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This west coast hip-hop duo,
comprising MC Gift Of Gab and DJ Chief Xcel, have
attracted the same attention as the members of
the east coast-based Black Star crew for their
promotion of a new "conscious" rap agenda.
Gab and Xcel debuted in 1995 with the acclaimed
Melodica EP, setting out their stall on cuts such
as "Rhymes For The Deaf" and "Swan
Lake". Plans for a full-length follow-up
were put on hold as the duo concentrated their
energies on setting up the Quannum label with
compatriots DJ Shadow and the Latyrx crew, with
whom they had previously recorded for the Sacramento-based
label Solesides. A 1999 album, Spectrum, was released
under the Quannum moniker, setting the scene for
the release of the A2G EP and the duo's long-playing
debut. Nia pursued the same themes as the earlier
release, attacking the gun, drug and sex culture
of gangsta rap and promoting a new adherence to
the spiritual and political values of black nationalists.
Poet Nikki Giovanni contributed a spoken word
version of her poem "Ego Trip", while
Gab's declamatory style reached a peak of righteous
anger on tracks such as "Shallow Days"
and "Deception". Chief Xcel's production,
meanwhile, sampled from an eclectic range of black
music styles, including an old field chant on
the "Smithzonian Institute Of Rhyme".
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