Blackalicious : Alphabet Aerobics (The Cut Chemist 2½ Minute Workout)

I don't know much about Blackalicious. I first heard this song on one of our Dance Dance Revolution games, believe it or not. There's not much to this song musically. The beats are pretty stripped down, with just drums, a piano stab and some bass, although it does steadily increase in tempo, which is odd for a rap song. But where the song really excels is in its lyrics.

The lyrics are all rhyming couplets, which is pretty standard, I suppose, if you're rapping in 1981. And the content is also pretty standard, just a litany of syllables explaining why Gift of Gab is so much better than all those other wack MC's. But as you're listening to it, you might start to see a pattern. Yes, Tim is spiraling through the alphabet, one letter at a time. Each two-line verse consists primarily of words that begin with the letter of choice. It ends up sounding like a series of tongue-twisters, which I suppose it is, especially since the beat keeps getting faster and faster.

Oh, also, apparently this song was produced by Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5, not Blackalicious' normal DJ, Chief Xcel.

Anyway, it's a fun listen, quite enjoyable. "Alphabet Aerobics" can be found on Blackalicious' 1999 EP A2G.

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