Single Review by Mark Bayross
From the same stable as DJ Shadow comes Blackalicious, a duo of producer Chief Xcel and rapper The Gift of Gab. I guess the size of the afro of the gentleman on the cover says it all: this is funky old skool rap as it used to be.
The single comes in three parts – the De La Soul-style first part by the duo themselves, DON’T LET MONEY CHANGE YA; the more experimental and melodic middle part provided by Company Flow’s El-P, TURMOIL; and the final chilled out composition by Kutmasta Kurt, REDEMPTION.
It’s a cautionary tale of the evils of excess money and fame and it’s pretty good: dubby bass, the odd stab of keyboards and laid back mellow rhymes reminiscent of fellow Californians The Pharcyde. Not a “ho” or “bitch” in sight.
