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] As of 2015, the album has sold 67,000 copies in the US.[4]
The Craft | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by Blackalicious | ||||
Released | September 27, 2005 (2005-09-27) | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 58:11 | |||
Label | Anti- | |||
Producer | Chief Xcel | |||
Blackalicious chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Craft | ||||
| ||||
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | favorable[6] |
Robert Christgau | A−[7] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
HipHopDX | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Paste | favorable[10] |
Pitchfork | 7.4/10[11] |
PopMatters | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Stylus Magazine | B[13] |
XLR8R | favorable[14] |
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."[15]
Exclaim! placed it at number 6 on the "Hip-Hop: Year in Review 2005" list.[16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "World of Vibrations" (featuring Ledisi) | X. Mosley, T. Parker | 5:02 |
2. | "Supreme People" | S. Martel, Mosley, Parker, H. Salters, V. Ségal, T. Underdue | 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) | L. Daumont, J. Dust, Mosley, Parker | 4:36 |
9. | "Automatique" (featuring Floetry) | M. Ambrosius, Mosley, Parker, N. Stewart | 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) | Mosley, Parker, T. Shimura | 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, Parker | 3:46 |
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[17] | 102 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18] | 5 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] | 79 |
Authority control ![]() |
|
---|