Blazing Arrow

Can the underground go overground? That seems to be the question that the second album from the Bay Area hip-hop duo Blackalicious asks. Their bold 2000 full-length debut, Nia, shook the indie-rap world, but now, with major-label backing and a roll call of major guest stars (Zach De La Rocha, Ben Harper, Jaguar Wright), it’s pretty clear Blackalicious are making a serious play for a bigger audience. They just might get it. Despite the abundance of cameos, it’s MC Gift of Gab’s blurring lyrical skills and Chief Xcel’s inventive beatscapes that take center stage here. Musically, the duo are practically unclassifiable: They push atmospheric funk (“Nowhere Fast”), playful R&B (“Aural Pleasure”), and jazzy, hippie-hop (“Make You Feel That Way”) with a dexterity that’ll remind folks of the Roots and De La Soul. The raw sample-scratch-and-rhyme banger “Paragraph President” and the gritty, soulful “Brainwashers” push the sonic boundaries even further, but amazingly, Blackalicious never seem to strain under the creative load. Quite a feat considering what they’re carrying.