#184
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (MCA, 2002)
When the decade wrap-ups started appearing all over the internet in the latter half of last year, I was surprised to not see this album pop up on more lists - especially because I've always felt like it inspired quite a bit of the best of the underground leaning hip-hop of the decade. I can hear strains of a lot of what was to follow in here including Mos Def's comeback, Common's mid-decade rise, and especially the forward-looking funk of Erykah Badu's latest round of work. Magnetic tongue-flipper Gift of Gab and beat-crafter par excellance Chief Xcel reached heights on this album that they'd only hinted at previously and, perhaps disappointingly, haven't come near since. Sure, a lot of the big names dropping by helped out (Ben Harper, Lyrics Born, Cut Chemist, Gil Scott-Heron, Questlove, etc.), but without the duo laying down a fantastic base, all of the guest stars in the world wouldn't have helped. A particular favorite is the epic "Nowhere Fast", which features Questlove on drums and James Poyser on keyboards. It starts off with a funky bounce that mutates into a slinky groove as the track rolls on, definitely pointing the way towards future collabs with Ms. Badu. That particular track is followed by the jaw-dropping "Paragraph President", with verses so tightly-wound and densely-packed that it becomes impossible to deny Gab's talented flow. The record hits on many moods over the course of its run time - slinky jazz, psychedelic haze, slow jam grooves, and on and on - but it all comes together surprisingly well and forms one of the most thrilling hip-hop statements of the decade. I just wish it was still receiving more props.
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