swan Lake", on Solesides Records. The Solesides Crew consisted of the two and friends of theirs who all met at UC Davis, including DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truth Speaker. The single was an underground hit, but label trouble prevented the duo from immediately capitalizing on their fame.

In late 1997, Solesides became Quannum Projects and in 1999 Blackalicious released the A2G EP, which served as a precursor to their debut full length album, Nia, released the following year. This was followed by a major label contract with MCA Records and the release of the critically acclaimed album Blazing Arrow in 2002.

In May 2004, Gift of Gab released his first solo album, 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up. In September, Chief Xcel released The Underground Spiritual Game, a mixtape built around his favorite moments from the extensive catalog of afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. One month later, another Xcel project, Ambush by Lateef and the Chief, was released.

A third full length, entitled The Craft, was released on Epitaph Records imprint ANTI- on September 27, 2005.

The song, Alphabet Aerobics, was features in Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 for the Xbox. __NOTOC__

Discography

Albums

• A2G (EP), (1999) Quannum Projects
• Nia (LP), (2000) Quannum Projects/Sub Verse
• Blazing Arrow (LP), (2002) MCA/Quannum Projects
• The Craft (LP) (2005) (ANTI-)

EPs

• Melodica (EP) (domestic release), Solesides 003
• A2G EP, 3-2-1/Quannum Projects (re-released on Quannum/Sub Verse)

Singles

• "Lyric Fathom" b/w "Swan Lake", Solesides 002
• "Deception" b/w "Turmoil" & "Redemption", Quannum Projects
• "Trouble", Quannum Projects/Mo' Wax
• "If I May" b/w "May I" & "Reanimation", Quannum Projects/Mo' Wax
• "Passion" b/w "Paragraph President", MCA/Quannum Projects
• "Make You Feel That Way", MCA/Quannum Projects
• "Your Move", ANTI-/Quannum Projects
• "Powers", ANTI-/Quannum Projects

Compilation appearances

• "Touch The Stars", Connected Compilation, 3-2-1
• "One of a Kind" & "Jada's Vengeance", Quannum-Spectrum, Quannum Projects
• "Calcutta Convention", on the Droppen the Bomb V.2 Bomb Records (recorded in 1996)
• "Soul In Flesh", on The Unbound Project compilation, Realized Music

External links

• Official website
• Quannum Projects
• PopMatters interview (11/2005)
• Audio Interview on The Sound of Young America: MP3 link
• Blackalicious Lyrics

American hip hop groups | Duos | Blackalicious