Four and a half stars

In 2003-2004, Quannum records did no wrong. Albums by The Lifesavas, Lyrics Born, The Maroons, and Gift of Gab garnered widespread acclaim and catapulted the record label to a new level. An absolutely mind-blowing, life-altering, existence-reaffirming tour with nearly the whole crew displayed the cohesiveness, brotherhood, and outright talent of this label.

One cannot deny, though, the significant role that Blackalcious' Nia and Blazing Arrow played in giving 2003-2004 the forum in which to shine. I remember hearing of Blackalicious on a very obscure Philly jamband's listeserv, and within a year, Best Buy was advertising Blazing Arrow in their newspaper inserts. Added to that, the inspiring, smooth as silk vocal delivery and classic funk-based beats hooked this listener immediately, making this duo one of my favorite hip-hop acts of all time.

The Craft continues in the spirit of its parents. Well, probably more like ancestors, as The Craft is more of a logical progression than the progeny of the last two efforts.

Once again, music masters Gift of Gab and Chief X-Cel focus heavily on expanding the evident influences, and styles of music. "Powers" is a 70s soul/funk masterpiece which, at moments, brings to mind many modern electronic (by no means techno!) and Dirty South hip-hop tones.

Many other tracks, like "Side to Side", "The Fall and Rise of Elliott Brown" (which is also one of the obligatory Gift at lightspeed tracks), and "Egosonic War Drums" (THE obligatory lightspeed track) also represent a voyage into un-chartered territories, and all with success.

"Black Diamonds and Pearls" with its well known vocal sample, and "Rhythm Sticks" display that well-known Blackalicious sound I fell in love with.

So, the end result of it all? I can't rate this album as high as the two classics that came before it. Though I enjoy the new experimenting, and as always, the unparalleled flow of Gift combined with meticulous mixing and sample research from the Chief, on a whole, I don't feel the impact of the album as I did with the last two. It's not that this album is not worth your time or money, it is, and will be more so than many other hip-hop albums released this year. It's just that listening to Nia and Blazing Arrow is an experience of musical transcendence, and The Craft is a collection of really great songs. The old albums portray vivid identities, and The Craft impresses with its variety, and signature, unrivaled skill.

I really want to give this album four stars, simply because of the difference in how it first hit me compared to the previous two, but I realize that could be due to the fact that I am now used to Chief and Gift's remarkable ability, while the first two were purchased at the same time. In addition, I have yet to listen to a Quannum album without first thinking that there were just a number of great songs, before eventually realizing the entire albums were genius. Stars don't really matter here though (and not simply because of the 20 point differentials Amazon!) because once again, Quannum, Blackalicious, Gift of Gab, and Chief X-Cel have graced us with a refreshing glass of fun, funk, infectious beats, and the best flow in the biz. Time to get your drink on.

Blackalicious is my favorite rap group. From their overstylized production to their soulful structures of the English language, they are the definitive group of "conscious style" rapping.

First of all, "The Craft" is a digression from their previous work. Instead of the epic story-telling and quirky and blatant displays of skill, like their songs "Cliffhanger" and "Alphabet Aerobics," "The Craft" took a different route, reaching out to their roots and having a style that was reminiscent from their material on the "Solesides" album. The songs are more stylish than substance and on this album, they just get weirder and somewhat mainstream. Instead of having grand songs of celestial influence, they have chosen to have songs in the style of R & B and a lot more jazz and funk influenced, with numerous songs dependent on the chorus for catchiness. "Powers" is extremely catchy, but it sounds like something that would be played in a Volkswagen commercial. "Rhythm Sticks" is merely a song in which Gab stylishly spells out "BLACKALICIOUS." Gift of Gab truly displays his style of motormouthing, and much of this album sounds like nonsense rather than substance, which is, like I said earlier, reminiscent of their old-school days.

There are no songs that are powerful enough to stand above the rest. There are no grand, epic, specific songs that I immediately fast-forward to on my CD player. However, it is that trait that makes this album unique- it must be listened in its entirety to be fully appreciated, like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." The album is extremely more enjoyable when you listen straight through it at once, because the songs' quality and order melt together to form one great piece of work. "World of Vibrations" is an excellent opener, which caught me right away. "Lotus Flower" is just...sublime. "My Pen and Pad" is sexy old school. "Side to Side" is good rhythmic fun. "The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown" is full of big brass bravado. "Black Diamonds and Pearls" is truly a soulful, precious jewel. And finally, "Give It to You" is just another example of why Gift of Gab is a self-proclaimed "lyrical shogun."

I admit that I didn't like it the first 2 times I heard it because it was so different. But after awhile, it grew on me and I learned to love it. This new approach is different, but extremely appealing. Give it a chance, you'll never regret it.

and again and again on this album. I just got it and played it all the way through a couple of times, and its all I thought it would be and more. I saw blackalicious a few weeks ago for the first time and they played rhythym sticks and the title track of the album. I immediately went and preordered the album. I think overall this album is better than Blazing Arrow, which I considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of my time. Chief Xcel is definately at his best here. Supreme People is my favorite track, and some of the most energetic stuff that blackalicious has ever done. I love the combination of energetic battle raps mized with soulful harmonies provided by the lovely voice of ms. Joy King. The way they combine different elements and styles really makes this album a modern masterpiece. Recommended for all people.

I saw Blackalicious at the Troubadour on the day that the Craft was released, and it was amazing. Gift of Gab went off a few times freestyling in excess of a few minutes, just going crazy on the mic. Chief Xcel has impressed me the most with his latest offering, utilizing lots of live instruments to record the tracks, and Gift of Gab does NOT dissapoint lyrically--but how could he ever? I see track four, "powers" as a potential single since it is kinda catchy. My favorite track would have to be the last track 14, titled 'the Craft.' If you enjoy music as an art and not just as entertainment -- BUY THIS ALBUM, not to dissapoint.

Art and craft coexist. Where there's art there's craft, where there's craft there's art. Art without craft can be hard to understand, appreciate, and digest. Craft without art can be mindblowing ear candy but yet not ever touch you deeply. I remember when I first bumped Blazing Arrow my artistic senses were really moved. It felt like musical sunshine.. it was inspiring and moving. The technical aspects were good but wasn't the main point, it existed as a vessel to deliver the art. However here on the Craft it seems like they've crafted one crafty album but left the artistic merit of their previous works out.

X-Cel and Gift of Gab are technically better than they've ever been. Gift of Gab's lyrics and delivery are mind-blowing. Gab's meter, his rhyme, and diverse libraries of flow(wtf? is he biting juvenile on Lotus Flower? lol) are beyond anything I thought he was capable of... but he might as well be speaking another language or rapping about bling bling, blunts and 40's - cause I simply don't care about what he's spittin. On Blazing Arrow I couldn't help but take notice and think and be moved.. which ultimately is where music is supposed to take you.

My soul never needs me to replay The Craft, there's nothing calling me to.. but whenever my brain tells me to play it, I do and I hear an amazing technical accomplishment that's, somehow, dissapointingly, ... .. flat.