Blackalicious frontman, Gift of Gab conquers the final frontier with the release of Escape 2 Mars, another solo achievement
Gift of Gab, best known as the technically adept MC of the vaunted Blackalicious, knew that after waiting over five years for a follow-up solo release that he would have to really take this one far. Like other planet kind of far. Escape 2 Mars signifies the next groundbreaking voyage in the career of an MC who is nothing short of iconic. Cornerstone Recording Arts Society is set to release Escape 2 Mars October 27, 2009 on CD, Vinyl and worldwide digital download.
Production on Escape was placed mainly in the hands of the Bay Area’s talented DNAEBEATS, with a few tracks also helmed by Hednodic, from Gab’s most recent star collabo project The Mighty Underdogs and Crown City Rockers. Del the Funky Homosapien and Brother Ali, another two undeniably iconic MCs, are featured on “Dreamin’”, one of the record’s stand out cuts. Gab also recruited some of the talent from the Quannum Collective he helped pioneer, including Joyo Velarde, Lateef The Truthspeaker, and Honeycut’s vocalist Bart Davenport.
His hopes of keeping things close to home set the stage for the album’s inspiration. “People are gonna think this is about Martians, but it’s not,” Gab explains. “It’s more so about taking care of the planet we’re on. We might have to escape to Mars or somewhere else if we keep taking the planet we live on for granted.”
“I’m not trying to preach to anyone,” he continues. “I just think it’s important for us to raise the level of consciousness and consideration of these things.” On songs like Electric Waterfalls and the title track, lyrically he journeys into these topics directly. Musically speaking, it was also a space age inspiration that led him to break some new personal ground. “Some of the more electronic feeling songs were new territory me. I didn’t really connect with much of that until we went out and did some shows with Bass Nectar and I saw the culture shifting in front of me and thought it was a great thing.”
Known for one of live hip hop’s most engaging shows and mind-blowing delivery, Gift of Gab will tour the country heavily in support of Escape 2 Mars this Fall and into Winter and Spring. Expect him in your city’s favorite club and major festivals alike, soon.
Gift Of Gab – El Gifto Magnifico (FREE DOWNLOAD)
Escape 2 Mars Track Listing
1) E2MTRO
2) El Gifto Magnifico
3) Light Years
4) Dreamin’ feat Del The Funky Homosapien & Brother Ali
5) In Las Vegas
6) Escape 2 Mars
7) Electric Waterfalls
Richman, Poorman
9) Somathapeople
10) Spotlight
11) Rhyme Travel
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