| A2G | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | April 30, 1999 [1] | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 24:46 | |||
| Label | Quannum Projects | |||
| Producer | Chief Xcel, Cut Chemist | |||
| Blackalicious chronology | ||||
| ||||
A2G is an EP by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was originally released on Quannum Projects in 1999. [2] It peaked at number 21 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. [3]
The EP contains the tongue-twisting song "Alphabet Aerobics", which actor Daniel Radcliffe recited on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2014. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
Stanton Swihart of AllMusic gave the EP 4 stars out of 5, with particular praise for "Alphabet Aerobics". He additionally wrote that Gift of Gab "barely outshines Chief Xcel, who, par for course with the entire Quannum Projects crew, loads the music with clever samples and newfangled beats (especially on the funk-laced 'Clockwork') to keep things ever-inventive." [1]
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A to G" | Chief Xcel | 2:27 |
| 2. | "Clockwork" | Chief Xcel | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Rock the Spot" | Chief Xcel | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Back to the Essence" (featuring Lateef) | Chief Xcel | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Deception" | Chief Xcel | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Making Progress" | Chief Xcel | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Alphabet Aerobics" (The Cut Chemist 2 ½ Minute Workout) | Cut Chemist | 2:13 |
| Total length: | 24:46 | ||
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [3] | 21 |
Daily Operation is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released by Chrysalis Records on May 5, 1992. It peaked at number 65 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Timothy Jerome Parker, better known by his stage name Gift of Gab, was an American rapper best known for performing in the Bay Area hip hop duo Blackalicious along with DJ Chief Xcel. He was also a member of Quannum Projects, a Bay Area hip hop crew and record label, and performed and recorded as a solo artist.
Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and rapper. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.
Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's is a compilation album by the Minneapolis hip hop group Atmosphere. It was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2001. The album collects the previously released EP's, Ford One, Ford Two, and The Lucy EP.
Personal Journals is the first solo studio album by American rapper Sage Francis. It was released on Anticon in 2002. It peaked at number 8 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart. As of 2005, it has sold 36,000 units.
Blazing Arrow is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was released on MCA Records on April 30, 2002. It peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Lateef Daumont, better known by his stage name Lateef the Truthspeaker, or mononymously as Lateef, is a hip hop artist from Oakland, California. He is a member of several hip hop groups such as Latyrx, Lateef and the Chief, and the Mighty Underdogs. He was the founding member of the Solesides collective, which became Quannum Projects.
The Craft is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was released on Anti- on September 27, 2005. Chief Xcel said, "The Craft is our passion to bring discipline to this music, the passion to keep growing, keep stretching, keep doing things we haven't before." It peaked at number 102 on the Billboard 200 chart. As of 2015, it has sold 67,000 copies in the US.
Nia is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was released in Europe by Mo' Wax on August 30, 1999, and re-released in the United States by Quannum Projects on February 29, 2000, with a slightly altered track listing.
Latyrx is an American alternative hip hop duo consisting of Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born. The roots of their partnership lay in the formation of the Solesides collective at the University of California, Davis.
Lifesavas is a hip hop group from Portland, Oregon. Their style exhibits tag-team rhymes, matter-of-fact storytelling and a soulful production. The emcee's styles and song writing skills are showcased in the arrangements of a funky collection of subject matter and concepts.
SoleSides was an American underground hip hop label based in Northern California, founded in 1991. It comprised various DJs and MCs, the most notable being DJ Shadow, MC–producer Lyrics Born and duo Blackalicious. The members of Solesides all met via the radio station, KDVS, the 5000-watt community radio station of the University of California at Davis. During high school, Davis-natives DJ Shadow and The 8th Wonder used to frequent the station to support Orus Washington's hip hop show. In college, journalist and then-grad student Jeff "DJ Zen" Chang, broadcast a weekly hip hop radio show that got the attention of DJ Shadow and The 8th Wonder, freshmen Xavier Mosely, Tom Shimura and Joseph Patel (Jazzbo). They all shared a like-minded passion for hip hop that pushed beyond the sounds of mainstream commercial music.
ApSci is an Australian video-centric avant pop duo with origins in indie hip hop. As individuals, their roots go back to punk rock and opera. The duo consists of Bronx born, New Jersey-bred Ra Lamotta and his Filipino-Australian wife Dana Diaz-Tutaan. The duo, which has been performing together since meeting in 1998, has received added attention after being signed to underground hip hop label Quannum Projects in 2004. The band name is a portmanteau of "applied science."
Primitive Plus is the official debut studio album by American hip hop musician Edan. It was released via Lewis Recordings on March 19, 2002. It peaked at number 44 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
Melodica is the debut EP by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was originally released on Solesides in 1994. It was reissued digitally in 2012 with an additional bonus track "Change".
Haiku d'Etat is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Haiku d'Etat. It was released in 1999. In 2004, it was re-released with a different cover and a different track listing.
"Alphabet Aerobics" is a song by American hip hop duo Blackalicious from their EP A2G (1999). It is performed by Gift of Gab and produced by Cut Chemist.
Imani Vol. 1 is the fourth and final studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was released on September 18, 2015, after a decade-long hiatus since their previous album, The Craft. The title of the album means "faith" in Swahili, and it is the first part of what was a planned trilogy of albums before Timothy Parker died of kidney failure in 2021. Work began on the album in 2012, with the making of the album being crowdfunded via the website Pledgemusic.
Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful production. The duo released four full-length albums: Nia in 1999, Blazing Arrow in 2002, The Craft in 2005, and Imani Vol. 1 in 2015. Gift of Gab died in June 2021.
Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura, better known by his stage name Lyrics Born, is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.
