Black Power

Xcel looks at the MoWax connection as "a blessing. It really gave us a chance to see hip-hop from a global perspective. It allowed us to tour globally and reach audiences that we may not have otherwise."

Even though the Solesides crew had experienced success with its releases stateside and worldwide, the guys eventually felt that it was necessary to destroy the label in order to save it. As part of their ongoing evolution, the crew remains intact, says Xcel, "but at the end of 1997, we had kind of felt like we had just outgrown the original intent of the label. So we just decided to dismantle Solesides and build it into something stronger, which is Quannum Projects."

With their consciousness-raising rhymes, Gift of Gab (left) and Xcel are helping hip-hop make Quannum leaps forward.

Details

with Blackalicious, Encore and Don Blas
7 p.m. Saturday, June 24
Fox Theatre
1135 13th Street, Boulder
$19
303-443-3399

with Blackalicious and Encore
8 p.m. Thursday, June 22
Gothic Theatre
3263 South Broadway
$19.25
303-380-2333

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More About

• Blackalicious
• Chief Xcel
• Lyrics Born
• Underground Hip-Hop
• Hip-Hop and Rap

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After everyone went into retreat mode, 1999 saw the collective return with the Quannum Projects compilation Spectrum, which featured Latyrx, DJ Shadow and Blackalicious, as well as collaborations with Quannum faves such as EL-P from Company Flow, Jurassic 5 and Souls of Mischief. With that release and NIA, which also features contributions from Quannum family members such as Lateef, Lyrics Born, Shadow and newcomers like Erinn Anova and Joyo Velarde, the group has come back strong, with a new foundation for its musical visions.

In the end, Gab hopes his own work with Blackalicious, as well as the whole Quannum spectrum, will result in an dynamic and evolving oeuvre. He says that he and Xcel are dedicated to their work as "an ongoing project, a journey to leave a big body of timeless music."

For those with a taste for intelligent hip-hop, Blackalicious is definitely going to hit the spot.