The Martlet

UPDATE: The Gift of Gab show has been cancelled since the print edition of this article was released.

“Live, raw hip-hop, a lot of real lyricism and a lot of good music,” is how the golden-tongued hero of underground hip-hop, Gift of Gab, describes his live show. The description is apt for his sprawling body of work, too.

Since Blackalicious released their full-length debut, Nia, in 1999, Gift of Gab’s flow has been tickling eardrums, and not only on Blackalicious records, but on numerous guest spots: a side project with Lateef the Truth Speaker (The Mighty Underdogs) and a stellar duo of solo records — soon to be a trio with the March release of his latest work, Next Logical Progression.

“I put a lot into this record, and it’s one of my favourite bodies of work that I’ve done. But of course I’m gonna say that, right?” says Gab. For Next Logical Progression, Gift of Gab decided to eschew a traditional DJ-makes-the-beats approach to the music and instead opted for a much more hands-on process.

“I’ve always heard music in my head, but I’ve never been able to play an instrument. So I went to (producer) G-Cool. He’s a specialist. People go to him for recreating samples. If someone wants to use a sample but they don’t wanna get sued for it, they have him play it. So I would just go in and hum bass lines, guitar riffs and piano chords — whatever I heard — and it’s just a whole other way to create songs, and I think I’ll be doing that for the rest of my career”.

Indeed, creativity has never seemed to be a problem for Gift of Gab.

“For me, creating is like travelling. There’s a multitude of styles to be created. You can’t make enough of them, just like you can’t reach the wall at the end of the universe because there is none. It’s limitless. I find that when you just sit and show up, [creativity] takes over.”

Gift of Gab solidified his status as one of the most creative, intelligent and agile wordsmiths in hip-hop on Blackalicious’s magnum opus, Blazing Arrow. Like a lot of other artists who have released landmark records, Gift of Gab knows that fans often hold up everything he’s associated with to the lofty standards set by Blazing Arrow.

“I think Blazing Arrow was that record for us,” says Gab. “The one where it’s kinda like ‘I want you to make another one!’ I understand that because I’m a fan of it, too. The whole of it is I don’t think our best music has been made yet. I think each [album] represents a space and time where you’re at, and Blazing Arrow was where we were at. Will we make another one? I don’t think we can. I think we could if we did it on purpose, but what would be the fun in doing something that’s already been done?”

Not one to be backed into any kind of creative corner, Gift of Gab has taken his positivity-based hip-hop to new places in the last couple of years, using outer space as consistent metaphor for artistic freedom and expression. This is evidenced in the titles of his first two solo records, 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up and Escape 2 Mars.

There’s little effort involved in keeping the subject matter on the records in a positive place, even when the beats threaten darkness. “It’s not like it’s an intentional thing, like, ‘I’m going to write a positive song today.’ That’s just me. I’m just being myself,” he says.

There’s an important message that Gift of Gab tries to convey, and one he hopes people will keep with them long after his voice fades from the headphones and the concert stage.

“Believe in your dreams and don’t let anybody tell you what you can’t do. Every day we wake up with limitless possibilities, so anything is possible. Put your mind and heart to it.”

Gift of Gab January 27, 2011 @ 9 pm Sugar Nightclub $16