Blazing Arrow
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| Blazing Arrow | ||
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| Studio album by Blackalicious | ||
| Released | April 30, 2002 | |
| Genre | Hip hop | |
| Length | 74:24 | |
| Label | MCA Records | |
| Producer(s) | Chief Xcel ?uestlove DJ Shadow Hi-Tek Ben Harper Cut Chemist |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Blackalicious chronology | ||
 Nia (2000) |
 Blazing Arrow (2002) |
 The Craft (2005) |
Blazing Arrow is the second full-length album by Blackalicious, the follow-up to 2000's Nia. It was released on April 30, 2002 on MCA Records.
Contents |
[edit] Critical reaction
The album was generally received well by critics, with All Music Guide writer Steve Huey praising Gift of Gab's performance:
| “ | In spite of the duo's intellectual bent, the grooves on Blazing Arrow exude a tremendous warmth that's only complemented by the positivity of their messages. And if Gift of Gab wasn't recognized among hip-hop's premier lyricists before, he certainly ought to be now; his raps are jam-packed with internal rhymes, allusions, metaphors, ten-cent words, and amazing tongue-twisting feats of skill. | ” |
Pitchfork Media were also impressed with the album:
| “ | He and Xcel have the stage, and all they want to do is share it. It's as if the scope of this album-- the stylistic diversity, the guest artists, the sincere, ecstatic rhymes-- doesn't come from ambition or creativity for its own sake, but out of a need to include everyone they know and everything they see around them. Not since Car Wash has there been such a celebration of diversity and hot fun in the summertime. | ” |
[edit] Track listing
- "Introduction: Bow and Fire" – 1:06
- Vocals by Linda Parker, Susan Bonaparte and Syble Scovell
- "Blazing Arrow" – 2:40
- "Sky Is Falling" – 2:26
- "First In Flight" – 4:32
- Featuring Gil Scott-Heron
- Saxophone: Jose Espinosa
- Trumpet: Seth Zwerling
- "Green Light: Now Begin" – 3:12
- "4000 Miles" – 4:35
- Featuring Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Lateef the Truth Speaker
- "Nowhere Fast" – 6:41
- Produced by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson
- Co-produced by Chief Xcel
- Bass: Ben Kenney
- Drums: Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson
- Keyboards: James Poyser and Omar Edwards
- Vocals by Tracey Moore
- Contains interlude "Purify," featuring Tenashus, backing vocals by Miho Hatori
- "Paragraph President" – 5:09
- Contains interlude "Halfway Home," produced by DJ Shadow
- "It's Going Down" – 3:44
- Featuring Lateef the Truth Speaker and Keke Wyatt
- Produced by Chief Xcel
- Co-produced by Hi-Tek
- "Make You Feel That Way" – 3:26
- Trumpet: Anthony Coleman
- "Brain Washers" – 6:22
- Featuring Ben Harper
- Produced by Chief Xcel, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
- Bass: Juan Nelson
- Drums: Leon Lewis Mobley
- Rhodes, Clavinet: Oliver Charles
- Contains interlude "Cool Aid Chemistry," with cuts by Cut Chemist
- "Chemical Calisthetics" – 3:21
- Featuring Cut Chemist
- Produced by Cut Chemist
- Cuts by Cut Chemist
- "Aural Pleasure" – 4:47
- Featuring Jaguar Wright
- Saxophone: Jose Espinosa
- Trumpet: Seth Zwerling
- Contains interlude "Faith's Fire," featuring Lifesavas, backing vocals by Miho Hatori
- "Passion" – 3:54
- Featuring Rakaa and DJ Babu of Dilated Peoples
- "Purest Love" – 4:03
- Bass, Guitar, Piano: Teke Underdue
- Flute: Karl Denson
- Horns: Deejan Underdue
- Backing vocals: Bear and Damu Quarles
- "Release (Part 1, 2 & 3)" – 9:26
- Featuring Zack de la Rocha (Part 1), Saul Williams (Part 2), Lyrics Born and Sela Kerr (Part 3)
- "Day One" – 4:52
- Contains interlude "Bow and Fire Outro"
[edit] Credits
- Executive Producer(s): Xavier Mosley, Timothy Parker
- Bass: Harley White (tracks: 1, 3-5, 8A, 9, 10, 13A, 14, 16A-17A)
- Drums: Paul Humphrey (tracks: 1, 11B, 16A)
- Keys: Money Mark (tracks: 1, 6, 16A)
- Producer: Chief Xcel (tracks: 1-6, 7B, 8A, 9-11B, 13A-17B)
- Scratches: Chief Xcel (tracks: 1, 2, 7A, 8A, 11A, 14)
- Strings: Vincent Segal (tracks: 1, 3-7A, 10, 14, 16A-17A)
- Vocals: Erinn Anova (tracks: 3, 5, 15, 17A), Joyo Velarde (tracks: 3, 15, 17A), Vursatyl (tracks: 3, 15, 17A)
[edit] Samples
- "Blazing Arrow" contains a sample from "Me & My Arrow" by Harry Nilsson
- "Paragraph President" contains a sample from "D.A.I.S.Y. Age" by De La Soul
- "Make You Feel That Way" contains a sample from "Picture of Innocence" by Cliff Duncan
- "Aural Pleasure" contains a sample from "Grease It Up" by Andy Fairweather-Low
- "Passion" contains a sample from "It's My Thing" by EPMD
[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 2002 | Blazing Arrow | #49 | #33 | |
[edit] External links
| Quannum Projects |
|---|
| Groups |
| Apsci | Blackalicious | Honeycut | Latyrx | Lifesavas | Lateef and the Chief (Maroons) | Poets of Rhythm |
| Members |
| Chief Xcel | Curumin | DJ Shadow | General Elektriks | Gift of Gab | Tommy Guerrero | Lateef the Truthspeaker | Lyrics Born | Pigeon John | Joyo Velarde |
| Full Length Albums |
| Latyrx (The Album) | The Muzapper Mixes | The Muzapper Remixes | Quannum Spectrum | Nia | Solesides Greatest Bumps | Discern/Define | Blazing Arrow | Spirit in Stone | Later That Day | Maroons:Ambush | 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up | Thanks for Asking | Achados e Perdidos | Cliquety Kliqk | Same !@#$ Different Day | The Craft | Supreme Lyricism | Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live |
| EPs |
| Melodica | A2G |
| Affiliated Groups or Members |
| Solesides |
