Nia
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- Artist: Blackalicious
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1999
- Total Time: 74:01
- Genre: Rap
Review
After recording a string of singles and EPs stretching back to 1994, the Blackalicious duo finally released their full-length debut, Nia, in early 2000. It's an album that stakes the claim of Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab as not only the best pair of rappers in the underground, but also the best pair of producers. As could be expected from an urban-underground crew, Blackalicious look back to earthy jazz-funk, rare-groove, and sampladelic old-school rap for their sound. Still, the productions on tracks like the great opening bout "The Fabulous Ones," "Do This My Way," and the tongue-twisting alphabet song "A to G" are much rawer and deeper -- and just plain better -- than most any underground-rap crew could manage. And as good as these tracks are, the raps are even better. Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab stay deep in the groove, switching between straight-ahead solo rhyming, sing-speak vocals, and one-two choruses with almost as many rapping styles as there are tracks. There's just a little too much material here -- 19 tracks spread across 74 minutes -- but Nia is an excellent tribute to the growing vitality of the rap underground. ~ John Bush, Rovi| Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu (1997 Album by Photek) | |
| Nia (2002 Album by Nia) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Nia (album)
| Nia | ||||
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| Studio album by Blackalicious | ||||
| Released | 1999 (Mo 'Wax) February 8, 2000 (Quannum) |
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| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Hip Hop | |||
| Length | 74:01 | |||
| Label | Mo' Wax / Quannum Projects | |||
| Producer | Chief Xcel DJ Shadow Lyrics Born |
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| Blackalicious chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Independent | [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.3/10)[3] |
| PopMatters | (favorable)[4] |
| RapReviews | (10/10)[5] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[6] |
| Rolling Stone |  [7] |
Nia is the debut full-length album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious, released in Europe in late 1999 by Mo' Wax and later released in the United States by Quannum Projects with a slightly altered track list.
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Contents
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Reception
Nia received extremely positive reviews from music critics such as Rapreviews.com's Steve Juon, who said "This album is the answer to the question, "What's been lacking in hip-hop lately?"[8]Allmusic gave it a near perfect rating of 4.5/5 calling it "an album that stakes the claim of Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab as not only the best pair of rappers in the underground, but also the best pair of producers."[9] PopMatters added that it "renews your faith in the power and potential of hip-hop."[10] Daily Vault's Ben Ehrenreich gave the album an "A" and said:[11]
Nia contains a perfect balance of upbeat bangers and slow-paced grooves. There is even the excellent “Ego Trip By Nikki Giovanni,” which does nothing but enhance the experience of Nia. Even Blackalicious’s interludes are far superior to the majority of the ones found on many hip-hop albums.
Track listing
| # | Title | Time | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Searching" | 1:48 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab
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| 2 | "The Fabulous Ones" | 2:59 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 3 | "Do This My Way" | 4:48 | Lyrics Born | Gift of Gab
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| 4 | "Deception" | 5:10 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 5 | "A to G" | 2:23 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 6 | "Cliff Hanger" | 6:20 | DJ Shadow | Gift of Gab | |
| 7 | "Shallow Days" | 4:19 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 8 | "Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni" | 1:43 | Chief Xcel | Nikki Giovanni and Erinn Anova | |
| 9 | "You Didn't Know That Though" | 4:34 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 10 | "If I May" | 3:55 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab
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| 11 | "Dream Seasons" | 3:44 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 12 | "Trouble (Eve of Destruction)" | 4:48 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 13 | "Smithzonian Institute of Rhyme" | 4:27 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab
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| 14 | "As the World Turns" | 4:23 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab
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| 15 | "Reanimation" | 5:40 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 16 | "Beyonder" | 4:05 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 17 | "Making Progress" | 3:10 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 18 | "Sleep" | 3:53 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab | |
| 19 | "Finding" | 1:53 | Chief Xcel | Gift of Gab
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Trivia
- The front and back covers of Nia shows a number of vinyl stacks. Some of these records include The Album by Latyrx, Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow and Blackalicious' own debut EP, Melodica.
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ The Independent review
- ^ Pitchfork Media review
- ^ PopMatters review
- ^ RapReviews review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Juon, Steve (April 6, 2000). "Blackalicious :: Nia :: Quannum". Rapreviews.com. http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2000_04_nia.html.
- ^ John, Bush (George Bush's son). "Nia". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r465653.
- ^ Patrick, Jones. "Blackalicious: Nia PopMatters Music Review". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/b/blackalicious-nia.shtml.
- ^ Ehrenreich, Ben (2007-01-24). "The Daily Vault Album Reviews: Nia". Daily Vault. http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=4689.
External links
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums
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