Yale Daily News

Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 6:11 p.m.

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Blackalicious' third is off-kilter genius

MC Gift of Gab brings the 'underground' ruckus

Published Friday, September 30, 2005

"Underground hip-hop" is a bit hard to pin down. Is it defined by rebellious philosophies, off-kilter backbeats, or just a shoestring budget without big corporate daddies? Whatever it is, it's on "The Craft," the third album by spunky San Francisco Bay Area duo Blackalicious. Their refreshingly rough, raw yet sugary-sweet beats lack the over-crisp sheen of radio-bound hip-hop, and their socially-conscious lyrics aren't exactly school-dance sing-alongs. Nevertheless, "The Craft" is saturated with a creativity and defiant energy that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, least of all a...

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