When Blackalicious rapper Gift of Gab passed away on June 18th, 2021, he already recorded his upcoming album Finding Inspiration Somehow. The album was initially set to be released this summer but was ultimately pushed back for a release date in September due to the untimely passing of the rapper. The album will drop on September 10th via Nature Sounds Records.
Today, August 17th, the first single off the record dropped, “Vice Grip.” The song once more showcases the MC’s lyrical talent and his ability to bring his own flow to any kind of beat. The producer of the song and album, Nick Andre, says about the recording process, “Vice Grip’ isn’t the type of beat that I would normally send Gab, but I’m glad I did because he absolutely destroyed it, in my opinion.”
Listen to the song below.
With Blackalicious, Gab was part of the SoleSides Records crew, which also included Lateef the Truthspeaker. Lateef says about the song, “His flow is mathematically fierce, his tone gruff and aggressive. The song is relentless and compelling from start to finish. In short: he’s rapping his face off.” He also explains that Gab previously played the entire record to him while they were sitting in his car pre-pandemic in 2020. “It was great then and it’s great now, which was his greatest Gift,” Lateef says about the album.
Gift of Gab has left behind over 100 tracks of material, so while the rapper might have passed, his fans can still enjoy new releases. The rapper was a significant influence on the Bay Area hip-hop scene. He formed the hip-hop duo Blackalicious in 1992 with his childhood best friend, Chief Xcel. The MC was battling kidney disease for seven years until receiving a kidney transplant in 2020.
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