Blackalicious

Blackalicious is an American hip hop duo.

Gift of Gab (Timothy Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) met in 1987 while attending John F. Kennedy High School in

Blackalicious is an American hip hop duo.

Gift of Gab (Timothy Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) met in 1987 while attending John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento. They formed Blackalicious in 1992 and released their first single, "Swan Lake," on Solesides Records in 1994. The Solesides Crew consisted of the two and friends of theirs who all had met at UC Davis, including DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truth Speaker. The single was an underground hit, but label trouble prevented the duo from immediately capitalizing on their fame.