Blackalicious’ high-energy show sells out the Fox theater
A barrier divided the Fox Theatre at 1135 13th St. in Boulder on Friday night for the all-ages Blackalicious show but the crowd was unified by relentless beats and lyrics.
Blackalicious came out to an already pumped up crowd at 11:45 p.m. A sell-out made the Fox resemble the inside of a sardine can, but there was still plenty of room to dance.
Xavier “Chief Xcel” Mosley came out first and laid down a gradual intro for the arrival of Tim “Gift of Gab” Carter. The two childhood friends share an unrivaled chemistry onstage that pushes creativity and not-necessarily-commercial success.
“It is a blessing to travel the world and do what we do,” Gift of Gab said to the audience.
Blackalicious gave the audience a verbal tongue lashing during “Paragraph President” from its 2002 release “Blazing Arrow”.
The group progressed effortlessly through each song with bass lines that vibrate on your chest and the auctioneer-like speed of Gift of Gab’s rhymes.
Gab took three opportunities to showcase his freestyle abilities and to demonstrate he is as robust in rhymes as he is in size.
As the evening progressed, so did the enthusiasm of the crowd. Gab took every chance he had to incite the audience to make more noise.
“Make more noise than you’ve ever made before,” Gab said.
Blackalicious brings a lyrical sophistication to the table uncommon in most hip-hop acts. The absence of thug-themed music and lyrics also separates the group from many of its peers. Blackalicious instead chooses to rap about political and social issues, like in the song “Paragraph President.”
The song “First in Flight” was one of the highlights of the evening. This song brought roars from the crowd and left Gab nearly out of breath.
The set finished up before last call and left the crowd delightfully stunned.
Dan Levinson, a junior fine arts major, said he was impressed with what he saw.
“Gift of Gab is one of the most innovative visionaries I’ve ever seen,” Levinson said. “His freestyles are insane.”
Sophomore psychology major Brian Ralph said he likes what Blackalicious does for the audience.
“When Blackalicious comes on, it’s on,” Ralph said.
