Blazing Arrow Blackalicious MCA, 2002   Buy it online Reviewed by John McCormack	For all those who still believe hip-hop can change minds, Blackalicious are back with the release of their second full-length effort Blazing Arrow, an evolution in hip-hop production and poetics. Expanding upon the creative strides made on their debut album Nia (Swahili for purpose), Blackalicious aka Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab surface from the depths of hip-hop's underground to drop their first major label release. Sound-tracked by soulful grooves, liquid beats and meditative lyrics, Blazing Arrow is a spiritual outing that opts for originality and experimentation over conformity and excess. Cooking up an enticing fusion of rumbling funk, jazzy soul and precision scratching, Blackalicious serve up a thick, mouthwatering melodic stew that argues for a well-deserved place among the best MCs and DJs of the day. For Blackalicious, residents of the Bay Area, Blazing Arrow represents a fundamental step in a much larger evolution in group sound and creativity. From the drop of their first EP, the soulful Melodica, released back in 1992 on Solesides, to the funked-out A2G, the predecessor to Nia, Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab have always been progressive students in the hip-hop game. Forever searching for new sources of influence and inspiration, on Blazing Arrow, they enlist the creative hand of a whole faction of guest artists, including Gil Scott-Heron, Zach de la Rocha and the Roots' ?uestlove. Highlights include the cryptic "First in Flight," in which Heron's oracular choruses are the perfect compliment to Gab's reflective lyrical vision. And "Nowhere Fast," in which ?uestlove's funky drumming pushes and prods Xcel's kaleidoscopic mixes. The most entertaining collaboration though is "Chemical Calisthenics," a head-to-head beat battle that pins Gab's rhyme skills against the cutting prowess of Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist. Showcasing a whole arsenal of spitting styles as he runs through, among other things, a never-ending list of chemicals, Gab holds his own and then some. Not to miss out on all the fun, on some of the album's other standout tracks, Chief Xcel proves he can flash insane skills when he wants to. On the title track, "Blazing Arrow," Xcel is at the top of his game, taking the chorus of a Harry Nilsson children's song and building it into a neck-snapping hip-hop classic. Just as Mos Def, Talib Kweli and other skilled cats have secured a place for elevating, intelligent rap on the east coast, Blackalicious are forging a future for the west. | July 2002   John McCormack is a freelance writer and music enthusiast.	Tracks 1: Intro: Bow & Fire 2: Blazing Arrow 3: Sky Is Falling 4: First In Flight 5: Green Light: Now Begin 6: 4000 Miles 7: Nowhere Fast 8: Paragraph President 9: It's Going Down 10: Make You Feel That Way 11: Brain Washers 12: Chemical Calisthenics 13: Aural Pleasure 15: Purest Love 16: Release Part 1, 2 & 3 17: Day One