The Craft (album)

Last updated
The Craft
The Craft.jpg
Studio album by
Blackalicious
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2005 (2005-09-27)
Genre Hip hop
Length58:11
Label Anti-
Producer Chief Xcel
Blackalicious chronology
Blazing Arrow
(2002)		The Craft
(2005)		 Imani Vol. 1
(2015)
Singles from The Craft
  1. "Your Move"
    Released: 2005
  2. "Powers"
    Released: 2006

The Craft is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. [1] It was released on Anti- on September 27, 2005. [2] 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." [3] It peaked at number 102 on the Billboard 200 chart. [4] As of 2015, it has sold 67,000 copies in the US. [5]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Alternative Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Christgau’s Consumer Guide A− [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
HipHopDX 4/5 [10]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [11]
PopMatters 9/10 [12]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
RapReviews10/10 [14]
Stylus B [15]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [1]

Jack Booty of Prefix gave the album a 7.0 out of 10, saying, "[Chief] Xcel's production doesn't stray very far from its R&B and soul influences, but this time it comes without almost any samples, relying sometimes on players from a homebrewed funk band to create clearance-free beats instead." [16]

Exclaim! placed it at number 6 on the "Hip-Hop: Year in Review 2005" list. [17]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."World of Vibrations" (featuring Ledisi)
5:02
2."Supreme People"
4:03
3."Rhythm Sticks"
  • Mosley
  • Parker
4:36
4."Powers"
  • Martel
  • Mosley
  • Parker
  • Salters
  • Ségal
  • Underdue
3:47
5."Your Move" (featuring Lifesavas)
  • Mosley
  • Parker
3:55
6."Lotus Flower" (featuring George Clinton)
  • Martel
  • Mosley
  • Parker
  • Salters
  • Ségal
  • Underdue
4:12
7."My Pen and Pad"
  • Mosley
  • Parker
2:02
8."Side to Side" (featuring Lateef and Pigeon John)
4:36
9."Automatique" (featuring Floetry)
4:07
10."The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown"
  • F. Leaneir
  • Mosley
  • Parker
3:55
11."Black Diamonds and Pearls" (featuring Ledisi and Larry Saunders)
  • Mosley
  • Parker
4:22
12."Give It to You" (featuring Kween and Lyrics Born)
3:51
13."Ego Sonic War Drums" (featuring P.E.A.C.E.)
  • M. Davis
  • Martel
  • Mosley
  • Parker
  • Salters
  • Ségal
5:57
14."The Craft"Mosley, Parker3:46
Total length:58:11

Charts

ChartPeak
position
US Billboard 200 [4] 102
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [18] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [19] 79

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Craft by Blackalicious". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Blackalicious Polishes Its 'Craft'". Billboard . June 2, 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Blackalicious Unveil The Craft". IGN . June 2, 2005. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Blackalicious: Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard . Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ Bush, John. "Blackalicious - The Craft". AllMusic . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ Smart, eclectically but authentically funky, and humane to boot. [Oct 2005, p.168]
  8. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Blackalicious". Christgau's Consumer Guide . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (September 23, 2005). "Blackalicious, The Craft". The Guardian . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ Tardio, Andres (November 22, 2005). "Blackalicious - The Craft". HipHopDX . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  11. ↑ Murphy, Matthew (September 29, 2005). "Blackalicious: The Craft". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  12. ↑ Stirling, Stephen (October 3, 2005). "Blackalicious: The Craft". PopMatters . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ A breath of fresh air. [Nov 2005, p.122]
  14. ↑ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (October 4, 2005). "Blackalicious :: The Craft". RapReviews. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  15. ↑ Passantino, Dom (September 30, 2005). "Blackalicious - The Craft". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  16. ↑ Booty, Jack (October 3, 2005). "Blackalicious: The Craft". Prefix. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  17. ↑ Dix, Noel (January 1, 2006). "Hip-Hop: Year in Review 2005". Exclaim! . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Blackalicious: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard . Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Blackalicious: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard . Retrieved October 17, 2018.

Further reading

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