Gift of Gab

The Quannum force might not be quite as indestructible as we thought. Usually coming out with material that is incomparable to anything else in hip-hop, Gift of Gab’s solo effort seems a tad predictable and boring at times, even though very solid. When teamed with production from Chief Excel to form the mighty Blackalicious, Gab is like a hip-hop superhero that can squeeze an obscene number of syllables into one breath. He continues to do the same this time around, making your mind melt while proving he’s one of the best MCs on the mic today, but the beats are very stripped down and lack punch. The opening "Ride of Your Life” is quite beautiful as it blends heavenly strings and harps as Gab crafts his rhymes in sync with the beats for fantastic results. "The Writz” might make your face scrunch up at first due to the fact that the chorus is lifted from that dreadful Taco song, but you too will admit that this piano jam is damn catchy after a few listens. 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up is a pretty great record, but considering the amount of life that is poured into Blackalicious records it’s hard to not be a little disappointed with the simplicity of Gab’s solo attempt. Mind you, what would be the point of branching out on your own otherwise?