August 26
Gift of Gab of Blackalicious w/ Elfkowitz
Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St. in Lincoln
7 p.m., $15 in advance, $18 day-of-show, bourbontheatre.com
There’s rap and then there’s hip-hop. Gift of Gab of Blackalicious is an integral figure in the world of intelligent hip-hop. His contribution to the underground community is immense and after almost two decades in the business, he’s still going strong. In 1992, Gab helped establish the California-based label, Quannum Projects, along with other key players Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow and Lateef the Truthspeaker. Since then, it has evolved into a respectable label that is still 100% independently owned and operated. As one-half of Blackalicious, Gab (along with producer Chief Xcel) executed a sound that was fresh, innovative and original. Gab proves himself a unique lyricist time and again with his tongue-twisting rhymes and impeccably timed delivery, lacing his material with words that make you think. The singles “Alphabet Aerobics” from 1999’s A2G or “Chemical Calisthenics” from 2002’s Blazing Arrow, Gab is at his finest, proving his reputation as an untouchable lyrical force. Catch the man behind the moniker at Lincoln’s Bourbon Theatre this Friday. (Kyle Eustice)