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- Summary: The San Francisco rap duo of Gift of Gab (aka Timothy Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) return with a third album.
- Record Label: Anti
- Genre(s): Rap
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 18 out of 22
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Mixed: 4 out of 22
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Negative: 0 out of 22
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The magic in "The Craft" is that whether you're a student of the craft of hip-hop or not, you'll always enjoy the experience. The magic in "The Craft" is that it doesn't get stale with time - the beats and rhymes only get fresher and fresher.
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The Craft stands as an example that it is possible to successfully branch out while keeping the roots of your culture alive.
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Is it possible that Gab and Xcel could have improved and surpassed Blazing Arrow's success? The Craft simply says yes.
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SpinUnsurprisingly buoyant. [Oct 2005, p.137]
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UrbThe jury's still out on if such obvious nods to commerciality will fly with their diehard audience. [Sep 2005, p.104]
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Xcel’s production doesn’t stray very far from its R&B and soul influences, but this time it comes without almost any samples, relying sometimes on players from a homebrewed funk band to create clearance-free beats instead. Unfortunately, this new recipe doesn’t always hit the mark, and songs such as “Black Diamonds and Pearls” sound more like smooth jazz than What’s Going On-era Marvin Gaye.
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Mostly, what made Blackalicious’s last two proper albums so engaging was how Gab chose to reel in the tentacles of his glossolalia, and what makes The Craft such a disappointment is how he forgets that restraint, instead opting to crowd the tracks with ceaseless, pretentious sound.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 8
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Mixed: 0 out of 8
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Negative: 1 out of 8
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cullenmOct 24, 2005kick ass
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manafaDec 26, 2005good shit
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Apr 14, 2016
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ThurSep 28, 2005
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AlbertMSep 27, 2005
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davoSep 26, 2005
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SeanTDec 11, 2005huge letdown from blazing arrow
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