Blackalicious
Blackalicious
4/20 Live in Seattle (Quannum
Projects/MVD;
November 2006)
Just when you thought that listening to your CDs from Blackalicious was enough, now they come with some
visuals, personal thoughts, and behind-the-scenes action that only
leaves us wanting more.
based around one specific concert on Seattle, on that pot-smoking holiday of 4/20, but it’s scope is much
wider. We get introduced to the bulk of the Quannum family,
including Lifesavas and Lateef,
and also meet some friends new and old, such as Pigeon John, RV Salters, and Fat Lip
from Pharcyde. More importantly, we learn about the origins of
Blackalicious, how the Gift of Gab and Chief XCel met in a
Sacramento high school and forged their friendship and working
relationship that’s almost 20 years old.
The concert itself is as expected: a steady set of beats and
rhymes from one of hip-hop’s most talented and original duos with
special guests. 
The crowd digs it and the DVD audience
will too. Perhaps most noteworthy and a testament to Blackalicious’
mass appeal is the composition of the crowd, which varies in age
and race. Interspersed between songs are pieces of advice for
emerging emcees and deejays and explanations of how which songs
came to be, such as how Cut Chemist gave Gift of Gab the idea of
“Chemical Calisthenics.”
Of course, the DVD also makes a fine listening piece and the
extras are fun to watch, including a bus crawl with the crew and a
video for the song “Deception” off the duo’s latest The Craft. It’s basically a concert film decorated
amply with info that proves satisfying for fans and informative for
newcomers.